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Mar
05
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“I’m not a short girl, I”m a tall leprechaun.”
Bri appears to be embracing her Irish roots (father’s side). This morning as I am driving her to school, she says to me, “I know what I want for my birthday. I want bagpipes.” I looked at her puzzled, and asked, “What? Where you going to find lessons for that?” She smiled and said, “There must be some old Irish dude in Las Vegas that teaches people how to play the bagpipes. Maybe I could get a book? I hear that it is the hardest instrument to learn how to play.”
That’s what she needs. Like I already don’t have my hands full and purse empty from cello and soon to be, piano. Oh, and let’s not forget there’s an electric bass and amp that occupies space in my loft. I don’t know where this kid comes up with this stuff. I did like the leprechaun quote, though. Appropriate.
Anybody ever seen a bagpipe teacher?
Central Park, NY
March 5th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Well, at least one day Bri will be a world-renowned musician who can afford to take care of you in your elderly years.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Mike Shea (@pinoles) plays bagpipes…
March 5th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Apparently, when you start the bagpipes you begin practicing on the chanter (flute-like part) rather than the whole thing. If you want to go high tech, there’s always the electronic version,like this- http://www.hotpipes.com/tpipe.html
If you’re going to practice the pipes, you better have understanding neighbors or better yet, live in an isolated area.
March 5th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
The Irish rock!
WheelMan: I thought she was already in those years.
*ducking for cover*
lmao.
March 5th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Next, Step Dancing, then beer and whisky
March 5th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Oh lord, not the bagpipes. Is your home soundproof? If not, can you afford to soundproof at least one room, to which she will be confined until she is really good?
I used to work with a guy who decided to learn bagpipes. He found a teacher and practiced every day. I know this because his office was next to mine, and he would practice at work after hours which is when I am normally at my most productive. When he broke that thing out, though, I flew out of the building like I was on fire. Hearing someone learn to play the chanter is like hearing someone rake their nails down a chalkboard, again and again and again.
On the other hand, there aren’t a lot of female bagpipers, so that might be fun. Just brace yourself for a few months of sounds that will curdle the milk and crack the window panes.
March 5th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
She’s not getting bagpipes. No way.
I did like her perspective though as far as being short. Rather than seeing it as a negative, she turned it into a positive. That thinking will serve her well in the future.
March 8th, 2010 at 12:57 am
I know a bagpipe player. I’ve never personally seen him play them sober (pretty sure he’s Irish), but he’s quite good. You’d be surprised how much attention you can get with a set of bagpipes at DragonCon when playing them in the stairwells at the Atlanta Hilton at 4AM. Amazing accoustics, seems you can hear ‘em all over the hotel.
Now the more serious part is where do bagpipes get played most often? His most frequent gigs are military, policeman or fireman funerals.