Bagpipe humour!

[rsvpiper]

😂😂😂😂😂

[Steve Ashton]

Or not nearly enough!!!

[Brian Rose]

A comment I heard years ago. What's the definition of perfect pitch? One tosses the accordion into the bin and it lands on top of the bagpipes.

[Tobus]

A comment I heard years ago. Whats the definition of perfect pitch? One tosses the accordion into the bin and it lands on top of the bagpipes.

I usually hear that one with the accordion landing on a banjo. As a banjo player myself, I take solace in the fact that the average person dislikes the banjo only slightly less than they dislike bagpipes. I happen to love them both, but don't have the lungs for the pipes.

[EagleJCS]

I happen to love them both, but don't have the lungs for the pipes.

It's interesting that people make the presumption that you've got to have superior "lung power" to play the pipes. Far from it. The bag is a reservoir for the air that drives the reeds. All you have to do is breathe normally and exhale into the bag to refill the reservoir. If your set-up is air-efficient, you don't have to breathe hard at all. There are many top-level pipers that are also smokers (some up to two or more packs a day! ).

The difficulty in learning to play the pipes is simply developing the coordination between blowing, squeezing and moving one's fingers (later you add in marching in time, watching where you're walking, and remembering the tunes you've - hopefully - memorized).


Re the OP: hadn't heard/read that one before.

[Tobus]

It's interesting that people make the presumption that you've got to have superior "lung power" to play the pipes. Far from it. The bag is a reservoir for the air that drives the reeds. All you have to do is breathe normally and exhale into the bag to refill the reservoir.

I've never seen a piper breathe normally when piping! They all look like their heads are about to explode, with their cheeks puffed out and their necks straining. Sometimes they pass out. As I understand it, inflating the bag isn't the hard part. It's squeezing the bag to create enough pressure to drive the drones and their reeds, and then keeping a range of pressure (i.e. overcoming it with each blow) with one's lungs that's the issue.

I bought a practise chanter from a fellow XMTS member several years ago and tried it for a few weeks. Even that was more than I wanted to do. I am a smoker, but used to play brass instruments when I was younger (baritone, tuba). I just don't care for sustained blowing into an instrument these days, though I respect those who do! I'll stick with my plucked, frailed, and bowed instruments that I can play while I smoke, LOL.

[Katia]

It's interesting that people make the presumption that you've got to have superior "lung power" to play the pipes. Far from it. The bag is a reservoir for the air that drives the reeds. All you have to do is breathe normally and exhale into the bag to refill the reservoir. If your set-up is air-efficient, you don't have to breathe hard at all. There are many top-level pipers that are also smokers (some up to two or more packs a day! ).

The difficulty in learning to play the pipes is simply developing the coordination between blowing, squeezing and moving one's fingers (later you add in marching in time, watching where you're walking, and remembering the tunes you've - hopefully - memorized).


Re the OP: hadn't heard/read that one before.

I once had the chance to try a practice chanter. I could barely get a sound out of it-- or maybe I couldn't at all; it's been several years so I can't remember. The pipes themselves, I'm sure, are worse...

[Blupiper]

I usually hear that one with the accordion landing on a banjo. As a banjo player myself, I take solace in the fact that the average person dislikes the banjo only slightly less than they dislike bagpipes. I happen to love them both, but don't have the lungs for the pipes.

I play the pipes and would wonder which the order of dislike would be among: bagpipes, accordion and banjo. BTW, one of my favorite tunes by the Austin Lounge Lizards is "Banjo Players in Heaven." Features solo and ensemble banjo parts in the tune. The line that always brings a grin is "It's hard to find a banjo player up in Heaven, there's somethings even Jesus won't forgive."

JMB

[AbuMaia]

I play the pipes and would wonder which the order of dislike would be among: bagpipes, accordion and banjo.

I actually like all three. I took a bagpipe class my first semester of college, I have a banjo hanging on the wall (need to learn how to play it sometime), and this vid almost made me buy an accordion, until I saw how much they cost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlf_et1wxSs

[revdpatience]

I usually hear that one with the accordion landing on a banjo. As a banjo player myself, I take solace in the fact that the average person dislikes the banjo only slightly less than they dislike bagpipes. I happen to love them both, but don't have the lungs for the pipes.

On the subject of banjos, check out today's Google Doodle which honors Earl Scruggs.