Bagpipe Progress

[fionapatton]

So I'm coming on to three months of sitting on the back porch playing scales and scales and scales and scales and SCALES and mangling Amazing Grace, Scotland the Brave and the The Green Hills of Tyrol and I'm pretty pleased with myself, I gotta say. That low G has finally worked itself out and I get it most of the time. Grace notes are, quite

Comments

[muffyjo]

I gotta say, GO YOU!
1. You now have a reasonable and achievable goal set and
2. You are playing the freakin' bagpipes, woman! How rockin' awesome is that?! Oh, and
3. You have managed to outsmart the dogs for 3 months.

I'd say that's a series of impressive accomplishments right there. :)

[fionapatton]

Thanks. I'm not quite exactly on the actual pipes yet. I'm still learning the chanter but its going well. The band has 2 sets of pipes you can borrow for up to a year and I have my eye on one of those, who knows maybe by Christmas I'll be ready to relearn everything all over again. This is the weirdness instrument ever.

[braider]

Piping to inspire you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz2HTaIUHKg

[fionapatton]

Thanks. That was very cool. We are no where that big or that precise. We were practising some marching in the parking lot outside the firehall where we practice and it was very cool (drew people to us as pipes always do,) but we are no where near in the league of these big bands.

[braider]

To be fair - it IS a Grade 1 band. I'd hunted down a proper example when I was telling a coworker about getting to hear the winners of the Grade 1 and 2 piping competitions and Grade 1 drumming competition at the Antigonish Highland Games in Nova Scotia. It was amazing. These aren't the same guys, but just as inspiring.

The winners of Grade 1 that day were from Fredricton, NB. I was in that town a week later, and heard a pipe band practicing near the river. They were NOT the Grade 1 band. Still, very fun.

[maiac]

Those are good plans.

I want a photo of you with your pipes. In a kilt.

[fionapatton]

I'm sure you do. I imagine there will be quite a few people wanting that. I haven't worn a kilt since I was 13. Had quite a few as a child-- my grandmother was a Robertson and a Ross and she sent us those as well as the hunting and the royal Stewarts. It was often my compromise with my mother.

[minxlaurel]

You always make me smile. I love the enthusiasm and joy that threads through every part of your bagpipe journey, almost enough to want to join in. I look forward to hearing more about the marching and piping - and kilting.
Due to the inspiration I will listen to some of my favorite pipe music in the morning, and then move on to some happy dancing to Great Big Sea in the afternoon. See what you started?

:0)

Laurel

[fionapatton]

awesome! That makes me want to listen to pipe music and Great Big Sea too! Do you watch republic of Doyle? did you see the Alan Doyle ep?