celticpiping wrote:Guinness is it lads..nothing but..
yeah Uilleanns are amazing...though I'm far from that ON them.
It's a lifelong pursuit
However, regarding the GHB(Highland pipes)
I did play them sunday, at church!
The church we're currently going to, holds services in a elementary school.
I kicked off the Christmas service leading the kids in from the gymnasium(killer echo)..we marched into the main room & up onto the stage.
It was awesome..a handful of the kids were stopping their ears..it was great!
Good times fer all!
Wow, that's great. Nothing like the pipes to give any service something special. Which leads me to a true bagpipe story for you...
Last May, I lost a very dear friend (who was also my boss) to lung cancer. His name was Michael. He was a brilliant guy in many ways, but most notably for his deadly sense of humor, and love of a good prank.
At any rate, in his will he stipulated that he wanted a bagpiper at his funeral. His wife also asked me to play harp during the service, so I was loading in the church and saw the bagpipe player. I knew the guy, because for many years I had been in the celtic music circles around town. Was that whiskey I smelled on him? Could be, but I went on with my business. So the moment in the funeral service arrives, and the bagpiper starts up from just outside the chapel area so he can start his slow march in to the crowd.
The music sounded like a cow being killed. The guys pipes were horridly out of tune, they squeaked on every other note, he wasn't even hitting the notes that were supposed to be there (the tune was of course "Amazing Grace"). Everyone started exchanging horrified looks. For a split second I thought that this was an intentional spoof, but I know the piper and he is way too serious - he never would have done that. No, he was just blind drunk and the playing was reflecting it.
I shoot a look at Tina, Michael's wife, who has her had in her hands and her body is shaking, I thought from crying because of her loss and how horribly this music is coming off. But she slowly pulls he hand down her face and I can see the shaking isn't from crying...its from hysterical LAUGHTER. Soon I hear giggles and then the whole place is breaking out in laughter. The poor piper finishes and we all give him a standing ovation.
That's when we KNEW that Michael was actually with us. No one in the world could possibly have caused something like that but him! It was perfect.
Beannachtai Nollag a Thu....Merry Christmas to you and yours, piperman.
