The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsJust curious: I absolutely LOVE bagpipes. Am I the only one here with that response to
their screeling sound?
I could listen to them all day.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)I went to a college that had a bagpipe band, so I got to hear them live pretty often.
Turbineguy
(37,324 posts)throttle Nazis by.
ZZenith
(4,122 posts)tblue37
(65,340 posts)them.
I suspect that the fact that I am hearing impaired, especially in the upper registers, allows me to enjoy them more, since I might just not hear the highest pitched part of their sound, and that those who do hear it might, in some cases, find it almost painful.
ZZenith
(4,122 posts)They were intended to sow fear and discord into their enemies in battle, a task they are supremely well-suited for.
ariadne0614
(1,728 posts)They invoke a deep sense of longing for a mysterious something lost in the mists of time. Tear ducts are frequently engaged.
tblue37
(65,340 posts)hlthe2b
(102,247 posts)Amazing Grace--very touching.
That said, there was an episode of Downton Abbey where they stayed at an amazing Scottish estate and per custom were awakened EARLY every morning with the continuous play of bagpipes--not stopping until well after breakfast had ended. That might have been a bit too much for me (as it was for most of the characters)...LOL
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)bagpipes were intended for and it sounds all wrong and weird to me. Bagpipes were instruments of war whose purpose was to rile up their troops and intimidate the enemy. They played stirring tunes to get people wound up for battle. This is what they're supposed to sound like:
hlthe2b
(102,247 posts)and other hymns just sound right for that reason, I think. They certainly are evocative since, I scarcely hear the first note at a police or state funeral before shedding the first tear.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)or Beethoven's Ninth played by an orchestra of kazoos. It just doesn't work for me.
akraven
(1,975 posts)During our annual parade, this one makes me sit down (I always get front row because I am NOT a pu**y Ass Bi*ch unlike Agent Orangehair). LOVE them!
CountAllVotes
(20,868 posts)She would hear just one note and oh how she loved those bagpipes!
tblue37
(65,340 posts)CountAllVotes
(20,868 posts)Every time I hear bagpipes I think of her.
She was such a sweet girl and died a tragic death.
Doreen
(11,686 posts)A lot of the music I listen to every day has bagpipes. I listen to a lot of bagpipe rock and folk music. In fact I am listening now.
When I was 6 my uncle was visiting and brought his bagpipes and played them. I developed an instant love for them.
I also think that bagpipes are the loudest instrument there is. Good sound for phone ring if you work in a noisy area or do not wake easily.
tblue37
(65,340 posts)he plays bagpipes!
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)PJMcK
(22,035 posts)In the first frame, we see the line of departed souls lined up at the Pearly Gates where they're given their angel wings and a harp.
In the second frame, we see the line of condemned souls lined up at the entrance to Hell where they're given their pitchfork and a set of bagpipes.
(In the original telling, it was an accordion.)
lastlib
(23,224 posts)elleng
(130,895 posts)tblue37
(65,340 posts)elleng
(130,895 posts)to listen again; was a family favorite #### years ago, so a good time to recall.
Tanuki
(14,918 posts)tblue37
(65,340 posts)ariadne0614
(1,728 posts)Codeine
(25,586 posts)One of the most emotionally-stirring instruments I can think of.
applegrove
(118,642 posts)to. But at recitals we had bagpipes play and my sister and i once went to a family reunion with a local kid who could play bagpipes and we danced for our family who had immigrated from Scotland 150 years before (we're sentimental like that).
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)applegrove
(118,642 posts)a sword across the stage one time. A few feet. I just retrieved it and kept on dancing.
Siwsan
(26,261 posts)Much the same as drums. So pipes AND drums are 'music to my ears'.
tblue37
(65,340 posts)broiles
(1,367 posts)I think my ancestors left Scotland to get away from bagpipes.
3catwoman3
(23,975 posts)It feels as if my very cells vibrate to the sound. I feel it from my hair to my toes. And, as observed by a couple other DUers, gets the waterworks going at the first skirl.
I was thrilled to discover that I had some Scottish heritage during a stay in Edinburgh in 1974.
wishstar
(5,269 posts)An experience I will never forget as they played homage to the fallen of 9/11
Aristus
(66,329 posts)rurallib
(62,412 posts)loved to see them march and listen to the pipes.
yonder
(9,664 posts)Yes, they are large, very loud and I imagine would strike fear into some ancient opposing army. But, there are bagpipes found all over the world that are actually quite different.
My favourite happen to be the Irish Uilleann (elbow) pipes which are dry-reeded, bellows blown pipes. They are softer, sweeter, can be played in many keys and with a full set, beside the three drones, you have the addition of three regulators which allows one to play chords as well. They are difficult to master and perhaps harder to maintain. The Northumbrian small pipes are similar but smaller, sweeter yet and I don't believe regulators are used.
Irish pipes using regulators:
But for me it is the wealth of tunes that are played in traditional music, whether played on fiddle, flute, concertina or the pipes.
Here's another example of mostly European tunes played on a variety of pipes:
tblue37
(65,340 posts)Phentex
(16,334 posts)I'm not sure how or when that started but any time I hear them now, I think of death and funerals. *sigh*
whistler162
(11,155 posts)tblue37
(65,340 posts)demmiblue
(36,846 posts)It is a total feels-fest watching the pipes and drums marching down a field.
tblue37
(65,340 posts)demmiblue
(36,846 posts)Who can forget Portland's Unipiper:
Leith
(7,809 posts)nt