Well, after all, the bagpipes ARE a double reed instrument, like the bassoon, which I play.
The first bagpipes I heard in person wafted over the small campus of Guilford College, in Greensboro, North Carolina, where I spent my summers from 1968-70 when I was in high school, attending the Eastern Music Festival, which is a music camp for teen-aged orchestral musicians. It is where I learned to love classical music. I never learned to play the bagpipes, but I still have my practice chanter.
Why did this come up? Ask Moe Lane.
Update, 5/20/2010, Thurs.: Regular dear gentle reader Graumagus suggests the following videos of his friend, bagpiper Jeremy Kingsbury, and I am promoting them from the comments:
Jeremy Kingsbury on bagpipes and other American Revolutionary War re-enactors at Bloody Lake:
I’ve been a French & Indian and Revolutionary war era reenactor for 11 years now, and one of the highlights for me is always listening to our friend Jeremy Kingsbury play the pipes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWC0F8Q9_M8
We do an event in October at Glacial Park in McHenry County, IL (about 45 miles NW of Chicago). There are 50+ camps at the base of the kames (a large irregular hill left by a retreating glacier). On Saturday night, after the public has left and the canvas is lit by candle and campfires alone, Jeremy plays “Amazing Grace” on his pipes from the top of the kames, while ladies from several camps scattered sing below.
Pure magic.
Another video 🙂
After the gentleman on the dulcimer, Jeremy again with my close friend Wes Fisher on the Bohdran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDQPZPzV6H4
Well after seeing a link to you at another blog I just had to get over here, since anything to do with Scotland or THE PIPES immediately gets my attention.
All I can say is WOW – this young man is a master of the instrument at what appears to be a pretty young age. He was playing some very intricate fingerings there and was dead on. Love to hear him play some classical pibrochead some time!
Anyone who loves the pipes is okay by me, Cyn! Have to consider adding you to my blogroll:)
.-= Bruce´s last blog ..Watch out for the “Young Guns” – they’re out to get the Dems =-.
Bruce,
Thanks, Bruce — I’ve gone ahead and added your Curmudgeon’s Corner to my blogroll. I hope you add “Cynthia Yockey, A Conservative Lesbian” to yours!
Cynthia
P.S.
I think you would love Shakey Pete’s Shootin’ Shack, written by Peter Davis, a frequent commenter here, who is a retired deputy sheriff living in Texas.