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The sexier side of bagpipes


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The sexier side of bagpipes

Muriel Gray

Wednesday May 12, 2004

The Guardian

The bagpipes have rarely been regarded as sexy. There are few instances in teen culture where the gang, heading for the beach in an open-topped Jeep, stop by Angus's house and implore him to come along, bring his pipes and play them a lament. Yet despite their image - of being wielded by stocky, Free Presbyterian men with the joie de vivre of wet granite - their global appeal has never been stronger. This is not simply because of the sheer number of pipe bands scattered over the continents, begat initially by the diaspora of the Scots, but because of an astounding evolutionary process.

A visit to the World Pipe Champion-ships, held every summer in Glasgow, would beguile the newcomer. Naturally, the traditional is strongly represented by the tight, melodic playing of the world's greatest pipe bands from the most Scot-centricparts of the world. Canadian Mounties, New Zealand firemen, and Australian sheep shearers blow alongside the Scottish colliery and police pipe bands that dominate the competition. But it's the huge numbers of young people taking part that surprises. To have reached this standard of international excellence, most have been playing since they were seven or eight, but what has kept them playing and practising into their rebellious years is the fact that the pipes are now regarded as very sexy indeed.

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There are few instances in teen culture where the gang, heading for the beach in an open-topped Jeep, stop by Angus's house and implore him to come along, bring his pipes and play them a lament.
:wacko:
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the northwestern part of Greece called Ipiros use bagpipes in their traditional music. That's strange considering the distance between the two places (Scotland and Greece) and I don't know how this happened. Did it come from there or did the scots get it from the greeks? I'll have to do some research on that and see.... Maybe they both "stole" it from some other part

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Sexy they are...

I was serenaded by a piper (and yes he was wearing a kilt :lol: ) at the tender age of 15 after a Burns night. That 'Angus' could play anything from Led Zeppelin to Mozart on the pipes and it sounded great...

Maybe I should move to Scotland .... :wub:

method, there are a few different varieties of pipes here .... Scottish bagpipes where you have to blow up the bag.... Uilleann pipes (Irish) and Northumbrian pipes (north of England) have bellows.

Here's a pic of the Uilleann pipes... bellows under one arm... bag under the other

uilleann-2.jpg

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Here's a pic of the Uilleann pipes... bellows under one arm... bag under the other

A strange place for the bag for sure. ;)

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the sexier side of pipes......................................Tell you all something........I am a girl from Texas, and to me, the pipes and the kilts aresomething to behold.....there is nothing better, I have some fine CD's from some great people and some CD's that I have bought, and then again some fine pictures of some Great Looking Pipers.........I love the pipes (and the guys that wear the kilts that play them :strumma: ) someone once told me that you have to love the pipes or you will run from them......I love the pipes

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........I am a girl from Texas,

You are OK!! :rolleyes:

I wonder how I would look in a kilt........

Note to self: NO self respectin Texas redneck would be seen in a kilt even if the girls like it........

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