Three Life-Lessons from Bagpipes

One of the oldest instruments, the bagpipes are also among the most unique instruments. Traditionally constructed from animal bladders and swamp-wood, the bagpipes have found their way into folk music, Baroque, and even rock.

Those who have mastered, practiced, attempted, or even tried the pipes at Renaissance events or circuses, can attest to the challenges the instrument presents. However, the instrument can teach three important life skills as well.

1. Things that are worthwhile take time

Playing bagpipes, especially the Great Highland pipes, is not just a musical challenge, but a physical one. The development of the lung capacity, the coordination between breathing, squeezing, and playing the chanter (the part of the pipes that are pressed by the fingers) doesn't come without time and practice.

However, the time developing the physical and coordination skills lead to beautiful funeral and honorary ceremonies. Memories made playing in parades, St. Patrick's Day festivities, bike races, conferences, and circuses with friends are unforgettable. The tips are nice too.

2. Dress for the occasion

It is hard to imagine a piper not in a kilt. Furthermore, there is always a good case to be made for wearing a kilt, but none as compelling as the argument that a piper without a kilt is somehow wrong. It is fascinating to note the variety of kilts - from tactical kilts to family patterns.

The piper usually has more than just a kilt; in fact, getting ready for a bagpipe performance is quite an affair. Included are usually the sporran, the belt, the cap, the Ghillie shirt, the Scottish suit jacket if applicable, the socks and flashes, sock-knife, and nice buckle shoes.

Please don't ask the pipers what they wear under the kilt - it is a piper secret.

3. It's not what you say, it's how you say it

Bagpipe music is unique, compared with other types of music. Because the bagpipes produce a constant sound, in order to play the same note two times in a row, the piper must do a quick note change in between. Sometimes, the note changes are made ornately, with several intermediary notes, often too fast to hear distinctly. In fact, how pipers articulate note changes are quite intricate and highly marked by tradition: such in-between notes include "grips", "crunluaths", "throws", and many other traditional techniques.

The novice piper learns a couple of simple ornamentations for note changes. The advanced piper glosses their music with all kinds of ornate features, developed over many years of practice and effort.

In summary, it may be all too easy today to give up a pursuit that is "too hard". Bagpipes certainly are a hard instrument to play, but learning to play them is worth the perseverance. The people who play them are pretty cool too, nlg.