Set myself a challange.

I haven't played in any way, shape or form since February. Totally lost heart and interest. Pipes have been lying in the wardrobe untouched.
In three weeks I have the opportunity to play a few tunes on GHB and Smallpipes (maybe even join in with a Ceilidh Band).

Last thing I want to do is make a fool of the instrument (I can make a fool of myself nae problem!).
Do I look for the sound which I think I had 20 odd years ago?
Do I look for todays sound?
Do I look for what pleases me, even if the odd note on the chanter may be slightly out?

Your thoughts / advice would help me a lot.

Listen m8, just do what you think sounds good. You'll never get the sound of 20 yrs ago with todays pitched reeds, I think yer wise enough to know what sounds good 'n what sounds like Shotts.

Go fer it m8, glad da hear there a wee flicker a light still there. ( pipes in the wardrobe.....WTF, al look after 'em fer yee, al even take 'em da bed wi ma.....wardrobe indeed )

Awww Stormy! I'm so glad you're planning to play your pipes again!

Of course I couldn't possibly advise you on anything, but I can encourage you. I say do what pleases you... if you're the only piper there, then what does it matter if the notes are slightly out? You know what sounds good and I am sure you will be wonderful!

In three weeks I will be watching Stormy's Room for news (and hopefully a picture or two?!) of how the event went.

Good luck, and more importantly, HAVE FUN!!!!

Do what I do mate,

Please myself,

Go for a pitch that pleases you,Ifyou still have a 1980's Sinclair lying about, there'll not be a big pile wrong with it anyway, as the latest McCallum is a copy of it.

I mind you said you had a plastic bag and reeds now, so thats even handier, no messing about for an hour to get them going right, pick 'em up and play 'em

As you all know, I'm not a great fan of the plastics, but they do have their uses, and are certainly acceptable for everything but top band playing, in fact after Cowal, I will cut off the dead sheep and fit my Bannantyne.

Good to see you back in harness Stormy, we just need to find you a wee grade 3 band for you to pass the time in, and have a few highly advanced discussions in the beer tent, Theres a hell of a lot of knowledge that gets lost to the new generations, no one writes it down, but it should really be passed on

Best of luck

Hey John
Clydebank are an up and coming G3A band looking for help ,
Craig Munro is a good hardworking lad , Master Craftsmen at Wallace Bagpipes if yer interested, just to keep yer hand in when the retirement comes along !!! canae be long now lol

or even a 4b band that nees a hand.. fancy coming to denny ? :D

Thanks for giving your thoughts / advice.
Saturday I got out the smallpipes and had a wee tune. Sounded very nice (Kinnear's) but felt that I was playing them because I had to, not because I wanted to.
Sunday I thought about getting the smallpipes out again and the GHB out later but just sat and kept thinking about it.
Monday (tonight) I got the smallpipes out again and couldn't even get in a decent "birl" or "High A Grip". I was planning on getting the big pipe out tomorrow and decided to give it a miss.
There is no point in forcing myself to do something which I am not ready to do. No point in playing music, even for your own enjoyment, when the heart & soul is not in it.
I've tried to get the pipes going again and to be honest I have not enjoyed it.

Memories are much better than blood (when the lips crack), sweat (trying to get through three 6/8's without forgetting the tunes) and tears (when my fingers just won't do what my mind want's them to do).

I think my own piping days are over!

Sorry to hear that Stormy? I still remember clearly that Saturday in Cardiff a couple of years ago, when although totally Cabbaged, you managed to entertain a pub full of Scots, Welsh, English, Irish and French, with all sorts of tunes.
BUT???? then again Age is a helluva thing? it gets us all eventually

Well John m8, at least you gave it a try. Music as you've said so many times needs to be felt / played from the heart, not played just for the sake of it.

Nevermind, you have indeed some great memories, look after those pipes though.
Ya think maybe it was being at the worlds / beertent 'n chattin' wi Ian brought that wee spark back again ?.

Dai Robb wrote:Sorry to hear that Stormy? I still remember clearly that Saturday in Cardiff a couple of years ago, when although totally Cabbaged, you managed to entertain a pub full of Scots, Welsh, English, Irish and French, with all sorts of tunes.

I remember the day well Dai and I didnae think I was that "cabbaged"!!!!!
The memories however are much easier to remember than the damn friggin tunes!!!!!!!!

Redneck wrote:Ya think maybe it was being at the worlds / beertent 'n chattin' wi Ian brought that wee spark back again ?.

The Thursday at Piping Live and the Worlds I hoped would have kindled something. That was the plan.
Unfortunately the kindling just would not light the fire!

stormy wrote:

Redneck wrote:Ya think maybe it was being at the worlds / beertent 'n chattin' wi Ian brought that wee spark back again ?.

The Thursday at Piping Live and the Worlds I hoped would have kindled something. That was the plan.
Unfortunately the kindling just would not light the fire!

Stormy - can i ask why you stopped playing back in february?

Caliulster wrote:Stormy - can i ask why you stopped playing back in february?

Quite simply took a scunner and lost all heart and interest. It happens sometimes.
A chance meeting with a local publican several weeks ago saw me playing in his pub the next
afternoon for the Tartan Army during the Scotland v Norway match. 12 hours to get the pipes going after an 8 month lay off was not easy!!!! It did give me that "kick up the arse" however and I've been playing twice a week since.

No matter how pissed off you ever get, don't worry about it. Something will come out of the blue to get you back into the swing of things.

That old saying Stormy, NEVER SAY NEVER, anyone of your capabilities could not be lost to the piping world for ever, as you say something turns up and you get that "feeling" again, glad to hear you are back playing regularly.

Dai Robb wrote:That old saying Stormy, NEVER SAY NEVER, anyone of your capabilities could not be lost to the piping world for ever, as you say something turns up and you get that "feeling" again, glad to hear you are back playing regularly.

Here here. Keep 'er lit John.