I was looking at this photo from a recent post:
Where’d his left leg go? Or is he doing the ol’ leg cross playing position that seemed to be all the rage in the old photos and paintings.
What was up with that anyway? This style of playing (or posing) seems to have died out.
tommykleen
*funny, if you didn’t know what was going on in this picture you might think the set went all the way around his body.
Fascinating: I believe you have discovered one of the earliest applications of Camouflage Art. The clever application of dyes and paint to the piper’s left leg make it appear invisible; see more recent examples below.
Notice how he covers the upper holes with his right hand. It’s done the same way as in the old paintings of pipers, and very similar to the way a flute player might try to hold the pipes. I would think you would have to cross your legs to get the chanter high enough to hold it in this manner.
dave boling
Piping in the Wilderness
Only because I was bored for 5 minutes, I brought the picture into irfanview and tried some manipulation. Now, barring that he is a one-legged piper, his left foot is propped up on the bench. The color pattern is distinctly different below the knee where his polished shoe is, before continuing the pattern of the pant leg.
Sorry, the geek in me had to do this. It was a mystery! But not really.
Successful pipers don’t hold the chanter as if it were a Boehm flute. For every portrait of a piper holding the chanter in that manner there are just as many holding it with flat left hand fingers. I suspect Professor O’Leary was a self taught player with some prior experience on the flute.
´
Judging from the position of the legs: Not a gentleman
(However - I wish I was the set of pipes)
There was a photo of a fella piping with legs crossed at the knee on the cover of An Piobhaire an issue or two ago … prompted me to try it a couple of times and it worked OK (especially when wearing a skirt, though I guess that little sartorial detail blurs the ‘gentleman piper’ part of the discussion).
I know of a couple of ‘gentlemenpipers’ who are skirted/kilted, crossed legged when they pipe… not an exactly pleasant image within my minds eye… burned forever… and ever… geeesh, I gotta find a replacement image…
For what it’s worth, regarding Prof. O’Leary’s left hand position–this was apparently an old style of playing, according to Pat Sky and Pat Hutchins in their forward to O’Farrell’s. They also mention that Joe Shannon played this way.
The great Paddy Conneely apparently favored this position:
(sorry for the huge image)
If one looks at the engravings and photos in O’Neill, it seems that this position was fashionable in the 18th century and began to die out in the 19th; top-hand position included.
Bill
Hmmm. About the same time period as when briefs started to overtake boxers.
And again, I say: hmmmm.
t
Do you see how in the drawing, Conneely’s mainstock appears to be in a strange position over his left arm? Plus he has his legs crossed.
Could it be that the left hand position is a hold-over from the days of the
‘long’ Pastoral chanter? I know that on mine, the holes are tiny compared
to a modern uilleann chanter and fingertips work just fine ( same as a Baroque flute).
Robert Mouland
http://www.wireharp.com
I could be wrong but I don’t think that the size of the tone hole is the reason (or the main reason) why we use “piper’s grip”. I think it’s easier to half-hole, and to slide into or out of a note using piper’s grip.
…perhaps even reducing the frequency of severe reptitive motion injury… well, it might…
I think it’s easier to half-hole, and to slide into or out of a note using piper’s grip.<
That’s my point PJm with the tiny holes you can’t half-hole or slide at all. Accidentals
are all cross-fingered. I was also thinking maybe these poses in those photos,
paintings etc are just that. Poses. Not their real playing positions but a type
artistic licence?
“Stay like that… you look MAHVullous…”
RWM