I’ll have to go along with Jeff here. However I’ve heard some incredible piping and I do love that sound when well played.
Thanks, but I’ve still got it! 
Susan
Obviously 99% was a bit of an exaggeration. BUt - how many Joe Sixpacks have heard really first-rate piping in an environment that it can be appreciated? I would guess the majority of the population here in the U.S. has not. Even when hiring professionals. I had a piper at my wedding who looked pretty darned good on paper - years of experience, claimed to a be a teacher, etc. He wasn’t even close to being in tune and his fingering would have been appropriate in grade IV competition. I speculate (can;t prove it) that this is the type of thing a lot of people hear when they form their initial impressions of GHB.
And of course, de gustibus non disputandem even for properly exposed ears. I like some heavy metal too, which I’m sure several “well-informed” listeners don’t.
I’m thinking UP, not GHB. Even great players on CD, I’d rather hear the tune played on something else, fiddle, flute or whistle preferably.
For my taste, the fiddle is the most easily expressive of the ITM instruments (but of course that’s because I play one). I love the woody throatiness of a well played flute, and the burbling cheerful stream of notes of a whistle. Banjo is a bit plonky, accordian usually just played unsympathetically (but well played is a dream). Concertina is a refreshing change, and well played is again a joy, but all too rare to hear one these days.
Pipes, I dunno, often I have trouble catching the phrasing, so I can’t always tell when the tune proper starts, until something else comes in to keep the time clear. The dry-fartiness combines with the often out-of-tuneiness, to produce a sound that is just less pleasant than most of the other possible melody instruments.
I loved Peter’s playing in Milltown, and maybe the room being played in made a difference, but I chose not to attend the Uillean Pipes concert, though the concerts I attended (flute/whistle, fiddle, concertina) went on too long for posterior comfort, which helped me decide not to.
I actually agree with a lot Martin said above, unfortunately there aren’t a lot of pipers I like to listen to these days but when everything goes and they’re played well the pipes are wonderful.
When I started teaching the pipes I really had to look at them and wonder what made me enjoy them in the first place. That is exactly what I did and I found a new joy in playing them. When I listen to music it is mostly fiddle and flute (never flute on it’s own though) and some concertina players. Yesterday morning I was listening to a tape of WIllie Clancy in flying form recorded during the early 60s. The ease, the joy and inventiveness of that music had me walking on air all day.
Although I know what bothers my ears and what doesn’t, it’s probable that what I’ve liked in the few pipers I’ve heard isn’t even close to what some of you consider good.
But they’re not out of tune Martin! It’s that wonderful “just intonation” that we all know is so much better than the “equal tempermant” rubbish 
Cheers,
David
Whenever I see “just intonation” I always think “almost intonation”, which is wrong I know.
I’m rather partial to the sound of the pipes, particularly on tunes where they have the drones going. Not keen on the regulators though.
To appreciate just intonation, you really need to listen to a choir singing, especially the music of the Renaissance. Those open soaring harmonies happen because of just intonation.
–James
I’m not really dissing just intonation and re: choral singing I love being a part of creating the harmonies. But I have to confess that despite various threads on this I am still not convinced that within a mere 2 octave range that the differences are that huge. And when Uilleann pipers in particular start ranting and waxing eloquent about the virtues of just intonation I have wonder just how many of them use that as an excuse for a poorly tuned chanter. “Why…thats not flat…it’s the just intonation that you aren’t appreciating that gives such wonderful character to my instrument” There do seem to be a good many out there (poorly tuned chanters and/or reeds that is).
Cheers,
David
Bingo. There’s something extremely primitive, even reptilian, about drones that hypnotizes me. They bypass the logic circuits in the brain and head straight for the stem. I love 'em.
I want to make a bagwhistle. a normal whistle connected to a bunch of drone whistles. That would kick.
The trick is ofcourse to have everynote on the chanter tuned in such a way that the drones play a perfect harmony with every note played. That’s something to wax lyrical about.
You can wonder if your bad sounding pipes aren’t really leaning towards equal temperament(for the moment excluding those which are really out), something some pipemakers resort to to please their customers playing with other instruments, that spoils the idea ofthe pipes ruining the harmony between the different parts.
Interesting idea, because of course the fiddle can play in equal or just, it’s the keyed instruments like concertina and accordion (and piano, lord help us) that fixed ITM to using equal temperament.
Fiddle plus pipes could play just as well in just temperament, if the pipes are built in just temperament.
There ar a few pipemakers (and whistlemakers for that matter) who ar tuning the F sharper from what used to be common (Sean Potts was giving out to me about modern high end whistles all having their f ‘too sharp’). That doesn’t suit playing over droens very well, you loose the sweetness.
Concertina depends, they are often tuned to meantone comma, you can custom tune concertina (Geoff Wooff tuned Jaqueline McCarthy’s concertina before the last recording to come close to Tommy’s pipes). Overall they are not necessarily straight forward euqal tempered, it depends who tuned/made them.
Folks I know either love pipes or hate them. Doesn’t matter what kind and there are no inbetweens. It’s one extreme or the other.
There are a lot of poorly tuned pipes played though and in public. (I’m talking GHBs here) A lot of the problems stem from uneven air pressure from players who can’t keep an even amount of air going.
I think the hardest thing for me to grasp in GHB piping is
piobaireached 
I always enjoyed playing it more than listening to someone else play it.
Piobaireachd is, IMHO, GHB piper’s pipe music (particularly competition pipers). Me…I find most of them monotonous. About as enjoyable as watching the grass grow. 
My favorite piobaireachd title is right on the money…
“Too Long in this Condition”. 
Cheers,
David
You hit the nail on the head.
Although I must admit that I’ve grown to be able to listen to it and not freak completely.
The first time I went to drum/pipe school my roommate was complaining about having to learn the stuff and when I realized that the “timing” was nothing akin to any timing I could relate to , I was happy that I’d kept my piping to a fun thing for myself and was at school to improve my drumming only.
I love piobaireachd!
sigh
Contrary as ever…
Folks I know either love pipes or hate them. Doesn’t matter what kind and there are no inbetweens. It’s one extreme or the other.
You must not know my mom then,I think she counts as in between. She’s ok with my practice set, likes the sound of a chanter fairly well in general, but she cannot grasp the concept of drones.She just doesn’t like the drones much.I think she’s nuts in this matter. I’ve explained and explained, she has heard some truly brilliant, beautiful, harmonious drones, and she just goes “What are the drones for? They just go ‘MWRAAAA,’(s)he’d sound a lot better if (s)he just didn’t have those nasty drones.” 
Crazy. I’m on the waiting list for mine,maybe she’ll get used to them once I’m the one playing them. 