Hey folks, been thinking alot about this and was wondering if anyone has any sage words of wisdom.
I’ve been playing the pipes for a while now and have gotten pretty good at it. Not great, but I know my way around the instrument. Despite this, I can feel myself beginning to move in a different direction musically, and as a result seriously neglecting the pipes. I’ve always been a strings player first and foremost. I play bluegrass mandolin very seriously, and have been playing the fiddle since I was a very little kid. Next week, I enter at the Berklee School of Music as a violin major, focusing on jazz, swing and American traditional music.
Growing up, I always fooled around with the guitar, but never seriously. In the last couple of months, however, I’ve been playing the guitar intensely. The musical versatility of the guitar really appeals to me, and because of my string-based background, I’m beginning to feel like I can speak through the instrument; there’s something so emotive about electric blues. The problem is, the guitar I’m playing is a pawn shop special that I rewired, and really is not a serious instrument. I was lucky enough to get to borrow an incredible vintage Fender amp, but because I’m going to be moving to Boston it has returned to its owner (the ever supportive and generous Patrick Sky).
I guess the long and short of it is, I’ve been thinking about selling my pipes to buy a good guitar and amp. Its a beautiful Angus set in B natural. In a way, it would break my heart to see them go, but the instrument just isn’t getting it deserves, and I feel like, for me, would be more fulfilling to be playing music that just isn’t accessible to the pipes. I would hang on to a concert pitch chanter and the set of ghetto drones I put together a few years ago, so I wouldn’t be giving the instrument up.
Honestly, I’m still very young and am trying to figure out what I am doing musically, and this is just a small facet of that larger question of identity. Any thoughts? Like I say, I am nowhere near reaching a decision on this and just looking for input.
Keep this in mind; It’s much easier to obtain a decent sounding guitar than a decent set of Uilleann pipes. If you are young and your musical tastes are changing often you might not want to give up the pipes just yet because who knows, perhaps in another year or two you will really want to play pipes again. Good luck making your decision!
I agree with Ciara…a good guitar is easy to find. Get a Blueridge BR-160 or something, and keep your flat set. Hey, get some gigs playing the uilleann pipes, and pay for your guitar with that. Just because the guitar is your instrument du jour does not mean the pipes will never be a mainstay of your instrumental arsenal.
As a word of encouragement: Most musicians go through phases as they develop their craft. I have fallen in love with several instruments and styles over the years. I would expect that musical exploration would be the rule, and not the exception.
I have been a pro-musician for my entire adult life. There have been times when I didn’t want to sell an instrument or instruments, and kept them for a long period of time … despite the fact that I was not using them. Eventually, I ended up selling it/them.
Now, I’d have to say that I am of the inclined to give you this sort of advice:
If if you are not using it, and you do not intend to pass it down to somebody who’s going to use it, then sell it. Only do such if you’re absolutely sure that you have found your voice with the guitar and you’re ready to make that commitment. If you are, (ready to make that commitment), a fine guitar is going to cost you as much (or more) than a new set of pipes. You’ll need that money that you’ll make from the sale of the set to fuel your 6-string passion.
If you’re going down the jazz route, that’s a lifelong study, and you defintley need at least one harmony instrument in your arsenal. You’ll also find yourself needing more than one guitar! A Gibson 335 for about $2K is a great blues instrument and can handle jazz guitar to a point, but you’ll end up getting a decent archtop as well. There are many great laminate instruments like Sadowsky’s for $3-4K. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a ‘fine’ guitar since you’ll be playing amplified most of the time.
If you can’t afford to get what you need and keep the flat set, sell it. There are always second hand sets coming up for sale if you want to get back into it.
If you’re going down the jazz route, that’s a lifelong study, and you defintley need at least one harmony instrument in your arsenal. You’ll also find yourself needing more than one guitar! A Gibson 335 for about $2K is a great blues instrument and can handle jazz guitar to a point, but you’ll end up getting a decent archtop as well. There are many great laminate instruments like Sadowsky’s for $3-4K. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a ‘fine’ guitar since you’ll be playing amplified most of the time.
That’s a very good point. I have no piano chops (outside of using it as a tool to study theory), and you’re right that something to comp with would be very useful. I’ve been looking at the electrics Bill Collings has been building-they seem like extremely well made interpretations of classic Gibson designs.
I guess now I just have to give some serious thought to which instrument will serve me best. Like I say, I would certainly not be giving up the pipes entirely (I’ve worked too hard on the damn things for that), just shifting financial focus. I feel like being at school will shed some light on what I end up doing. Not going to be making a major decision any time soon, just thinking about it. I really appreciate the advice.
As a great sufferer of musical A.D.D., I have a lot of instruments around. Most of them I play regularly enough to justify keeping.
I do make an exception with pipes though. If I’m not playing a set I sell it. Principally for two* reasons.
Pipes are somewhat scarce and folks that really want to play them ought to have access to a set.
Pipes seem to need to be played with some regularity to keep the reeds happy. Pulling a set out of a closet after a couple of years of dis-use is likely to result in a set that needs a fair bit of reed adjusting/replacing before it can be sold. This would make re-selling a real pain.
Pipes can tie up a lot of cash.
There will be other sets if you change your mind later. Get your guitar and have fun.
Doc
*There are three kinds of people in this world; those who can count, and those who can’t.
Musical ADD runs in my family. My parents both suffer from it and as a result they have all sorts of weird and wonderful instruments floating around the house. I went through a long phase of it until discovering the pipes but economic necessity has always forced me to sell things I am not playing. It would be really nice to still have a French horn, an Irish harp, and an another concert pitch half set of pipes but if you’re strapped for cash, all those can bring in a fair bit of ££.
I guess I am saying if you can afford to keep the pipes for a while, keep them in case you want to take them back up seriously, as you don’t seem sure yet. I suppose if you were to sell them and then wished you still had a flat set, buying another flat set while being a student is not easy. If you really need the cash and are pretty sure you won;t play them, then sell them.
Another thing to keep in mind is availability. If you plan on keeping on with the pipes, down the road you’ll want to play a flat set again (as discerning pipers tend to do), but then you’re faced with potentially long waits from your maker(s) of choice, and possibly greater cost. Good guitars, I presume, are comparatively easier to come by.
Jack you’ve heard a lot of good advise. Mine would be to wait till
after you have been at the music school. I think selling that B set
is a big decision, plus you are a outstanding musician. I have had some very
excellent instruments and have later regretted selling them, as they are hard
to replace, if not impossible.
All the best. You will make the right decision… Ed
I’d tend to agree with Ed here.
I would wait till I was settled a bit longer in school and see if you find any more use for the set.
A lot of pipers have helped pay for school by playing at weddings, parties, etc.
You’ll want a fairly reliable set for that especially if you only get to play them every other week.
Another thing to consider is that with the current recession you might get less for the set than you might in 6 months from now.
It’s a tough one so best of luck with it.
You’ll be grand anyway.
Ya know, if they are just sittin’ there, collecting dust, I would be more than obliged to store them at my house for ya. I would even make it a point of keeping them in use until you wanted them back.
That’s tough, I know. So tough that I have more instruments than I can count. My insurance gal thinks I’m nuts every time I call her to add something crazy. I’m a band director, so I have mostly band instruments. I’ve probably sold more horns than I have now and made as much money as I’ve spent, but I seem to be adding to the collection all the time. Plus, the recession has me holding off on selling my more “unique” instruments.
I would hang on to those nicer pipes for a while. Committing yourself to some gigs/performances will keep you going for awhile. I’m sure the folks at Berkeley would love a little piping thrown into your recitals. I rarely play my accordion any more, but every now and then a musical like “Fiddler on the Roof” pops up, and I’m hooked again! (plus the extra cash is nice!)
Off topic, but you made an excellent choice in a music school. First year there is musical boot camp and if you can stay away from the drugs in the dorms, and focus, there is endless opportunity to learn and be exposed to other wonderful muscians, learn some heavy theory, and mainly to just play music a lot. As a guitar player it is a bit easy to get lost there-- the pipes might help you to stand out and make connections in that regard, so you might consider keeping them as a musical meal ticket. The string program at Berklee is top notch. Boston also has a thriving ITM community. Best of luck with it!
