So, I played a short bit on my practice set during the performance of a musical this past weekend.
The conditions in the theatre(in Maine) were coooold & not quite ideal fer the Uilleann pipes.
The tune was O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL: it’s quite a slow piece the way we do it(pipe & harp) and I was on the last note or two.
Well, I laid into my hard bottom D and oh sweet cheeks of Buddha, the chanter gave a hideous squak/squeak or whatever.
The audience found it quite amusing & the place erupted in laughter.
In the past I would have been mortified, but I went with it & scolded the pipes & sorta spanked the chanter saying “Bad pipes!”
I suppose it would have been on the penultimate note. That one is better as a soft D in the tune. And, you can get away with them much easier in wintertime. Kudos to you for getting the pipes out there for all to enjoy.
and good that you can laugh at yourself, and share your laughter with us. thanks! that was funny. But please, be nice to the pipes and the piper.
Are your pipes named Zoot?
I’ve been in a similar sittuation but a little more seriouse. A change in extreame temperature caused my read to fail a week out from a performance. I knew most of the local township would be at the cultural festival and it was a touch embarrasing , not having the set in full working order. Then at the last minute the barritone regulator (bottem) A note the spring failed on me. So I quickly had to find a rubber band to hold the key down. No such luck. Asked a friend for some masking tape, which thankfully worked. Unfortunatly i wouldn’t have been able to use that note on the barritone regulator. Got up on stage and had the whole audiance spell bound for the hole half-hour. Going from slip jigs, airs and onto reels. Most with full regulator acompaniment (even if I could not use the A note).
To top it off my Indigenouse friend (who kindly accompanied me on didge) and myself were approached by a member of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra . Permission was granted by the elders for Ken and me to perform, who knows what might happen in six months time. Apparently their planning a tour of North Queensland and want as many cultures present in the work as possible.
. Permission was granted by the elders for Ken and me to perform, who knows what might happen in six months time. Apparently their planning a tour of North Queensland and want as many cultures present in the work as possible.