Here’s some advice on successfully getting your spouse to approve of your pipes:
When I got my practice set of pipes much earlier than expected, I hadn’t yet prepared my husband for the expense of it. He had thought $100 for a Burke or Sindt whistle was a little over the top. Needless to say, I was a little worried about how supportive he would be. He loves that I love the music and I know that if I just said it was really important to me, he would be ok with it.
But I didn’t want him to just grudgingly give in and then watch me squeaking and looking like a chicken wrestling an octopus. So I’ve been practicing in secret for a few weeks now. I’ve got down 2 jigs and 2 polkas, not fast but steady and without too much squeaking. So over New Year’s I said “Honey, I have a surprise”. After I played them, he said “That’s the coolest instrument ever. When do you get the drones?”
If only it was so easy at my house. I just spent about $1500 getting my electric guitar gear up to snuf, so my pipes are still a long way off even with a fat tax return just around the corner. I’ll just have to settle for whistling and twanging until I store up some more brownie points.
My wife has always been extremely supportive in every musical endeavor I have followed, and doubly so on the Uilleann Pipes. She knows exactly how much they are important to me.
Actually, I gave it to congress (and this is the wrong place to start anything political, my apologies to JES), but with job changes this year it was better safe than sorry on the withholdings.
My story is more of a sad one. My wife can’t stand the pipes so I gave up playing many years ago. I still make pipes though. My main instrument for Irish music is guitar now.
