First Day With Ulleann Pipes
Thanks to the Evil Genius that is the Webgoblin Danguy, we have my first ever Bagpipe Recording! My task this week is to play One Note, and hold it. I managed it this morning, once, when we recoded it, then spent most of the rest of the day sadly trying to do it again.
My favorite quote I found, hunting around on the web for HELP was " It IS doable. You just have to concentrate and relax."
And that was by far the most optimistic opinion.
Relax. Right. Your left arm and right are doing different things, with the thing strapped to your body in several places, and your fingers, which you can't SEE, and doing yet more things. Whose idea WAS this? I mean, how did they ever get invented? By some one who had a few too many pints of cider, if you ask me.
It reminds me of a story...I was sitting in a pub one night and a man came in with an Octopus, and they sat down at the bar. After drinking for some time, the man said to the Bartender "Say, I'll bet you my bar tab that my Octopus can play any instrument you have here, if I lose, I'll tip you the price of the tab"
The bartender thought this a great idea, and said to go for it.
He brought out a trombone, and the Octopus played it, and well! He got out a drum set and the Octopus played the heck out of it, using all eight legs! It was truly amazing, the thing had rhythm.....
The bartender started looking a little worried, then got a sly look on his face, and went to the backroom, and brought out a set of Bagpipes.
The Octopus took them, and out came the most hideous noises EVER. It was horrible, he couldn't play them, not music , no WAY.
The Bartender told the man he had better pay up, but the man didn't look the least bit worried.....
Relax, he said, as soon as he figures out he can't F**K 'em, he'll play 'em alright.
And so he did.
Uh, enjoy the lilting sounds of my first day of bagpiping as you drift off to sleep, or wake in the morning....Magic, they are, pure magic
Love and Pipes,
Lorraine
posted by Dan Guy @ 6:37 PM
50 Comments
50 Comments:
Hee hee! Frisky octopods, Batman!
Wahey! That was A Note, all righty. Excellent! :) Now: theme from Shaft. Go!
(I'm orf to bed. Night night, ladies and goblins.)
'Night Jess...Glad you liked my note!! We'll do it again next week, and hopefully, it will have some friends....
Great note! Hubby's away tonight on business, i'm going to find some show he'd despise to watch while i enjoy some of his homebrew :)
Sounds just about perfect, Chantrelle, what show are you oing to watch? I am sacked out with some Law and Order SVU, being too tired to pop in a DVD...
Meant to write, but I think I fred my brain, and no stories will come....
Woot!
Note is. :)
My youngest, two months away from her fifth birthday, just got out of bed crying because she can't get her fairy princess doll over her head. Even after me telling her she couldn't do that, and asking if she was really awake. After using the bathroom and putting on a nightgown, she's back in bed clutching her fairy. Hopefully, she'll sleep the rest of the night. Which is where I should be going, shortly.
Ha! A Note! Well done indeed! Looking forward to Two!
Please don't fred your brain..... :) We needs it...
and to end tonight: my dog Tank is snoring. he is snoring so loud i can hear him downstairs (he is upstairs). since he sleeps next to my bed, I am not holding my breath for a restful night. maybe tomorrow my brain will be fred too!
Oh, how sweet! I miss them that age, tho teenage is not dull....I should be in bed soon too, as Nathilie will no doubt tell me when she wakes...
To the dulcet sounds of my Bag Pipes, hee-hee....
Hi Sue, you snuck in there. Tank should come and jam with me....
I will have not only a scale next week but a tune...I told the stoy of how I got these pipes to a friend in NY today and she said I had to call my first tune I write on them "The Mouse Lament"
I ended up watching just a bit of "America's Got Talent" and that title really isn't very fitting of the content! Geez!
So now i'm going to hop into the bathtub instead...then its' off to bed.
Can't wait for the multiple note recording!
Crumbs! Looks lie I shall have to wait until I am home again tonight to hear it! The proxy (poxy) server at work objects to streaming media....
And yet this was just what I needed to dip into my first cup of tea.
:(
*goes off to pout*
Oh and ... go to bed, Lorraine!
Catch some Zzzzzz while you can.
Trust me when I tell you that you can wait for this.
'Night, Nathilie...
Yay! You made a note. Was that a C? Not sure 'cause I only have relative pitch, not perfect.
Just how does one Fred their brain? Somehow I think this involves Fred Schneider from the B-52's.;)
Ack, and I forgot to add how much I liked that joke.:) Good thing I left my drink across the room.
Oh, a note! The fun that happens around here while I'm busy working... :)
I own several musical instruments that I've never gotten past that point with, and several more I used to be able to play but probably can't any more. I used to have the kind of friends that would haul out the music at the slightest provocation, but we've dispersed to the four winds, and it isn't so fun by yourself.
Oooh, glad that worked! Next time I'll just email you the code to paste in rather than starting the post for you so that my name won't show up at the bottom.
I knew a Fred Brains once. Nice guy.
(Bad joke.)
Yes! "The Mouse Lament!" :D I like that.
Our musical instruments have been gathering dust, too. Hubby used to play cello with the Lincolshire Youth Orchestra, but mainly he plucks out bits of the "Imperial March" from Star Wars now. :D I used to play flute and piccolo, but I haven't picked them up in years-- I never did read music very well, and never really learned to improvise. Meh.
Close, Kali, D I think. Yes, Fred you Brains! We had a Fred the Unlucky Black Cat once...The Birdchick sees him sometimes when she is walking, we think, so at least he is well.
I'm pretty funny, eh? Octopus indeed!
I didn't even see your name down there, Dan. And we will do it again next week! Hopefully with more notes...
I listened to it with my morning coffee at the office, and now I am definitely awake. ;)
Now I must dive into my pile of work. Today might be a day for the Unsent Emails to Clients, judging by my inbox.
My e-mail was surprisingly light this morning. I am going to make Bison Chili, with things from the garden.
The veggie bits. I have no Bison in the garden.
That's probably to your garden's benefit, Lorraine. Have fun.
Fred brain - that just makes me think of the movie 'Drop Dead Fred' and I shudder to think of what a Fred Brain would be like. yikes.
Octopi-love, lol. Nice note. It is um.... piercing? Looking forward to a scale.
No boison in your garden? I am SO disappointed. By the way, "bison" is another French word...
Oh, Fod. First Google result for "Fred Brains". This can't be a coincidence.
Rubius is right. You definitely don't want a herd of bison thundering through your tomato patch. Mmm, chili! Mr. Paul does a killer chili with minced turkey. I could go for some of that. Maybe I ought to make him cook tonight.
Bison is French? Mais Oiu!
But of course Jess, Zombies again. It IS all part of the Plan, you know...
Hurray for the note! The note is the first step on a very exciting path. Thousand mile journey -- first step -- all that.
And yay for the helpful webgobin!
Hee, funny octopus story. Poor octopus. Poor pipes!
*snicker* Great joke. :-) Hehe!
Congrats on the note. It's about 100,000,000 times better than I could do! I am looking forward to the next note.
It's like a trail of musical bread crumbs. After about a month, you can splice all of the notes together and call it a song!
I have just now listened to the note and I am impressed that you can hear the belows so much (maybe it is a matter of positioning the microphone?). That should prove a good work out for your arms.
Either that or the wrestling with the instrument...
:)
Spacelaw got to see me play them via webcam this morning, tho she had no sound. I think that was really the best way to listen, hee-hee..
I always liked that joke, and I remembered it, which I never do, so had to tell it...
The note has a friend now. I want three by the end of the day.....It is really hard on the arms and hands, the hardest part is trying to relax while you play, one has a tendency to death grip, and you have to relax...
Check out Zac Ledger This kid makes it look EASY!
oooh... that guy has it down.
I am sure you will soon be rockin' em too.
It looks like you have to have three rhythms going... one to manage the breath of each bag, and one for the song. Too complicated for me.
Oh, it gets better...The second step is to add drones to your pip set, which doesn't sound to bad, but third is adding Regulators, which are keys you press with your wrist.
Remember the fingers are going, and the arm. And then you add wrist, to hit one of 13 keys, to accompany yourself.
Or something.
Hey... you ARE Fabulous... clearly you are up to the challenge... and if you can manage your boss's schedule then you can manage the pipes... even if you add a foot pedal or two...
What do the drones do? I would think they would help... you know, kinda like clones. Can't they manage a few of the finger holes for you... or one of the bags? hehe
Hee-hee, I don't think the drones can help, they just sort of MOAN along with what the fingers are doing...
Boss's schedule the next few months IS taking some managing....I've been at it all day so far, trying to see how everything can work.
oh they are moaning drones. They should take some lessons from the bees.... learn to work harder... and cut out all their groaning and moaning. Then you might just get some honey from your pipes.
I have to say, on a day when nothing is cheerful, I am sure I will have this blog to help me get through it. I smile at every entry ... that octopus story is going to stay with me.
~Emily
I am sitting in a bagel shop (my usual study place) brushing up on Shakespeare's England and thought I would check in here while I have yet another diet coke. How wonderful to get to listen to "the note"! Truly Fabulous. I did plug in the earphones but only because I didn't want to share. :)
"they just sort of MOAN along with what the fingers are doing..."
Am I really supposed to be expected to leave that alone? :P
Blimey, that guy's good. He's in the pipe-zone! BE the bagpipes, Lorraine. That's the key. I imagine. ;)
Sending cheering thoughts to Emily! Have some hot tamale action.
We can cheer anything up! With our moaning bagpipes...
No Gayle, didn't think you would leave that along...Kind of wondered where Dr Score is on that one too...
Be the bagpipes.....I think that actually IS the answer...
I was just Skyp-ing with Nathilie, audio and video now, (coolest toy ever) and trying out my French on her.
Right.
The only book I have to work from is French For Cats, and the only recognizable sentence I can say is...
" I do not want to be neutered"
Jess, thanks so much for the Tamale Action! I'm in the library trying so hard not to double over laughing!
~Emily
That weebl stuff could drive anyone insane. Thank goodness I am already there...
You like tamale? Tepid tamale?
*chair sambas*
Hee hee! That sounds like a good sentence to arm yourself with no matter where you are, Lorraine. Hang on to that one!
Well, you know the problem with double entendrés: they only mean one thing. ;)
I don't even want to ASK where you found that one....
Very funny indeed, and I too, am glad I am already quite mad...
So I am waiting for my class to start. That kid with the pipes is amazing. And the Tamales made me snort diet coke.
But, according to the thermometer, a cold tamale would be warmer than a witch's tit.
_ /
o o
__
My youngest didn't remember getting out of bed last night at all. Maybe she'll sleep all night tonight. ::sigh::
I will never forget the Hot Tamales. Woodsman Hans says thank you very much, he still doesn't have it out of his head...
Here's to sleeping tonight. And maybe a new post first. We'll what happens when I get home. It may be straight to bed, do not pass couch....
Oh dear. I missed the "witch's tit" thing. 8\
I am still missing it.....Can someone explain the joke for this clueles assistant?
:;shrug:: It's not on the screen for long. My father was fond of saying something was, "colder than a witch's tit in a brass brassiere." It's not something that my eldest caught while watching the video. It is humorous, but I still raise my eyebrow for a different reason. ;)
At one point in the Hot Tamales video there is an oversized thermometer. It is marked, from top to bottom, Hot, Warm, Cold, Witch's Tit. Witch's Tit is just above the bulge at the bottom of the thermometer.
I almost got through typing that sentence without cracking up.
Ok, ok I get it and am laughing so hard Venus was laughed off the couch.....
Teach her to be cuddly!
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