A Gaggle Of Bagpipers

Have you ever found yourself walking head down through a quiet business office and suddenly been surprised by a group of bagpipers honkin’ like a gaggle of berserk geese? I didn’t think so.

It happened to me one day. I found out later that it was a rental group that was getting warmed up in preparation for one of those silly birthday pranks. The subject of the surprise worked in an affiliated office across the street, and they’d gathered on our side so he wouldn’t hear them warming up.

The only problem was that our office was mostly filled with the department I managed — customer service — and my folks soon found that they were having a difficult time talking to customers over the cacophony. I was already protesting to the head piper when our general manager came storming out of his office at the end of the hall, and they were soon silenced.

That’s as close as I’ve ever wanted to be to bagpipes, although I do find the sound oddly intriguing.

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards – “The Rebel Piper”

 

2 thoughts on “A Gaggle Of Bagpipers

  1. On this subject I have to say: depends on the occasion. I’ve been moved to tears more than once by bagpipe tatoos being played at the end of solemn ceremonies, or hearing them play “Amazing Grace” at the end of a very memorable wedding. At such times you may not have expected them, but in retrospect you can’t think of anything more appropriate. With deepest respect for my Big Geeze buddy, this “pop bagpipe” sample is just silly.

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  2. No offense taken, Ralph. The main reason I included the pop bagpipes piece was that it was a recent ‘freeby’ from Amazon — and the only bagpipe song I had. But I also thought it was interesting because it was something different.

    And thanks for reminding me that there is a type of bagpipe music than can be touching and meaningful.

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