Bagpipes… Love them or hate them?
11 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in Calgary Tags: Bagpipe, Bow River, Calgary, clarinet, Poll
Bagpiper on the Bow
I don’t like them. They sound like cat dying a slow painful death.
This is why I cringed as this guy walked up to a spot just a stone’s throw away from where I was seated. I was enjoying an outdoor, spring-y lunch… Did he hear me when I said, “I hope he doesn’t stop here!” or was it just an obvious spot for him to stop and practice?
The good news? He wasn’t that horrible. His bagpipes were not the familiar, high-pitched squealing that I’ve heard in the past. It had a mildly pleasant, low rumbling background. I bristled whenever he missed a note. eeeeck… a wrong note on the pipes… but over all, I didn’t feel the need to run over, wrestle the the offending instrument away from him and then heaving that tortuous contraption into the river. No, my ears weren’t bleeding. .. Who could have guessed?
There were many passers-by coming up to the guy and complimenting him on his skill…. I wonder if I would get the same response if I dragged my clarinet out to the river edge to “practice”? <–The Piper said he was “practicing” but he was only there for 15 minutes, tops…
