Sound of Substance

“Music they have, but not the harmony of the spheres, but loud taurean noises, like the bellowing of the beasts; the loud bagpipe is their delight; stringed instruments are too soft to penetrate the organs of their ears, that are only pleased by sound of substance.” An Englishman reflecting on the Highland attitude toward music, 1679.

Until I learned to play the Great Highland Bagpipes I would never have understood the above passage to mean anything more than load noises.  To most people the pipes are just an instrument and to some, just a noisemaker. The more you listen to the bagpipes and go beyond the music to the emotions you start to understand the meaning of a sound of substance.

I started to play the highland bagpipes after the death of my brother.  It was at the request of my mother that I learned to play as a way to remember him.  This single fact preserved my set of bagpipes from becoming firewood on several occasions while I was in the early stages of learning the pipes.

The bagpipes are so energetic and provide a sound so unique and distinct when they are working and in tune, but they are so aggravating when they are not.  I have often heard other piper’s say that the bagpipes have a sound and a mind of their own and I believe it, my set most certainly does.  Believe me, playing the pipes is more than a hobby it becomes a life unto itself.

I prefer to play the bagpipes outside, as their design is intended for wide-open areas.  Fortunately for me this has led to some strange but wonderful encounters.

I had an older gentleman come up to me as I played one day. While he stood about 30 feet away, I could tell he was thinking of places far away as he listened to my pipes.  After about twenty minutes I stopped and we had the opportunity to talk.   He had heard the pipes and decided to come looking for the piper.  At first he did not believe it could be a real piper as the pipes are not a common instrument in Japan. We talked for almost and hour, he spoke of Scotland and his youth in the regiments.  As he left, he thanked me for awakening some of his memories of home and friends long gone.

While in Scotland, I played at many unique locations, as a historical re-enactor I was one of three pipers to play at the 250 anniversary of the “Battle of Prestonpans”.  What a feeling to be playing the pipes in front of several hundred highland men waving swords and yelling.  Then we advanced upon our English foes, muskets firing and cannons blasting away, the energy, atmosphere and sound was unbelievable.  Then the charge of the Highlanders and the English broke and ran as happened in the original battle.  The battlefield was mostly empty and all was quite except for the strains of the pipers. Now I understand why the Highlanders always had pipers in their Army.

I also piped at a memorial service for the battle of Sheriffmuir.  As we marched out onto the moor in a light drizzle and cold fog everyone commented on how this day was similar to the day of the battle.  At the gathering stone, a wreath lying was conducted and then I piped a lament.  The pipes echoing off the hills in the fog made it sound as if we were surrounded by hundreds of ghost pipers.  A feeling of immense sadness swept through the group, men dressed in the uniforms of the original Highland and British troops wept.  Memories of this day will live with me forever.

The bagpipes also bring joy to the heart and soul of those around them.  I was to pipe for a wedding and arrived at the hotel early. Upon arriving, I learned that only one person knew that I was there for the wedding and she asked me to pipe in the lobby as the wedding party came down and exited the elevators.  As the bride’s elevator opened, the sounds of the pipes and the sight of a kilted piper greeted her.  The surprise had such an effect that tears came to her eyes immediately and a look of joy came across her face.  This was one of the special moments that you see just a few times in a lifetime.

The bagpipe’s most powerful effect on emotions is while playing “Amazing Grace” for a funeral. The sound is so raw and basic that it pulls at the heart of the people who hear it. I played “Amazing Grace” as my father-in-law was taken to his final resting-place and I have returned more than once to my brother’s, to play the pipes for him as my special way of remembering.

What is heard in this sound of substance? It is a call to battle, a lament or the awakening of memories that recall a time lost and a land that will call to the heart of anyone with Highland blood.