Andy’s Blog
-
Piper’s Combat Kit
This blog post is for bagpipers. If you have not yet assembled a piper’s combat kit to take with you to scheduled bagpiping gigs, do it now. It will save your ass. I assemble separate combat kits for each set of bagpipes that I own. Each combat kit is contained in a molded thermoplastic tackle… Read more
-
DIY Little Black Dress
This blog post is for bagpipers. You dress up to attend performances and so should your bagpipe! You have spent countless hours honing your playing skills, mastering band repertoire, and carefully tuning your chanter and drones. So show off! Be glamorous! Bagpipes are a live performance instrument whose distinctive sound cannot easily be ignored. We… Read more
-
The Crow Great Highland Bagpipe
Yes! I build my own bagpipes! Big, black, bold, and beautiful. There ain’t nothing dainty about this set of Great Highland Bagpipes (GHB). This husky beauty is probably better suited for a 6’6″ incredible hulk piper. My Crow GHB is an amazing all-weather instrument that perches securely and comfortably on my shoulder for parades and… Read more
-
Boudicca Great Highland Bagpipe
Yes! I build my own bagpipes! The design of my Boudicca Great Highland Bagpipe (GHB) pays homage to the great Celtic warrior queen Boudicca who in CE 60-61 led tribes in East England in revolt against Roman occupation. Queen Boudicca has become a symbol of freedom and justice. What we know of Boudicca’s story begins… Read more
-
History (Mystery) of Bagpipes
No one knows when or where the earliest bagpipes were introduced to the world’s unsuspecting ears. Suffice to say that their distinctive sound has been inspiring and entertaining audiences for a very long time. The earliest known image of a bagpipe dates to about 1,000 BCE — 3,000 years ago during the Bronze Age— carved by… Read more
-
Pipe Dreams and Musings
“A baggepipe wel koude he blowe and sowne, and therwithal he broghte us out of towne.” – The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, late 14th century Bagpipes are magical. The sound of a solitary piper playing a Great Highland bagpipe is unmistakable and harkens back to ancient and epic times. When I hear bagpipes, my… Read more