Chiff and Fipple Forums

Tyler DelGregg wrote:This reminds me of the time my GHP bass drone accidentally broke at the middle joint during the summer of 1977.

How cool, to experience Star Wars and break your bass drone the same summer.

Yep that's where they usually break, due to the wood being thinner on the bass midsection tuning pin than anywhere else on the pipes, usually.

Years ago just as our band was about to go into the circle a stray soccer ball came flying over and snapped the bass midsection of one of our piper's pipes. He had to borrow another set quickly. For some years he played with a mismatched midsection like you did.

One thing one sometimes sees in old photos of military pipers is a switched out bass bottom section, because that section gets all chewed up from contact with the plaid brooch. They'll be playing a fancy silver and ivory set, but the bass bottom section is plain.

Richard, that's right! That was the summer of Star Wars. What a summer.
Our marching band had mismatched kilts as well. Mine was a borrowed Cameron Highlanders kilt that was decades old, which I had no business wearing. A couple of older fellows (my age now) took note of my kilt during a gathering in Connecticut and made a slightly pointed comment about it.

Those were the bad old days of the West Haven Hibernian Band, now defunct. What fun that was, though.

Tyler DelGregg wrote: Our marching band had mismatched kilts as well.

WARNING: seriously offtopic!

But... it's interesting:

- a pipe band wearing mismatched kilts is fine in the USA but gets the band DQ'd in Scotland

- a pipe band wearing matching trousers is fine in Scotland but get the band DQ'd in the USA.

Because our USA rules require Highland Dress, while Scottish rules require only "matching dress".

I would love to see a pipe band from Texas show up at The Worlds in matching cowboy boots, blue jeans, western shirts, and cowboy hats, perfectly acceptable by RSPBA rules.

Also off topic.....

One of our drummers was actually almost totally deaf due to a WWII injury. He marched along humming to himself and did a really fine job twirling the drumsticks but that's all he did, just twirl his sticks. We never won a single award but we had a good time.

We had spaghetti Bolognese at our house three times last week.

We only did that on Fridays.