Some Paddy Keenan Pics

straycat82 · Post by **straycat82** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:22 pm

He was here in AZ on October 8th. Here are some pictures from the show:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... mId=426570

danepiper · Post by **danepiper** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:38 pm

Hello: Saw the fine pictures. Do you know whos the maker of the chanter Paddy is playing.

Ole

straycat82 · Post by **straycat82** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:54 pm

Hello,

I'm not sure and I didn't think to ask him. I'm not a piper myself (whistle player actually) but I do appreciate the hell out of them. I know his set is made by Dave Williams (RIP) but I'm pretty sure that's not the chanter he was using that night.
I've heard that he still often plays his Leo Rowsome chanter when his reeds for the Williams chanter are on the fritz. He was in Phoenix, Arizona and having a lot of trouble with his reeds so I suppose he could've been using the Rowsome chanter.

That's the most educated guess I can come up with. Perhaps one of our other pipers here could shed some more light on it?

billh · Post by **billh** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 5:29 pm

The photos show his boxwood Koehler and Quinn chanter...

Ceann Cromtha · Post by **Ceann Cromtha** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:51 am

Looks like he still prefers that Naugahyde vinyl bag.

glands · Post by **glands** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:33 pm

Whats that stuff on his head....under his hat?

amckay · Post by **amckay** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 6:33 pm

Does anyone know who made his whistle (featured in one of the pics)? Its a spitting image of a whistle I had made by Ben Stewart of Victoria, Australia. Could also be a Grinter whistle. I know they share a lot of similarities.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 6:49 pm

glands wrote:Whats that stuff on his head....under his hat?

Your guess is as good as mine.

straycat82 · Post by **straycat82** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:01 pm

amckay wrote:Does anyone know who made his whistle (featured in one of the pics)? Its a spitting image of a whistle I had made by Ben Stewart of Victoria, Australia. Could also be a Grinter whistle. I know they share a lot of similarities.

He did mention during the performance that it was a Grinter whistle.

Key_of_D · Post by **Key_of_D** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:08 am

I was there, I touched his bass drone!

Nice pics Seánny...

What a piper... Man, that was one awesome experience. Then the lesson with him the next day... Once in a lifetime kind of thing I felt. Awesome. Just awesome.

-E

rorybbellows · Post by **rorybbellows** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:02 am

Many years ago at the London pipers club I was a spectator at a LiamO'Flynn "masterclass". He sat with his pipes on his lap with about six pipers around him,who were the teachers at the club at the time.He got each piper to play a tune and then commented on their playing. The comments were all something like "thats nice piping" or "what way do you think it could be better"and at the end he didn't offer much in the way of instruction or advice.Even when the class was finished I thought he'd play a few tunes but he didn't.Overall dissapointing. He did play a solo gig that night in a pub called the George Robesby so at least we got to hear him play.

What way does Paddy Keenan conduct his classes?

RORY

MandoMark · Post by **MandoMark** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:08 am

I got to play his whistle when he had breakfast at a friend's house the morning after his Prescott gig. Nice guy, who was having a hell of a time with his pipes due to the dry conditions.

Key_of_D · Post by **Key_of_D** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:00 pm

What way does Paddy Keenan conduct his classes?

RORY

Well, here's how it broke down for me Three weeks ago. He did the concert with John Walsh the first night, and then the lessons the next day since he was still in town for about 8 hours before heading on down the road to the next show. Apparently you have to buy a lesson from Paddy prior to the concert. I didn't know he was giving lessons, until a few of my local music comrades surprised me 2 weeks out that they had set me up a private lesson with him. (Sneaky fecks, I love 'em though!)

He and John stayed with one of our trad buddies for the night, and they have a nice big house with a basement, so Paddy, one other piper/friend of mine and myself all headed down. Lesson went on for an hour since he's a busy man, and that hour couldn't have gone any faster you know... I came prepared with many questions, since this was my first encounter with a piper of his ability. He showed some technique that just flat out blew my mind, and offered to slow a tune down or what ever we pleased. I just kept the questions coming and let the man talk, wrote some stuff down and that's pretty much how it went. Lesson was over, we had lunch took some pics, and off he went.

I wouldn't advise going to one of his lessons, with an attitude of "show me something" because he could show you everything. Come with particular questions pretaining to you and your playing or your pipes. Obviously I couldn't learn it all in one hour, but I learned so much my head was overflowing with fresh information.

He's such a soft-spoken guy, I never would have guessed, although mostly a serious fellow as we saw, his humour pops out when you least expect it. He had a way of making you feel equal, as though there was no pressure when he asked you to play a tune on your pipes or whatever, I had conversation with him just like any other person. Really cool person that Paddy.

Cheers,

rorybbellows · Post by **rorybbellows** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:29 pm

It sure sounds like money well spent .

RORY

Key_of_D · Post by **Key_of_D** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:54 am

Indeed it was.