Silver C set for sale.

[geoff wooff]

To buy a new ( or second hand ) car it only takes the ability to pay off a loan and you're on the road. Try asking a bank to lend you the price of a set of Pipes. I vividly recall looking for a small loan to by my first good concertina. I had half the money but would my bank lend me 5 weeks wages? No.

Perhaps a scheme could be organised through a cultural body to finance the purchase of Pipes for those who cannot afford them .

[Mr.Gumby]

Isn't the Arts Council, Music Network or a body like that doing a Musical Capital scheme? I seem to recall a few instances of people having instruments at least partially funded. Matthew Noone had a hybrid Indian sarode funded to play Irish music, I believe. But that is probably not targeted at your every day Joe Soap buying an instrument to play diddly music.

[PJ]

To buy a new ( or second hand ) car it only takes the ability to pay off a loan and you're on the road. Try asking a bank to lend you the price of a set of Pipes. I vividly recall looking for a small loan to by my first good concertina. I had half the money but would my bank lend me 5 weeks wages? No.

You should have said you were buying a Ford Co(nce)rtina

[geoff wooff]

Isn't the Arts Council, Music Network or a body like that doing a Musical Capital scheme? I seem to recall a few instances of people having instruments at least partially funded. Matthew Noone had a hybrid Indian sarode funded to play Irish music, I believe. But that is probably not targeted at your every day Joe Soap buying an instrument to play diddly music.

I was thinking more like an accreditation from an important cultural body, like NPU or CCE, for any musician to be able to approach a bank or credit union with more than just a "Please Sir I'd like a loan ". Surely if they can get the Pipes on the Unesco list of unique cultural heritage.....

[geoff wooff]

You should have said you were buying a Ford Co(nce)rtina

HA! Very good PJ

[Seanie]

Isn't the Arts Council, Music Network or a body like that doing a Musical Capital scheme? I seem to recall a few instances of people having instruments at least partially funded. Matthew Noone had a hybrid Indian sarode funded to play Irish music, I believe. But that is probably not targeted at your every day Joe Soap buying an instrument to play diddly music.

I saw a list of people who got help from the Arts Council to buy instruments. It was published on their website. As far as I can remember you had to have some type of artistic output to qualify. Probably would need to have produced a CD or two. There was a couple of pipers on the list who got approval. One a professional and one a semi-pro.

When I started playing it was all word of mouth. No internet back then. I met John McMahon in the early 1980s. He was just back from a tour of Australia. He was waxing lyrical about a new pipe maker over there called Geoff Wooff. It was the first that I had heard of Geoff. Then, I think, Geoff took out a small ad in the An Piobaire (when it was just two sheets stapled together). Mick O'Brien was the first piper I met who had an Alain Froment set. At the same time Cillian had just started to make chanters. There was very little to indicate who would be a success and who wouldn't. My first full set was by Johnny Burke. This was because two pipers I hung around with were playing Johnny Burke sets.

Now, I can read various opinions on pipemakers, from people I've never met. I've been playing pipes for over 40 years. I have no answers

John

[Mr.Gumby]

When I started playing it was all word of mouth. No internet back then. I met John McMahon in the early 1980s. He was just back from a tour of Australia. He was waxing lyrical about a new pipe maker over there called Geoff Wooff.

The early eighties were another country. It was Ronnie for me, in 1983. Met Geoff in 84 and played John McMahon's before Geoff handed it over to him. It went from there, as it were.
Alain was exhibiting sets during the Willie, the early ones were quite different in appearance. He reportedly settled on the later appearance and the stainless metal after Neillidh wanted a set that looked like another one he had seen.

[geoff wooff]

[quote=Mr.Gumby post_id=1253240 time=1650625294 user_id=14893



Alain was exhibiting sets during the Willie, the early ones were quite different in appearance. He reportedly settled on the later appearance and the stainless metal after Neillidh wanted a set that looked like another one he had seen.
[/quote]
Ha! That still bugs you... eh?

[rorybbellows]

I have no answers

The sad truth is that there is no answers and the vocation of Geoff and others like him will continue to be exploited .What surprises me are the people who seem to be OK with that.

RORY