Michael McGoldrick's Pipes

MacEachain · Post by **MacEachain** » Tue May 13, 2003 3:41 pm

Hi Folks,
Last year I had the pleasure of seeing Michael McGoldrick and John McSherry play at a local music festival. Michael's pipes seemed to be extremely short (there didn't seem to be anything extending beyond the regulators). I was seated right at the back and although I had a clear view I wasn't close enough to see the bass drone. I've seen a pic on the London Pipers Club website and it looks like Michael is playing without the Bass return fitted. http://www.londonpipers.co.uk/picture_g ... rygold.htm
I assume this was also the case when I saw him, any ideas why this would be?

Cheers, Mac

kenr · Post by **kenr** » Tue May 13, 2003 3:53 pm

The only time I've seen players who don't put the full set together is when they don't use the drones. Maybe McSherry provided all the drones the guys needed.

I think it's a bit of an insult to your audience not to appear with the set fully assesmbled, but then I look on the pipes as a work of art to be admired as a whole piece as well as a musical instrument.

Ken

MacEachain · Post by **MacEachain** » Tue May 13, 2003 4:59 pm

Hi Ken,
Like I said I was pretty far back when I saw Michael so it's possible that he has had a set made with the bass drone turned back sooner than what you would normally see, also in the pic on the London Pipers Club site it's possible that thre pic was taken before he had the pipes put together. I agree that the pipe's are a visually attractive instrument but as far as Michael insulting the audience, well I'd gladly be insulted like that, I enjoyed Michael and John so much that I left for home when they had finished, not waiting for the next act (Sharon Shannon). Even kept my wife up untill 2.00am listen to me enthusing about it

Thanks for the comments anyhow.

Cheers, Mac

Uilliam · Post by **Uilliam** » Wed May 14, 2003 1:56 am

kenr wrote: I think it's a bit of an insult to your audience not to appear with the set fully assesmbled, but then I look on the pipes as a work of art to be admired as a whole piece as well as a musical instrument.

Ken

The picture clearly shows the end piece off and the hemp on the end of the remaining Probably reed problems on the night or maybe he lost it!! Michael has been known to lose a full set before when he leaves them lying about.
As for insulting the audience I think thats a bit OTT what I think is more insulting is those people who sit with a full set with no intention of ever playing the regulators,usual excuse being they are out of tune or whatever..real reason unknown.No point having a full set and playing in public if ye don't give them the full works and if ye don't like regulators(and many don't) why have them???

Slan go foill

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Wed May 14, 2003 2:20 am

Uilliam wrote: what I think is more insulting is those people who sit with a full set with no intention of ever playing the regulators,usual excuse being they are out of tune or whatever..real reason unknown.No point having a full set and playing in public if ye don't give them the full works and if ye don't like regulators(and many don't) why have them???

Slan go foill

No offense Uilliam but you make it seem like when someone has regulators fitted they can play them..
Sounds like you may not have them yet....
If you do, could you play them when you just got them?
Or even 2 years later?

Uilliam · Post by **Uilliam** » Sat May 31, 2003 1:14 am

Rick
please reread the quote."no intention of playing them...unquote"I am talking about those players who have them merely for appearance sake.
Most players over here tend to progress from practice to half to regs.
It is not obligatory to have regs and surely it makes more sense when you are playing in PUBLIC(which is what I was talking about) to either play them or not kid on by having them and making excusesnot to play them.

I remember Gay McKeon giving a master class in regulator playing about 5years ago and he was quite vociverous about the posers,his advice and I quote as it was quite memorable was " just play the feckin things"
Finally....
Whatever gave you the idea that I cannot play them?
So no offence taken but don't presume either.
Slan go foill

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 6:48 am

Soo..
What you are saying is.., I should remove my regulators if i intent to play in public and when i go back to practising them where nobody can hear me i can stick them on again?
Come on!

How are you supposed to learn to play them if you haven't got them and how are you supposed to play them if you can't?

You can't win the way you put it...
BTW.., how can you tell if someone has them just for appearance?

And i was thinking you might not have them yet as you tend to think it's fairly easy to play them..
I mean.., if they are fitted you can play them.., right?
Gay McKeon says "just play the ******* things" so how hard can it be?

If you CAN play them.., you KNOW it's hard..
Why piss on people that aren't using them in public because they:
a) don't want to make an ass of themselves
b) don't want to risk screwing up a tune/session

Also.., out of tune regs isn't such a weird thing.
I remember Kevin Rowsome busy with the poster putty before a gig
You'd say he has them fitted for quite some time so what's his excuse?
Unlike him there are people who have a hard time keeping them in tune...

I really don't get it.. :roll:

Disclaimer:

no offense taken nor intended

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:33 am

MacEachain wrote:it looks like Michael is playing without the Bass return fitted.

He is. I've seen some pipers do this with a special reed inserted which give them an "A" drone, although I doubt if Michael is.

eskin · Post by **eskin** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:10 am

If you've ever had your bass drones nearly broken off in a pub session by some drunken lout, you'd understand why its not such a bad idea to have a practice set for crowded venues...

That's exactly what I do... for the pub, I just bring the bag and bellows and leave the heavy weaponry at home.... Regs and drones don't go very far in a loud pub...

Michael

ulrich · Post by **ulrich** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 11:35 am

btw.: does anybody of you have experience with one of those 'compact-sets'? is there any disadvantage in tone? i didn't realize any so far.

Uilliam · Post by **Uilliam** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 11:57 pm

Rick you seem to miss the point I was making COMPLETELY.
I was talking about the POSERS in the piping world ,those who have the sodden things but have no intention of playing them.IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH ....
Actually playing the regulators is not that difficult and there is no mystery about it.
Any one can play a note or maybe two on the regs (which is technically playing the damn things and is precisely what Gay meant)
So there is really no excuse NOT to play them in public unless you want to make one.
You keep making little digs at whether I can play them ,if I ever see you I will give you a lesson for free,ye certainly won't have to wait two years as you seem to have done!!!When I got the regulators I was in Miltown and I was able to play them the same day.I got them when I was ready for them,so who is kidding whom?
Sticking a little disclaimer in after a diatribe cuts no ice with me,if you are going to go off on one please read the original and have your comments addressed to that not on something else.
Slan

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 12:44 am

No need to get angry if i don't agree with you dude.. sjeesh..
And now YOU are assuming I can't play the regs.

I am not gonna argue anymore..
You are right.., playing the regulators is real easy..

Uilliam · Post by **Uilliam** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:10 pm

Rick I am not angry I am not a dude and if ye don't want a free lesson thats fine by me.
But.... if ye cannot read simple sentence structure without misinterpreting it and going off into bannanna land thats fine too...Just don't involve me!!!.
Slan Agut

Scott McCallister · Post by **Scott McCallister** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 9:58 am

Uilliam wrote:Rick I am not angry I am not a dude and if ye don't want a free lesson thats fine by me.
But.... if ye cannot read simple sentence structure without misinterpreting it and going off into bannanna land thats fine too...Just don't involve me!!!.
Slan Agut

You're not angry? You sound a little angry. I'm saying this because I CAN read and interpret simple sentence structure. Even sentences that are improperly punctuated. But your anger is more apparent by reading between the lines and looking at your previously stated position that you feel frustration from having to wait 13 years to get an instrument built/upgraded for yourself because others (weather "ready" or not) have beat you to the pipemakers to have more complicated orders filled. (how's that for a sentence?)

I got news for you. I just might sit through an entire session strapped into my full set in blackwood, german silver, and staghorn mounts with the matching fully keyed chanter and never pump the bellows once because I am playing an $8 whistle the entire night. Or I may have any number of reeds playing at once. And you know what? That's my choice -because- I have a full set.

The tradition of having your set built in progressively more complex configurations can't totally have been based on an individuals ability to make air vibrate through the next series of tubes. I'm willing to bet that to a significant degree, staged manufacturing was a result of a limited availability of materials and the economics of procuring them.

Here's another news flash... I don't lose a wink of sleep knowing that I pushed out another order by a month or two because I paid to have a full set made to my specifications.

And...

I don't feel badly because a 10 year old Irish kid doesn't have a practice set because world-wide demand has pushed prices to $1200 bucks (or more) for one. 10 year olds leave -good- $450 mass produced student grade flutes on school busses. Is this an age-appropriate market for professionally hand-crafted instruments? Maybe not. Should they have the opportunity to learn the stick? Yes. Compromises from both of these positions are being established every day.

Even still, why foster the need for staged manufacturing? What if full sets only cost $600, half sets $350 and practice sets $175 ($225 for the really fancy ones)? And what if wait times were only 2-3 weeks? Would you still recommend that a pupil stay a way from two-thirds of the instrument for the better part of a decade? Tradition says "Yes, you would." Whereas I disagree.

I think it is "tradition" to -improve-. I like the idea that I could someday be a better piper than Seamus or Leo because I have both of them to learn from. But if I only duplicate their path I will only ever be as good as they were. Not better. I have to shorten learning intervals as well as increase skill sets. This is nearly impossible to do without the equipment. Do I play the regs? Yes. Terribly. But I couldn't play them at all without owning them first. And because own them today, I get to say that I will be one day closer to mastering the fekin things tomorrow.

tok · Post by **tok** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 4:26 pm

I remember haveing the time of my life at a session one time , when me and another piper were playing . The other guy had the Idea to use his chanter to play " mock " regulator like sounds , while I was playing a reel . It sounded as if I was playing the regs better than Paddy Keenan , when in reality , It was just some teamwork , and some skilled chordal chanter work from the other guy .
Please don't tell anyone , but I did some recording a while back ,, and I had the studio folks play my regulators for me

,, and the recording " sounded " like I was actually playing them . Then there was the time when I had another piper play my chanter for me while I just pumped on the bellows and bag . lol a dyslexia night mare that ended in about two minutes ,, luckily without me falling out of my chair .
I think that it is reasonable to think that If a piper has regs and never plays them , at least the set of pipes is a full set , and a person can feel satisfied to know that they own one . One day mabey they will change there mind , and want to play them .
tok . edit here ,, the sound was close to Paddys regulator work .

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