One more question from a newbie wannabe (not yet a newbie as I am still pipeless).
I’m a vet as many of you know. Today I preg-checked cows for about 7 1/2 hours straight (If you don’t know what this entails don’t ask. Suffice it to say I wear a VERY long plastic glove).
Anyway, like most dairy vets my age, I’m starting to have some rotator cuff issues. I was just curious how this might affect my long-term future as a UP piper.
Which also begs the question of whether the UP can be played with mouth inflation rather than bellows.
Hey Doc, uilleann pipes are a dry reed instrument…meaning the reed is made to function with the natural humidity in the air. Moisture from the lungs would render the reed useless.
Mouth blown? Like Lorenzo wrote, the UP reed is designed to be blown by dry air and mouth blowing will destory it. What happens is that the humidity in your breath with moisten the reed. When the reed dries, it might warp, meaning that the lips will no longer be symmetrical, more prone to cracking, etc.
Mouth blowing the reed once or twice for just a few seconds at a time probably won’t do this, but if you blow it for too long or too often, it might.
IMHO, these types of problems can be corrected/avoided by using good ergonomics. Sitting up straight with your shoulders level and pulled back feels awkard at first, but takes a lot of pressure off the rotator cuff…
…so I found out with the help of a physical therapist.
No need to, standing works much, much better. You have to take into consideration, that most of the time, there is a solid barrier between the cow and the Vet. Nothing like a hoof in the groin to change the pitch of one’s voice.
I’d like to see you sit up straight with your arm in a cow’s arse up to your shoulder!