Aesthetics of a set

glands · Post by **glands** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 10:05 pm

leremarkable wrote

The result, to my eye anyway, is a beautiful mix of colours and textures on the instrument, that tell a unique tale about how much playing it gets, and how much music has been made on it.

Firstly, I can't wait to hear 'em played and, secondly, to see 'em for myself in March in Atlanta.

BzzzzT wrote

...Pope...

Ah ha! Another German pipemaker has broken into the scene!

Speaking of sounds of things.....how about Sinead O'Connor's voice! Not too many people on this planet can sing passionately between a shout and a whisper in the same line and create such a beautiful pleasing sound and also evoke so much emotion. I just downloaded her latest CD to my iPod from iTunes this weekend...Sinead does Reaggae, basically,.....good stuff. It comes with three 4 min videos. Damn, I nearly cried when I saw her smoking as that vice will put the wrong kind of "patina" on that lovely respiratory system. The one sad thing about a voice like hers is that it doesn't last forever, regardless of whether she will smoke fags (pun? you decide).

RomanPiper · Post by **RomanPiper** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:49 am

... Buffed highly polished brass certainly seems to send out the wrong message in the piping community... but normal (seasonal) maintenance seems to work... To many, it's an instrument of a lifetime. Having an instrument that has gone the miles and doesn't look that way is a good reflection of the owner. That has nothing to do with playing ability.

I just wish we could get Pipey to "pipe" in on this. Being an old sea dog, NOBODY keeps their brass more shiney than Pipey on his Seth set. I think he shines it on a daily basis and it looks like gold!

RomanPiper · Post by **RomanPiper** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:52 am

P.S. He keeps his Harley looking the same way!

Big Time · Post by **Big Time** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 6:59 am

[quote="RomanPiper NOBODY keeps their brass more shiney than Pipey on his Seth set. I think he shines it on a daily basis and it looks like gold![/quote]

maybe it is gold?? a lad i know from monaghan, connall curran, has a gold set of border pipes. they look savage and sound fantastic.

RomanPiper · Post by **RomanPiper** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:00 am

maybe it is gold?? a lad i know from monaghan, connall curran, has a gold set of border pipes. they look savage and sound fantastic.

Hmm, could be, there is something other-worldly about its gleam... Last time I was in Piermont he was playing and a mouse climbed up his leg and used one of his regulator keys as a mirror to floss his teeth!

In all seriousness, Jim keeps his brass shining like the radiant sun and his 3/4 set is really beautiful as a result.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:12 am

A shiny set of pipes does not always mean that the set doesn't get used, and a lot. It can mean the owner has a great deal of love and pride in their set, and want it to look its best all the time..

The same goes for doo-dads one hangs off their sets (me for instance), I do so because I want to personalize my set for my own reasons, and to hell with what others may think about it... it is none of their business.

I play the begeezus out my set all the same, and failing the unforeseen, I will continue to do so.

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:19 am

I have played out to more than a few weddings, wakes, funerals and general concerts over the past several years, and I've been one who likes to keep things on the shiny side vs. the dull patinaed look. I think it does look a bit off to show up to an event (weddings especially are a pretty big deal here and a lot of money goes into them) with grungy pipes - no matter how well they're played. But of course - to each their own.

RomanPiper · Post by **RomanPiper** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 10:06 am

Brian Lee wrote:I have played out to more than a few weddings, wakes, funerals and general concerts over the past several years, and I've been one who likes to keep things on the shiny side vs. the dull patinaed look. I think it does look a bit off to show up to an event (weddings especially are a pretty big deal here and a lot of money goes into them) with grungy pipes - no matter how well they're played. But of course - to each their own.

Exactly. Once Jim (who usually plays GHBs at such events) played his UPs at a wedding in Upstate NY. It was a crowd who was completely unfamiliar with UPs (maybe they'd seen or heard Riverdance) and they were completely taken not only by Pipey's playing, but the appearance of his pipes. He definitely made us all proud at that one!

uillmann · Post by **uillmann** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:45 pm

I polish them once every ten years, whether they need it or not.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:07 pm

Nice.

myrddinemrys · Post by **myrddinemrys** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 7:39 pm

asthetics . . .
pvc doesn't amount to much, but I won't go there.

I suppose it's a matter of personal taste. One COULD pull a hendrix and just burn the varnish off. You would then have a good CD title: Fingers of Flame

Gio · Post by **Gio** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 6:15 am

Hi guys,
any picture of a Curran full set??
thanks in advance.

ps. I did search but found nothing... or so it seems..

Big Time · Post by **Big Time** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:10 am

Eamonn doesn't make full sets. He's a principal of a primary school and does pipes part time, etc.

He doesn't have immediate plans to go into making full sets as he has enough work doing chanters and practice sets.

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Aesthetics of a set

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