Piping "compliments"

[tommykleen]

I have found that the most common acknowledgment of my piping abilities consists of the phrase "your pipes sound great" (which is true: they are a great-sounding set). Now, I am not looking for praise for my playing: there is a long road there and I know it. But is this a pipe thing? Is it because people have had more than enough experience with pipes that did not sound great?

This assessment seems peculiar to the pipes. I have yet to hear, "Gee, your fiddle/flute/whistle/guitar/whatever sound great."

Tommykleen

[TheSilverSpear]

I get that a lot too (cheers, Bill!).

Never sure how to read it. Is it because people are used to horrendously out of tune, squealy pipes? Or does it have the subtext of "those pipes sound great, but you suck?"

[PJ]

Is it because people are used to horrendously out of tune, squealy pipes?

I suspect that's close - most people are familiar with GHB, which can sound nice, but are always loud. Uilleann pipes are easier on the ears. What they're probably saying is 'Your pipes sound great, compared with other pipes I've heard'.

[Uilliam]

Possibly the majority of people havnae heard em before and anything would sound great to them.Possibly its only the nitpicking pipers with naff all else to do in their lives who manage to find fault wi other pipers.Possibly they are commenting on the sound and not the performance.Possibly possible is the possibility that anything is possible when ye are trying to second guess someones mind.
Uilliam

[Nanohedron]

Tommykleen, if ever I've hurt your feelings, I'm sorry. Still, your set DOES sound good.

[tommykleen]

Possibly possible is the possability that anything is possible when ye are trying to second guess someones mind.
Uilliam

Indeed [cue ominous radio music] "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?..."[end ominous radio music]

[tommykleen]

Tommykleen, if ever I've hurt your feelings, I'm sorry. Still, your set DOES sound good.

I don't think you've ever heard you utter The Phrase, NanMan. And I have not taken offense when I hear it. But it just strikes me as peculiarly particular to piping.

Alliteratively,
T

[Brazenkane]

Hardly Tom (re: your initial statement). I've heard that mannnnny times re: guitar tone. "Man your tone is great and your playing was killing!" (or not ! Those 2 always fell into the how's your sound, and how's your playing.

Here's a fun one (and there are dozens of these). Shake someones hand and say, "Man...your sound grates!" You'll always hear...."Kool! thanks!"

Seriously, what about posting a sound file here?

[fearfaoin]

This assessment seems peculiar to the pipes. I have yet to hear, "Gee, your fiddle/flute/whistle/guitar/whatever sound great."

Actually, I get that all the time about my whistle & guitar.
My whatever, however, sounds horrible.

[Cathy Wilde]

You know, now that you mention it ... yeah. Weird!

OTOH, I wonder if it's something we've trained ourselves (and by extension others) to do? Whenever I find myself in a complimentary situation (only b/c no one around here has a basis for comparison), the first thing I say is "Yeah, they're going well today," or "Yeah, I'm so lucky to have a good set." So I never even begin to credit myself for any part of it (and I don't believe I do have much part of it, given *my* piping) ... but I always treat my pipes as an entity unto themselves, and now that I think about it I've heard plenty of others do the same.

Could it be some kind of piper humbletude because we know we're only a reed-tantrum away from sounding horrible? Or is there something about the pipes that looks more like operating a machine or a contraption (or hanging onto a crazed honking animal), so people compliment the machine, not the operator?

Hmmmmm.

[Nanohedron]

Well, for what it's worth, someone can always make a good set with the best reedage sound like hell. So if the aforementioned compliment is proffered, I say take it...even if 'tis but an evanescent droplet upon the parched lips of your soul.

[Nanohedron]

This assessment seems peculiar to the pipes. I have yet to hear, "Gee, your fiddle/flute/whistle/guitar/whatever sound great."

I've had a compliment or two on the sound of my cittern. Usually that's from someone who's never heard one before, though. I think everyone else is tired of it by now. Ping. Thrum. Chorng.

I've had compliments on my flute's sound, but that was a while back, and from flute players. So either they figured that was 'nuff said, or I've gone worseward.

[Juan Pablo Plata]

Uilleann pipes are not so popular as fiddles or flutes. It´s a "new thing that seems an instrument" for that people, so they speak about this novelty rather than the musician. At least, living in south Spain, where the 99,99% of people have never seen pipes of this kind in his life.

I think that´s the reason.

[Jill Groth]

I oftentimes compliment a fellow player after a tune with something like "The flute/guitar/fiddle sounded great" and don't mean the instrument itself but am commenting on the musicality of the player on that tune.

One would consider the context, but I think generally listeners are thinking of the playing of this unique instrument. A fellow piper would most likely mean the playing as well as the pipes themselves because they understand that any set will not sound great unless it's played well.

So, Tom, go ahead & accept the compliments!

(It also seems that the better a player is, the fewer comments...within their own circles anyway.)

[Patrick D'Arcy]

This assessment seems peculiar to the pipes. I have yet to hear, "Gee, your fiddle/flute/whistle/guitar/whatever sound great."

I've had a compliment or two on the sound of my cittern. Usually that's from someone who's never heard one before, though. I think everyone else is tired of it by now. Ping. Thrum. Chorng.

I've had compliments on my flute's sound, but that was a while back, and from flute players. So either they figured that was 'nuff said, or I've gone worseward.

Where were you for the Great, Northern Irish, Tionol dag nab it?

Patrick.