Control Freaks Need Not Apply

mukade · Post by **mukade** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:45 pm

I am often at a loss for words when people ask me to describe the uilleann pipes.
I was just reading a Liam O'Flynn interview on the Tara Music website in which Mr. O'Flynn provides the perfect quotation.

"O'Flynn extolls the mellowness of their sound, the uilleann pipes' characteristic sweetness of tone, but he acknowledges too their raw wildness - a quality hinting that the piper is perhaps not totally in control."

The next time somebody asks me, 'What are those?' my reply will be, 'something out of control.'

Mukade

somethingclever · Post by **somethingclever** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:41 am

yeah thats a toughy. I am pretty sick of begining my sentence with the disclaimer, "well they're not the scotish bag pipes..."

What if you gave one word answers such as, "complicated"
I find however that the best bet is to just send them to youtube and have Smyth or mcSherry explain it to them

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 3:32 am

My answer is usually: The Irish Pipes.

reedbiter · Post by **reedbiter** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:13 am

...antique vacuum cleaner...

...medieval torture device...

...goiter...

...artificial internal organs...see the stuff goes in this end and crap comes out over here...

eskin · Post by **eskin** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:25 am

For me its usually: "Its part of my probation agreement..."

TnWhistler · Post by **TnWhistler** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 2:46 pm

Something bad I must've done in a past life...

Post by **Nanohedron** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 3:57 pm

"I wonder, myself."

halfirish · Post by **halfirish** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:38 pm

I describe 'em as "half my central heating system on my lap!"

boyd · Post by **boyd** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:43 am

.

..............." buy me a drink and I'll tell ya "

.

Scott McCallister · Post by **Scott McCallister** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 12:31 pm

You can get some mileage with

"I'm sorry, but I speak no English"

ceadach · Post by **ceadach** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:14 pm

AH, yes. The least favored question. Here's a few choice explanations from rather inventive pipers I've heard:

"I'd tell you lad... but then you to would be consigned to this same horrible fate..."

"Maybe if you ask them nicely they'll tell ya!"

"This my friend is the ancient Gaelic saxophone..."

" What are these?? Well once upon a time, along the Irish coast lived a lovely young woman named Mary. And this maiden fell in love with the King of the Ocean, the mighty Neptune. They consummated the marriage, and 9 months later this poor wretched...thing...was the horrible result!!! So young lady, take my advice...stay the hell away from anyone who crawls out of the sea looking for a long term relationship."

"What? I can't hear ya?... What?"

"What's this ... a Séibín detector!"

" Tom forces me to play them and his minions help..."!

"This ??.. the root cause for my divorce..."

BoneQuint · Post by **BoneQuint** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:36 pm

mukade wrote:"O'Flynn extolls the mellowness of their sound, the uilleann pipes' characteristic sweetness of tone, but he acknowledges too their raw wildness - a quality hinting that the piper is perhaps not totally in control."

Yes...that's one reason I love the recordings of Johnny Doran -- the "wildness." It's like the way a friend of mine described a funky dancer once, "it looks like he's always just about to fall down, but he never does." As opposed to the more modern, polished, "studio" sound...the pipes sound cowed and forced into submission, instead of running free.

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Control Freaks Need Not Apply

Control Freaks Need Not Apply

what are those?

Re: Control Freaks Need Not Apply