[Dixielandjazz] Bagpipes -- My Experience

[Mike Woitowicz]

In the mid 1960's, I went to Europe for the first time and toured a number of countries, the last being England. My traveling companion buddy and I were trying to locate an English gal I had befriended a year earlier in the USA. We stopped a local pub in a small town (name long forgotten) to see if they knew of the family name. They gave us some information, and in thanks, we had a draught or two and got ready to leave. 

 

The bartender said that since we were obviously American tourists, we might be interested in staying a while, since a bus with a touring Scottish marching band was going to stop by in a few hours to put on a musical demonstration in the pub's parking lot. We stayed, and sure enough a group of bagpipers, drummers and other assorted instruments in full costume unloaded and put on a marching demonstration for an hour or so. 

 

Afterward, the loaded their bagpipes and other instruments in the bus and came in the pub for some libation. Now it gets interesting.

 

I had taken my banjo with me on the trip (this was when one could take almost anything on international flights). Since we had had a few more beers while waiting for the bagpipers, I didn't need much encouragement to strum a few tunes for the Scottish touring band. They loved it! Next thing I knew, someone had gone out to the bus and brought in their bagpipes. I tried to tune to the bagpipes - nada. Tuning a banjo has created a whole joke category by itself. But trying to tune it to bagpipes was impossible. They don't play the white keys or the black keys, they play in the cracks!

 

Nevertheless, I found myself marching around the pub for the next hour with the bagpiper, the two of us playing "Amazing Grace" and God knows what else (It has been almost 50 years - I can hardly remember what I played yesterday). It was hilarious to everyone, I'm sure. 

 

I also remember taking a break and going to the men's room and standing next to a guy lifting his kilts to do the same thing I was doing. I don't remember if I said anything funny, but probably not, since he had a knife in his sock (part of the costume).

 

So, whenever I hear bagpipe stories, I think of my own experience and have to chuckle again. 

 

Is this a great list or what!!

 

 

Mike Woitowicz
The Banjo Barons Ragtime Band
The Dixie Barons Dixieland Band
www.banjomusic.biz