As some of you already know, I play the bagpipe and love electronica.



I told my band mates my idea for this year's festival, playing with electronica, instead of rock. They told me ok, do it, so I started looking for somebody to do the electronica part.

That's how I met Cooptrol.



So one day I went to his studio and recorded 3 songs, Flet from Flotta, Lord Lovat's Lament, and Cumha MhicCriomain.

As I wasn't ready to play the Great Highland Bagpipe (scottish bagpipe) I took my Shuttle Pipes (breton bagpipe) which is easier to blow.



We had no idea of the final sound that we wanted, so I just marked the tempo with my foot, and then told him the BPMs.

After that, I was playing just against a metronome, and then I played two more times the same song, against the metronome and what I had previously recorded.



Some days after he showed me what he did, and it's what you may listen.



Unfortunately this is all I have, since he's working on other projects and doesn't have enough time for this.





I hope you enjoy it. :)





Flet from Flotta, traditional scottish march.

Electronica: Cooptrol

Bagpipe: Me playing the Shuttle Pipes (breton bagpipe)



http://www.ntntelect...%20Flotta85.mp3

Orbital - Bigpipe Style

Skylined, nice - I think you should keep this up! Very cool. I think Martyn Bennet would be pleased. :)



Makes me wish I'd continued with the pipes.

Something curious, Orbital's song cannot be played on any of the bagpipes that I own.



whirly, it's never too late to get a bagpipe under your arm. ;)

Maybe you should try smallpipes, shuttle pipes, or any other bagpipe that is easy to blow, and all you have to do is practice and improve your fingering.



I'll try to keep this up, for many years I've been trying to play with a small rock or electronica band, while playing in the band where I'm already in www.southerncrosspipeband.com



If Cooptrol cannot keep up with this, I'll get in contact with some other electronica groups that had already in contacted with me. ;)

Skylined Escribi�:

Something curious, Orbital's song cannot be played on any of the bagpipes that I own.



whirly, it's never too late to get a bagpipe under your arm. ;)

Maybe you should try smallpipes, shuttle pipes, or any other bagpipe that is easy to blow, and all you have to do is practice and improve your fingering.



I'll try to keep this up, for many years I've been trying to play with a small rock or electronica band, while playing in the band where I'm already in www.southerncrosspipeband.com



If Cooptrol cannot keep up with this, I'll get in contact with some other electronica groups that had already in contacted with me. ;)

Thanks for the encouragement! I haven't had pipe lessons since the early 90's. I had a fantastic teacher who was very patient. The bagpipes were a tremendous challenge for me but that to me was half the fun. I never got real good, I was pretty shit to be honest but I could at least churn out a tune. Now when I try to play just the practice chanter it sounds like something's dying, it sounds fuggin awful as mipps and Jeanie and Andrew found out the hard way. X-D Anyway, I think one of the major setbacks to the Scottish bagpipes is that they cannot be played indoors (unless you want to shatter wine glasses, which I don't). The practice chanter is nice for practicing but obviously it doesn't give the full hypnotic effect that the bagpipes do. Another setback to me was the cost of lessons. I'd really like a set of Uillean (sp?) pipes. They have a broader range scale wise and they are compact, plus you can practice right on the instrument itself, indoors as well. But I digress...



I really think you should continue with this bagpipes/Electronic hybrid. It's very very cool. There aren't enough bagpipes in this kind of music!

The problem with those irish bagpipes is that they're really expensive, and the waiting list is really big.



When you say scottish bagpipe, well, that's just one of all the scottish bagpipes that you can find. You're talking about the Great Highland Bagpipe, but you can get a Small Pipes, which have a softer and sweeter sound, they're great for indoors. They have the same fingering as the GHB, and they can be mouth blown or you can use belows.

The one in this song is a Shuttle Pipes, it also has a soft and sweet sound, great for practice and for indoors. The fingering is the same as with the GHB.

My first option is the GHB, second the SP, and third, the Fireside Pipes, which look like a miniature GHB



I know that for some people the GHB is a nightmare, because of its volume and because it's hard to blow, but you don't have to drop that, since there are lots of bagpipes with the exact same fingering.



I'll try to keep playing with someone else, other than the band, and if possible, electronica.

Thanks for the info, Skylined! Always love learning about the different varieties. Although I'm not in the market to buy anymore musical instruments right now, all this talk makes me want to pick up my chanter again - it's been so long since I've really sat down to practice, my fingering is a mess! Whenever you record some new stuff let me know because I'm really interested. There's something about the pipes that have always been really inspiring to me.