Bag Pipes

[Richard Crowley]

When we planned a tour to Romania a couple years ago, we were warned that the pipe organs in several venues were NOT A=440, but various older tunings. We programmed into the concerts time for the orchestra to re-tune to the organ, but discovered that most of them could just "bend" their pitches to match the pipe-organ du jour which was a pleasant surprise to us.

Why do bagpipe players walk while they are playing? To get away from the noise.

[Colin McDonald]

Why we should all have a long boom pole available...

Hawick|Producer Esther Johnson and film crew at work on 21 February 2013 on the former goods platform alongside the site of Hawick station. [See image 25301]

Came across this photo in an article about a film being made about the Waverley railway line (closed under the "Beeching" cuts but about to be partially rebuilt).

I can't help feeling that mic is too close!

[Ed Roo]

The first two minutes of the video linked below contains a bagpiper moving behind the camera and to the left. The microphone is a Sennheiser ME-2 omni velcroed to the podium microphone gooseneck fed into a Sennheiser G3 transmitter on the podium. Later in the video the piper starts up and moves to a position behind and to the right of the podium, then walks away to the right and back. You can see the distance from the piper to the microphone in the video.

2012ShawneeHills03 on Vimeo

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Ed Roo

The first two minutes of the video linked below contains a bagpiper moving behind the camera and to the left. The microphone is a Sennheiser ME-2 omni velcroed to the podium microphone gooseneck fed into a Sennheiser G3 transmitter on the podium. Later in the video the piper starts up and moves to a position behind and to the right of the podium, then walks away to the right and back. You can see the distance from the piper to the microphone in the video.

2012ShawneeHills03 on Vimeo

"Sorry the creator of this video has not given you permission to embed it in this domain" :-(

BUT - if you click on the link in the quote above it seems to work. :-)

[Ed Roo]

Thanks for posting that John. I have my Vimeo account set so videos cannot be downloaded which is what I am surmising caused the message.

The first two minutes and the last two minutes are where the bag piper is playing. The last two minutes are Amazing Grace. You can hear when the piper turns and walks away.

[James Kuhn]

A Scotsman may have invented "the Pipes", but it takes a 'proper Irishman' to play them correctly. Heh, heh!

Interesting discussion. I think it's the only time I've actually heard the 'audio Gurus' telling folks it's okay to have the mic. on the camera.

Take care,

J.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

"Interesting discussion. I think it's the only time I've actually heard the 'audio Gurus' telling folks it's okay to have the mic. on the camera."

And the 'audio gurus' may be correct. Here is a video of a bagpiper in the worst possible conditions - outside next to a busy London street. The bagpipes sound comes through loud and clear (and in stereo) despite the terrific pedestrain and traffic noise no matter what the distance or angle using an on-camera mic:

Bagpipes on a London Street - YouTube

Select 1080p.

Bagpipes must be the easiest instrument to record of any!

In fact, there are loads of London street bagpiper videos on Youtube, and the bagpipes all sound the same - perfectly clear no matter what the distance.

[James Kuhn]

"The Pipes" do cut-through the ambient noise quite effectively. I suppose it's why it's used during the cacophony of battle, you can hear "your side".

[Vincent Oliver]

When I was in the army "Welsh Guards Band" our billet was next door to the Scots Guards pipers, they always practiced at 6.30 am. The best position for any microphone would be the mute position or -128db.