u/brando444

Im a PM, and have a Blair digital chanter. I'd like to use it to record tunes for my band. What do you use? I've heard garageband, but can't figure it out...

So I’ve been hiking around Scotland the past few days, primarily cairngorms, Ullapool, and now little Assynt, and tonight while eating dinner, I noticed 2 red spots on my forearm, the size of a pea. I examine my body and I found tiny little things which in pretty sure are ticks. I found 2 or 3, but the more I look, I’m finding more and more. I’ve kind of picked them off, which I know I shouldn’t do, but I don’t have any tick tweezers or anything. I’m also in a part of Scotland without anywhere to buy them. I’m freaking out. I’ve found at least 7-10, and they’re seriously tiny. Like, almost pin prick tiny. I think they’re moles or something, but after I picked them off, I can see them moving a little. I don’t know what to do. I’m travelling alone, so I have no one who can check me. How do I check my back? The spots I can’t see? Are all my clothes full of ticks now? I tossed my clothes into my suitcase so now I’m freaking out that all my clothes will have these microscopic ticks. They’re so small that I can’t find them all. What do I do?

I’ve been hiking around Scotland, and tonight, when I went to take a shower, I found a tiny spot on my belly. I looked closer and it was definitely a tick. Tiny. Like, almost pin prick size. I checked more of myself, and keep finding tiny little ticks. I’ve found a good 6-7, and they’re all tiny. I kinda picked them off, and could even see them moving a tiny bit. But now I’m freaking out. What if there are more? I’m travelling alone, and can’t check my back, or other hard to see areas. I’m paranoid they’re all over my clothes. I’m panicking and don’t know what to do. What should I do? I did also find a circular red spot on my arm, and it’s the first time I’m seeing it. It’s not like a bullseye, but a pea sized flat spot. Not itchy or painful.

What should I do? Do I have to like, burn all my clothes? Help!

So, apologies if this isn’t the right place to post, but I was hoping fellow pipers would know a little better than the general public…

I’m in Scotland at the moment, and I’m looking for a new Sgian Dubh. But all I can find is the same old kind, the ones you could find in any shops in Scotland. Packed with all the generic tourist garbage…

I’m looking for artisans or knife makers. Im particularly fond of antler sgian dubhs, with antler branches.

If it helps, I’m currently in Assynt/Lairg, but going to Skye, and then down to Glasgow/Edinburgh.

Thanks!

I’ll be arriving in Scotland on August 3rd, and my first stop is Aviemore. I was planning on hiking around Aviemore, but I think that location was affected by the fires. Can anyone recommend good hikes, but not too long or strenuous?

So I switched pipe bags, having gone from a hybrid to a full hide Gannaway bag. I've been told that the leather acts as a natural moisture control system, but im noticing a lot of moisture on my reeds, and it's been effecting my tuning during gigs.

Can someone recommend a good moisture control system for a hide bag? I used to use a Bannatyne canister system, but I feel like i'd go from too much moisture to not enough. Suggestions?

I thought I’d share this learning experience with y’all. Maybe you’ll heed my lesson and it won’t happen to you.

So in January, I switched pipe bags for the first time. Ever. I was happily playing a Bannatyne hybrid for 12 years, with a canister moisture control system. Always reliable, and with kinnaird drone reeds, I never once had a bad strike in or cut off. It was perfect. After some time, I wanted to try a full hide Gannaway pipe bag. I swapped it out, and since it was leather, I chose not to put any moisture control system in. Id let the leather suck up all the moisture. It’s been great! A little more moisture than normal, but I also swapped out a flapper valve for a moose valve. I also decided to swap out my Kinnaird bass for an Ezee bass.

With the no moisture control system, and ezee bass, my strike ins were not the cleanest. But I managed to fiddle with my reeds and make it work. Eventually they became a little cleaner.

I’m a pipe major for a grade 5 police band. So I got hired to do a solo gig with my snare drummer. It was to bring the brass into a room, where people were getting medals of service. Bring them in. Bring them out at the end. Easy peasy. Well, going in was fine. But when I came back out, my strike in was atrocious. Double toning bass. Had to awkwardly restrike in. It was bad, but whatever, shit happens, right? Well about a month later, the same police force hired me to pipe at their change of command ceremony. They were swearing in a new commanding officer, so all the high level brass were there. Same as before, pipe them in, and then pipe the new CO out. Well, unfortunately, my strike in going in, was bad. Again. I struck up again and recovered. Going out, I was on a stage, bright spotlights in my face. I was to pipe the new CO out. Went to go strike in, and it happened AGAIN. I apologized profusely to them, and ran away after recovering. I got home, took my ezee bass, and launched it as hard as I could into my garbage can. Swapped it for a Kinnaird bass, and once again, my strike in’s were better. Thank god!

Well, fast forward to today. I was hired to do two graduation ceremonies for a school. One today, one tomorrow. Bring in the grads and faculty, go on stage, play while the grads filter in, and then deak out. Simple. I arrived, and decided that I wanted to pull out my old Naill Blackwood solo chanter from the 80’s-90’s. I haven’t played it in about a year, so I picked a new reed, opting for something on the easier side, so I’m not busting my guts while the grads filter in. I plugged it in, and warmed up my pipes for about 30 minutes. The reed was on the easier side, but I was able to blow tone and maintain pressure. They came and got me, it was time to start. I started walking and playing everyone into this auditorium, which was full of the students’ parents. Cameras all out. The MINUTE I walked into that auditorium, something felt and sounded weird. The pressure felt weird, the reed was getting quieter, and the tone was changing. I started panicking, but I was already half way down the aisle, and had to go onto the stage. Well when I got onto the stage, the reed just completely collapsed. You know that video of the piper from John McCain’s funeral? That epic failure that poor piper had to live through? Same.exact.thing. With full pressure, I was barely getting any volume, and it was way off. I tried pushing through, but it was a train wreck, and decided to just cut my losses and cutoff. I stopped, and the principal gave me a rightly angry look, and motioned for me to keep playing. I shook my head, and just stood there. Silence as the grads were coming in. Finally they started playing some canned graduation music, and I just stood there, wanting to jump out of my skin.

I left, got changed, and was swearing and raging the whole drive home. I messaged the faculty, apologized, explained the situation, and told them not to pay me for today, and that I’d go fix my bagpipes in time for tomorrow. I plugged in my regular band chanter I’ve been playing, and played for about 30 minutes without fail.

I know shit happens. But i feel terrible. Im also shit scared about tomorrow’s ceremony, and almost thinking of subbing myself out for someone else, but part of me wants to go back and redeem myself. To show them that im not actually a shit piper.

It’s been a rough learning experience. What did I learn? If you’re a solo player, and you’ve been playing the same system for weeks/months without fail, never, ever, EVER change a system/part in your pipes before a solo gig, unless absolutely necessary.

I’m going to go curl up into a ball and die, bye!