Piper in jeans
I was leaving one of my favourite art galleries, the Pallant in Chichester, when I heard the sound of bagpipes. They are a Scottish instrument and it is almost impossible to get farther away from Scotland in Britain than Sussex. Down south we don’t do the pipes. Nevertheless this nameless musician felt he could earn more from his rather wheezy version of Over the Sea to Skye than from the usual staples such as Bob Dylan’s Blowing in the Wind.
Glencoe piper in full regalia
When going around Scotland you often find bagpipers wearing the full highland regalia plying their trade at popular photo stops. They add a nice touch and I always encourage people to drop a coin in usually his (occasionally her) box. Most do and enjoy the added touch. The bagpipes are an outdoor instrument and were an essential way of maintaining order on the battlefield. It is said that George Washington ordered his men to aim for them in battle to undermine British morale, which seems a bit mean as they could not fire back.
There are actually five pipes in a set of Scottish bagpipes (which can cost several thousand pounds). You blow into one, three are drones playing fixed notes and you play the tune on the chanter. The Irish version is the uilean pipes because you use your elbow (uilean) to pump air in. The Scots consider this wimpish and a piper starts off by blowing a lungful of air in (not easy – I have tried it) giving those nearby a warning that they are about to play.
Bagpipes go back to at least 1000 BÇ and are especially popular in areas with a strong Celtic influence. They were banned in Britain after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 but came back into fashion when Queen Victoria fell in love with all things Scottish and, after the death of Prince Albert, retreated to the highlands and the company of John Brown.
Busking – the word comes from the Spanish ‘buscar’, to seek – is probably as old as bagpipes. I even did it once myself when travelling through Europe with some pals when we ran out of money. It was moderately lucrative and we made enough for a meal. You usually need a licence to busk these days and can be fined if you break the rules. One place you are not allowed to play is on a moving train but a couple of guys came into the carriage I was in recently and struck up a tune before starting to collect. I do not usually mind paying buskers but I draw the line at having my journey ruined so I ignored them. However, I paid the piper a pound – even if I think the pipes should be confined to Scotland – and played in full uniform rather than jeans.
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