When asked what it was like to play the Uilleann pipes Davey Spillane once said, "It's a bit like wrestling with an Octopus." When asked why the Irish bagpipe is blown up with the elbow(elbow is Uilleann in Irish), instead of the mouth, someone else said, I don't remember who, "It's so we can drink Guinness and play at the same time." Good playing Tiarnan; you rock, keep up the good work. Every time I hear the Uilleann pipes I like them more. Must be my Kilkenny relatives comin' through.
Indeed, I was born in southern Alberta many, many moons ago and still live here. It's an awesome province to be sure. But I admit, very often I envy our neighbours to the west. B.C. is just off the charts if you're a fan of things beautiful. But from the political and economic sense, Alberta just can't be beat. And we aren't without our own natural gems either. The Rockies that I get to watch the sun set over every night from my balcony are more or less a mind blower.
I will soon be receiving my practice set, and can barely wait. that highland sounds a lot like the Eel in the Sink, a reel that i always thought had a real highland "bounce" to it.
Good job lad, good job. I could listen to the "elbow" pipes all day. On a radio interview the Irish piper Davey Spillane said playing the Uilleann pipes "Was a bit like wrestling with an Octopus." You keep on wrestling Tiernan.
Well put. I never thought of it that way. I guess Highlands just seem easier to me because I've been playing them for what seems like forever. I'm just now beginning uilleann piping so it seems daunting. I like both very much as well. Cheers to you!
....! I never saw someone who can play stratspey on uilleann like this man, and i never heared that minor chords on regs like here in Tommy Peoples reel. This man is master! And very nice instrument, i believe... Who is pipemaker, i wonder...
Wow, I'm amazed. I don't play Uillean pipes, so I don't know the terminology, but the chords at the end together with the melody is just amazing. The rest already blew me away, but that was unbelievable.
All you uilleann self teachers, study his finger and wrist posture and his finger motion well. I make uilleann pipes for my living, and I own a fine full set by Dave Williams bought at low cost from the original owner who had ruined his wrist tendons by bad posture complicated by long hours on computer probably also with bad posture. Hold the chanter this way, lift and lower your fingers this way, it may cost you a few months in the beginning to make the snappiest sounds, but you'll be thankful when you're 60 and you still have the ears to hear and want to play.
How does he keep the bag inflated on the uilleann pipes? I only know of Scottish bag pipes that the player has to constantly blow into to keep inflated but I didn't see anything inflating the bag on this kind of pipe. The only thing that I could come up with is that the bag is filled before the song and the instrument expels so little air that whats in the bag is enough to get through a song, but I know nothing of this instrument so that's just a guess on my part.
I'm not irish, but I totally love this tune and have a passion for this kind of music, especially the uilleann pipes. This song... It makes me wanna go to a pub, get a huge beer and dance with my friends xD ... Too bad they probably throw me out though xD
Those things are D*MNED hard to play! I sniped my David Daye starter set on eBay but sold them when money got tight. At least I can manage a dozen or so tunes on my tin whistles. Thanks for posting the video! Slainte!!
@tonytopcat83 The man we call Kenneth MacAlpine was actually a Pictish King. He united the kingdoms of Dal Riata and Pictland. Most likely he gained the ability to unite the two by spoils of war since both were ravished by Viking raids. It was Kenneth's grandson Donald II that was the first king to stylize himself as 'King of Scots' since he spent his childhood in exile in Ireland. Kenneth died in 858 A.D.
@killamonkey At noticed that I'd never really heard the highland pipes except for use in sort of melancholy songs while the uilleann pipes were played in much chipper tones but I wasn't entirely sure if that was just me lol thanks for the info :)
@sightseek3r The Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe. It's 1 member of a very large and ancient family of instruments. The odds are that if you have any European, West Asian, Mediterranean, or North African ancestry, there is a bagpipe tradition in your "old country" whatever it happens to be.
@jingwu42 Wrong, all the books I've read on wind instrument history (Baines, Bates & Goossens) say the oldest known source for bagpipes is ancient Greece, but the rising popularity of the bellows are well documented by ancient Greek writers. On the other hand, the oboe and other conical single double reed pipes, originated in the middle east. Somebody might have mixed this up and made the assumption that the bagpipes originated there too.
@Magsterzb work hard and practice and enjoy the treasures of this beautiful instrument and i send my blessing and good luck to you i hope you really well god bless
Highand, because you can join massive bands such as field marshall montgomery, and look up pipe idol, either conor sinclair or angus j maccoll, they are both personal favourites of mine and play ridiculously complexpieces really well. Some people can find it hard to reach around th outside of uillean pipes.
Tiarnan is amazing. What makes this recording unusual for me is that the high E is really clear and loud. Note the way microphone is so close to the bottom of the chanter. Also the bottom D...., but that high E is incredible! Second tune, first part no E, but back D and A? Last tune again, the exagerated high E!.
Hi, ich steck in einer ähnlichen Situation! Ich komm aus Rheinland-Pfalz und würde auch liebend gerne spielen. Hab mir schon selbst beigebracht GHB zu spielen aber jetzt ziehts mich doch eher zu nem ausdrucksstärkeren Instrument. Die Idee mit Rogge ist zwar nicht schlecht, allerdings sind bei ihm schon die Practice Sets unerschwinglich, auch wenn sie noch so gut klingen. Das wär in etwa so, als ob man einen Steinway-Flügel kauft um darauf Klavier spielen zu lernen...
@sightseek3r That's because the Great Highland Bagpipes has a high degree of visibility around the world due to its use by the Highland regiments of the British Royal Army and in America through Police and Fire Department pipe bands.
That's an absolute fact. I have trouble convincing my Scottish friends about that though. I'm so glad to see someone else say it... it's true. Scotland means "Land of the Scotis". Scottish people are absolutely descendants of Irish. Their blood is just as green as an Irishman's. Of course Scots like to have their own nationality and who can blame them? But deep down, they know full well they're actually Irish. They are not cousins of the Irish, they are brothers and sisters of the Irish.
i highly recommend the david daye pennychanter set, it is a quality piece of engineering. I have learned the uilleanns on that set and will, whether i "upgrade" to a much more expensive wooden set by one of the pipemakers, always keep my daye set, it is one durable set of pipes and can be used in less "forgiving"conditions. i think you can get a practice set from day for around 300 usd. you are required to put them together (nothing technical at all)
Highlands are only easier to operate mechanically. But their classical fingering technique is much more complex and critical, almost impossible to learn to performance standards after the teen years other than for airs and simple marches. But an extensive repertoire of uilleann music is attainable by more people over a wider range of starting ages than is true for Highlands. I love them both, teach, play and make them both. Each reigns supreme in its own domain.
"Better?" How? I played highland pipes as a kid/teen, starting uilleann pipes now. They are both awesome. I stopped playing GHB's in college. Because they definitely *don't* sound better to your roommates or neighbors in the dorm. With Uilleann pipes, the typical venue for playing them is a restaurant or bar. With GHB's, you have to wear special clothes and march around outside. 10 pounds of wool on a 90º day just sucks, let me tell you. Especially if you have a hangover ;)
JohnMcKLV “better” probably because the tuning D is far more applicable and common in trad both irish and scottish, as well as that a second and sometimes third octave never hurt anyone
Don't you just love it when he plays all those rhythmic notes on top of the chord? you would swear there were at least three players up there . Tiarnan is god, move over Eric...
@Eragon2811 google "hotpipes.com." There are many, many kinds of bagpipes. Bagpipes are a family of ancient woodwinds that likely originated in the Middle East or Eastern Mediterranean region. Hellenic, Turkic, Slavic, Iberian, Italian, Persian, Scandinavian, Baltic, and Semitic peoples all play (or played) bagpipes of one kind or another.
Oh this dude is good, drones and all, good on ya brother. He even looks like me, but I don't think we are related. My relatives are from Kilkenny, so who knows.
Fódla dosent necessarily referr to Ireland. it was used by the Picts for a region, and it could be interpreted as a Goddess that was used by many Gaelic/Celtic people to invoke their area. When the Scots said Fódla they mightnt have been referring to Ireland as such! but whos to say, Na Gaeil Abú
When asked what it was like to play the Uilleann pipes Davey Spillane once said, "It's a bit like wrestling with an Octopus." When asked why the Irish bagpipe is blown up with the elbow(elbow is Uilleann in Irish), instead of the mouth, someone else said, I don't remember who, "It's so we can drink Guinness and play at the same time." Good playing Tiarnan; you rock, keep up the good work. Every time I hear the Uilleann pipes I like them more. Must be my Kilkenny relatives comin' through.
Hi all, the names of the tunes are
Hughie Gillispies / Sporting Paddy / Tommy Peoples / Piobaire an Céide ( The Piper from Keady)
he has the best style of all the pipers i have heard so far... i love his style.
One doesn't hear this music with the ears but with the heart. Thanks for sharing.
Indeed, I was born in southern Alberta many, many moons ago and still live here. It's an awesome province to be sure. But I admit, very often I envy our neighbours to the west. B.C. is just off the charts if you're a fan of things beautiful.
But from the political and economic sense, Alberta just can't be beat. And we aren't without our own natural gems either. The Rockies that I get to watch the sun set over every night from my balcony are more or less a mind blower.
the best playing of the pipes ive ever heard ,and i listen to a lot of this music,tremendous skill what a genius excellent ! paddy, derry
Dude i swear to God I listen to this twice a day everyday... AT THE LEAST!!!
Positively brilliant!
best regulator playing in piping history :D
I think he's the best, on the technical point of view, at playing regulators
Perfection in every sense.
just amazing, superb - finest playing...
I love the style, sound and appreciate excellent skills.
Wonderful !
I will soon be receiving my practice set, and can barely wait. that highland sounds a lot like the Eel in the Sink, a reel that i always thought had a real highland "bounce" to it.
Amazing... listened to it before... will listen again and again. :)
Rockin'! Can't help but groove to this :-)
This is so great! Heart warming.
Eirinn gu brach!
man, I can listen to this all the day! he's great
holy crap... that is hands down some of the purist sounding elbow pipes on a reel i've ever heard!
love the uilleann pipes.They enchant you.
Good job lad, good job. I could listen to the "elbow" pipes all day. On a radio interview the Irish piper Davey Spillane said playing the Uilleann pipes "Was a bit like wrestling with an Octopus." You keep on wrestling Tiernan.
Davey you beast................you made my heart break and fly again.............your talent is gloriously spell binding
Well put. I never thought of it that way. I guess Highlands just seem easier to me because I've been playing them for what seems like forever. I'm just now beginning uilleann piping so it seems daunting. I like both very much as well. Cheers to you!
THAT was awesome!! Superb skills!
Wonderful, don't know what more to say.
the best uilleann piper that i´ve never seen
this is a great sounding set - a really resonant chanter
Stunning style of playing, I hope see you again at Armagh. Keep playing so ...
I have a lot to learn on uilleann
Thanks for all the information. I have been interesting myself in Scotland,Ireland and Wales since a year and it are all awesome coutries i think
....!
I never saw someone who can play stratspey on uilleann like this man, and i never heared that minor chords on regs like here in Tommy Peoples reel. This man is master! And very nice instrument, i believe... Who is pipemaker, i wonder...
Wow, I'm amazed. I don't play Uillean pipes, so I don't know the terminology, but the chords at the end together with the melody is just amazing. The rest already blew me away, but that was unbelievable.
He teaches in my school 😊
Man. If I was this guy, I'd just sit on a barstool and listen to myself play the Uilleann Pipes all day long! :-D
Wow! I'm awestruck!
The best piece of irish piping on the net. Any chance of a few more tunes? Cheers :-)
CLASSIC - pure magic
Pipering Perfection!!!
Great skills!
i absolutely love this ^.^
That´s awesome!!! He´s good.
Wow! Great piper!
If I ever learn to play like this I will die a happy man!
amazing- wonderful!
beautiful, thanks bud!
All you uilleann self teachers, study his finger and wrist posture and his finger motion well. I make uilleann pipes for my living, and I own a fine full set by Dave Williams bought at low cost from the original owner who had ruined his wrist tendons by bad posture complicated by long hours on computer probably also with bad posture. Hold the chanter this way, lift and lower your fingers this way, it may cost you a few months in the beginning to make the snappiest sounds, but you'll be thankful when you're 60 and you still have the ears to hear and want to play.
How does he keep the bag inflated on the uilleann pipes? I only know of Scottish bag pipes that the player has to constantly blow into to keep inflated but I didn't see anything inflating the bag on this kind of pipe. The only thing that I could come up with is that the bag is filled before the song and the instrument expels so little air that whats in the bag is enough to get through a song, but I know nothing of this instrument so that's just a guess on my part.
commoguru Under his right arm is a bellows which is the source of the air.
Wonderful!!!
I'm not irish, but I totally love this tune and have a passion for this kind of music, especially the uilleann pipes. This song... It makes me wanna go to a pub, get a huge beer and dance with my friends xD ...
Too bad they probably throw me out though xD
this is verry beautiful music
is so fantastic
Quality, best wishes, simon, strabane
Those things are D*MNED hard to play! I sniped my David Daye starter set on eBay but sold them when money got tight. At least I can manage a dozen or so tunes on my tin whistles. Thanks for posting the video! Slainte!!
wow man. keep it up. you're amazing!
Great playing! 5*
@tonytopcat83 The man we call Kenneth MacAlpine was actually a Pictish King. He united the kingdoms of Dal Riata and Pictland. Most likely he gained the ability to unite the two by spoils of war since both were ravished by Viking raids. It was Kenneth's grandson Donald II that was the first king to stylize himself as 'King of Scots' since he spent his childhood in exile in Ireland. Kenneth died in 858 A.D.
I agree. I love both, but I prefer the uillean pipes. So amazing to listen to.
this man has obtained a symbiosis between his body and uilleann pipe.
@killamonkey At noticed that I'd never really heard the highland pipes except for use in sort of melancholy songs while the uilleann pipes were played in much chipper tones but I wasn't entirely sure if that was just me lol thanks for the info :)
@sightseek3r The Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe. It's 1 member of a very large and ancient family of instruments. The odds are that if you have any European, West Asian, Mediterranean, or North African ancestry, there is a bagpipe tradition in your "old country" whatever it happens to be.
1:12 - 2:02, in my opinion the best part of this clip which I really like listening to.
Right around 2:55 sounds like blues, a bit later on as well. My favourite parts.
Fodla is one of three ancient names used by the Irish when referring to their island: Eriu, Fodla, and Banba.
I love the sound of the Uillean pipes; their tone is just so much easier on the ear than bagpipes.
Tiarnan is my hero :)
HES MY A TEACHER IN MY SCHOOL
@jingwu42 Wrong, all the books I've read on wind instrument history (Baines, Bates & Goossens) say the oldest known source for bagpipes is ancient Greece, but the rising popularity of the bellows are well documented by ancient Greek writers.
On the other hand, the oboe and other conical single double reed pipes, originated in the middle east. Somebody might have mixed this up and made the assumption that the bagpipes originated there too.
@Eragon2811 Right. The presence of a bag differentiates bagpipes from other reeded woodwinds.
still amazing
@Magsterzb work hard and practice and enjoy the treasures of this beautiful instrument and i send my blessing and good luck to you i hope you really well god bless
According to Tiarnan's site, his pipes (Dave Williams c. 1997) are african blackwood and stainless steel.
Highand, because you can join massive bands such as field marshall montgomery, and look up pipe idol, either conor sinclair or angus j maccoll, they are both personal favourites of mine and play ridiculously complexpieces really well. Some people can find it hard to reach around th outside of uillean pipes.
Tiarnan is amazing. What makes this recording unusual for me is that the high E is really clear and loud. Note the way microphone is so close to the bottom of the chanter. Also the bottom D...., but that high E is incredible! Second tune, first part no E, but back D and A? Last tune again, the exagerated high E!.
The best Uilleann piper
Seo é robhreá é!! Maith thu !! Go raibh mile maith agat.
Hi, ich steck in einer ähnlichen Situation! Ich komm aus Rheinland-Pfalz und würde auch liebend gerne spielen. Hab mir schon selbst beigebracht GHB zu spielen aber jetzt ziehts mich doch eher zu nem ausdrucksstärkeren Instrument. Die Idee mit Rogge ist zwar nicht schlecht, allerdings sind bei ihm schon die Practice Sets unerschwinglich, auch wenn sie noch so gut klingen. Das wär in etwa so, als ob man einen Steinway-Flügel kauft um darauf Klavier spielen zu lernen...
awesome
I'm originally welsh on my mothers side, but i have Irish ascendancies from my fathers side :P
@sightseek3r That's because the Great Highland Bagpipes has a high degree of visibility around the world due to its use by the Highland regiments of the British Royal Army and in America through Police and Fire Department pipe bands.
Perfection just found it's sound
it really is lol i've had a practice set for about 9 months
That's an absolute fact. I have trouble convincing my Scottish friends about that though. I'm so glad to see someone else say it... it's true.
Scotland means "Land of the Scotis". Scottish people are absolutely descendants of Irish. Their blood is just as green as an Irishman's.
Of course Scots like to have their own nationality and who can blame them? But deep down, they know full well they're actually Irish. They are not cousins of the Irish, they are brothers and sisters of the Irish.
Some nice Staccato-playing there :)
i highly recommend the david daye pennychanter set, it is a quality piece of engineering. I have learned the uilleanns on that set and will, whether i "upgrade" to a much more expensive wooden set by one of the pipemakers, always keep my daye set, it is one durable set of pipes and can be used in less "forgiving"conditions. i think you can get a practice set from day for around 300 usd. you are required to put them together (nothing technical at all)
@jwhitson aye - and the Daye pipes sound as good as some of the best/most expensive pipes that money can buy!
He is my teacher.
now that is talent
Highlands are only easier to operate mechanically. But their classical fingering technique is much more complex and critical, almost impossible to learn to performance standards after the teen years other than for airs and simple marches. But an extensive repertoire of uilleann music is attainable by more people over a wider range of starting ages than is true for Highlands. I love them both, teach, play and make them both. Each reigns supreme in its own domain.
Except that the elbow pipes sounds so much better and are more versatile.
"Better?" How?
I played highland pipes as a kid/teen, starting uilleann pipes now. They are both awesome.
I stopped playing GHB's in college. Because they definitely *don't* sound better to your roommates or neighbors in the dorm.
With Uilleann pipes, the typical venue for playing them is a restaurant or bar.
With GHB's, you have to wear special clothes and march around outside. 10 pounds of wool on a 90º day just sucks, let me tell you. Especially if you have a hangover ;)
JohnMcKLV “better” probably because the tuning D is far more applicable and common in trad both irish and scottish, as well as that a second and sometimes third octave never hurt anyone
Don't know about first and 3rd, but 2nd is Sporting Paddy ad 4- is Tommy Peoples'
I'd like to play one!
Don't you just love it when he plays all those rhythmic notes on top of the chord? you would swear there were at least three players up there . Tiarnan is god, move over Eric...
very good
Tone to die for. Tone to burn.
This is the video I refer to students for perfect piping posture. And, playing....... ;)
@Eragon2811 google "hotpipes.com." There are many, many kinds of bagpipes. Bagpipes are a family of ancient woodwinds that likely originated in the Middle East or Eastern Mediterranean region. Hellenic, Turkic, Slavic, Iberian, Italian, Persian, Scandinavian, Baltic, and Semitic peoples all play (or played) bagpipes of one kind or another.
Seven years of listenin', seven years of practicin', and seven years of playin' -- then you're a piper.
@piobairesicago Gernans, too! : )
Wow wow wow
Oh this dude is good, drones and all, good on ya brother. He even looks like me, but I don't think we are related. My relatives are from Kilkenny, so who knows.
yes yes yes yes yes
Holy crap, this is better than bagpipes!
Fódla dosent necessarily referr to Ireland. it was used by the Picts for a region, and it could be interpreted as a Goddess that was used by many Gaelic/Celtic people to invoke their area. When the Scots said Fódla they mightnt have been referring to Ireland as such! but whos to say, Na Gaeil Abú
Yea for example my clan, clan MacNeil are a Scottish clan that was originally Irish and emigrated to Scotland. Same goes for many others.
folk yeah!!!!
nope, it reffers to the name Scot (a land owner) as opposed to the Scottish people.
but there are examples of Scottish names in Ireland.