"The Totally True History of the Bagpipes" or "How To Be the Coolest (Loudest) Person in your Neighborhood"

    For parents, there is a list of things you hope you never have to hear your child say, and "I'm going to learn to play the bagpipes!" might be on the top of that list.
    
    You see, in the 14th century or so, the bagpipes were created and designed by hoodlum teenagers in the thatched hut garages next to their parents thatched hut homes. 
This all came about when one such hoodlum teenager named Alasdair Ainsley McPatty, fell for the Homecoming Highland Queen, Sophie McKenna McRea. In those awkward 14th century middle ages, a boy had no stratocaster to woo the women folk, and knowing that, Alasdair came up with the solution. 
    Inspired by her beauty, and of course the desire to makes as much noise as humanly possible (it's just a thing), the young man attached three old hollowed out logs to the carcass of a mountain goat. 
    And despite not having developed the blowpipe as of yet, and having to operate such a contraption in a manner that resembled giving CPR to an utterly deflated goat, it was just the trick in wooing the fair maid. 

    And that's how the bagpipes were developed! So, why am I giving you this historically accurate history lesson, you ask?

    ...Well, I don't really know why...?

    But I am learning to play the pipes!

    Last summer (2016) I decided I was going to really get into learning it, and after some time on my practice chanter learning the scale, playing tunes, and getting into bagpipe shape I was ready to look into getting my own set of bagpipes! 

Getting my new Gibson practice chanter!

And made this cute carrying case for it cause I'm cool. ;)

    I always knew I had Scottish lines in my ancestry (Patterson being one of them) but I realized that not only is it my largest percentage, followed by Finnish and German, but I have multiple scottish lines and clans I come from (Yeah, they probably all hated each other and fought all the time). ;)

I went for the Wallace Classic 2

    And as everyone knows, playing the pipes is just half of the coolness factor...
    We also get awesome outfits. ;)

Got my uniform together!

    It took me a while to research and settle on what I wanted but I finally figured it out and got my pipes in September. 

    I've now joined the Wasatch & District grade 5 band and along with getting ready for our band competitions this year (2017) I am also getting ready for my first solo competition on the bagpipes in February. It's coming up so fast; it's only a few weeks away! Yikes, better get practicing!
     We'll see how it goes! 

-E