The wonderful thing about music is that we don't have to understand anything about it to love it. I can't read music or play any instrument, but I love all types of music. I've found an interesting article with many lovely sounding videos of musicians playing the Irish Uilleann Pipe. Writer, Swisstoons, or Tom, is better known for his cartoon illustrations, but he has given us something different to appreciate on this page entitled "Traditional Irish Uilleann Pipes - Best Celtic Music on YouTube".
The Uilleann pipe is a traditional Irish bagpipe that is played using a bellows under the arm and on the wrist. There is no need to blow into the instrument as you see Scottish bagpipe players do. Among the videos posted, Tom says that his favorite is of piper, Jim Carroll who plays an old Irish song entitled, "One Starry Night". That performance was taped in the man's own living room. And what a performance! Another video with music by Davy Spillane, shows the Ireland countryside with some interesting footage of men cutting and stacking blocks of peat. If you are homesick for Ireland, be sure to watch that one, and you'll feel even worse!
Tom explains that playing the Uilleann pipes takes years of practice and beginners learn to play on a simplified version of the pipes. It is quite a talent to be able to master them. Tom mixes his love for the pipe music with his humorous side in his questionnaire asking the reader if he's a fan of the Uilleann pipes. The first choice in the answer section is,
"If someone twisted my arm I would probably sound either like the Highland Pipes or the Uilleann Pipes and I don't like the sound of either!"
But no one has yet chosen that answer, and the readers of his page will no doubt appreciate the music he's chosen to share with us.
Visit: Traditional Irish Uilleann Pipes - Best Celtic Music On YouTube
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