I can hear high pitched sounds, above the normal Human range - when younger I could hear bats and 'silent' dog whistles.

I can still hear many harmonics which instrumentalists are unaware of, so avoid many accordion players and most bagpipers.

I realised I would have to pass by a fellow playing the Scottish bagpipes a month or so ago, and was pleased to realise that the pipes were not only in tune at normal frequencies but they were not producing the high pitched off notes which give me the sensations of pain and distress.

The sound still made my blood run hot though.

I would have liked to stop and find out if the piper also had an extended range of hearing, or had used electronics to achieve the tuning, but I was not alone and my companion has no interest in such things.

The sound of out of tune bagpipes I can stand for a few seconds, just about but to be working somewhere with a piper tootling away and be unable to escape the sound would bring out homicidal thoughts before very long.

I take ear defenders to most musical venues, just in case.

This might have been a case of the police using protective custody after a threat from an agonised member of his captive audience.

Anne the Pleater