first time kilted in 2 months

[OC Richard]

The 15th and 16th of February were our first Highland Games and pipe band contest of the year. Naturally I spent all weekend kilted.

Little did any of us in the band know at the time that it would be our last.

The next weekend I had a funeral to pipe at. Cancelled.

The next weekend after that were the Phoenix Highland Games. Cancelled.

The next weekend was the one leading up to St Patrick's Day. There were gigs on the 12th, 14th, 15th, and 17th, all cancelled but one, the small house party on the 17th I've been doing for 20 years, one of four gigs I was to do that day. (The house-party gig is solo and non-kilted.)

And so it went through April, gig after gig, funerals and weddings and the Bakersfield Games and the Las Vegas Games all cancelled.

Imagine how nice it felt, sad though the occasion was, to pipe at a funeral today. It was the first time I had put on kilts, and the first time I had played the pipes, since February 16th.

(The kilt still fit, despite the stay-at-home-spread. The only mishap was putting on one of my socks inside out.)

[Father Bill]

Im glad it fit, OC; you know, Panda bears eat 12 hours a day. Thats why this is called a Pandemic.

[OC Richard]

Thanks!

But man, putting on one sock inside out... what a rookie mistake! And 45 years in kilts!

At least everything fit, and my pipes worked. I briefly blew both sets the day before, and both were none the worse for two months of inactivity. (I take both sets to every gig, an heir and a spare, just in case there's a mechanical malfunction.)

[tripleblessed]

I have managed sartorial errors even without kilts involved. So, no worries! To add an ounce of prevention, I wear my kilts more often.
Even with our current situation, I have continued my bluegrass jams. I have a couple of times been the only musician, but I have some folk
who rely on the music for well-being, and being even older than me (in their 80s and 90s), have lost most of their friends. Human connection
is one of the main ways of strengthening the immune system. Music is another. We social distance, and I use wipes on the the car, my
glasses, my pick, etc., and wash thoroughly. My main musical support in the effort is a physician/medical professor who is asked several times
a year to come to Washington to speak at the White House, NIH or testify for hearings. One of his specialties is wellness, the other, addictions.
We are informed and careful.

[OC Richard]

Cool that your bluegrass jams have continued.

Our local Irish jam sessions haven't been happening since mid-March. They've gone online, which is cool because people from all over the world can drop in to just listen, or participate.

Our Pipe Band has been doing its rehearsals through Zoom and it works great. Not that we have anything to rehearse for, all the Highland Games have been cancelled.

[tripleblessed]

I've sat in on some business Zooms, but not any music ones. How well does that work? It seems like there would be a bit of lag. With conversation,
no problem with needing synchronization; with music, it would seem there would be a slight lag with each node needing to process and route. And
with so many home, our neighborhood has fits and starts because so many kids are gaming.

[OC Richard]

You're right, Zoom has too much delay to work for a music jam session.

For a Pipe Corps rehearsal it's perfect, because in a Pipe Corps your job is to imitate the playing of the Pipe Major as exactly as possible. So during the Zoom meeting the Pipe Major plays and the pipers at home play along.

For us pipers it's like each of us is playing a duet with the PM. It's better than an actual rehearsal because we can clearly hear him and hear if we're matching him or not. There's not the distraction of having a dozen other pipers all around you.

I've not participated yet in an Irish session on Zoom. I hear that it's just like our Pipe Band does, there's a session leader and everyone at home is playing a duet with him/her.

[imrichmond]

I scheduled a pipe band practice for today, the first since mid-March. We normally practice in a school, but, of course, all our schools have been closed since mid-March. This practice was to be outdoors at the rural home of a couple of band members. There we had room to park an appropriate distance from each other, then form a larger than usual circle in order to maintain required social distancing. The band members were all excited at this prospect after two months of inactivity for the band. Alas, it has rained all day.

[OC Richard]

We are in discussions to start outdoor rehearsals.

Not difficult with the pipes to maintain distancing!

Maybe in a couple weeks? But honestly the Zoom thing is working very well. I feel that I'm more locked in with the Pipe Major than I was before.

Our Zoom sessions are on "chanters & pads". And that's what's missing, the pure joy of getting the sheep in your armpit and pouring out the wall of sound.

My favourite thing in pipe banding is composing, playing, and hearing the harmonies. That's another huge thing I'm missing. Playing harmonies in a practice chanter duet with the PM is well and good but it's nothing like having a dozen pipers.

[imrichmond]

I've been giving lessons to my learners using Zoom with one and Skype with others. Haven't tried this for a band practice yet, but if our next scheduled outdoor practice doesn't go because of our highly changeable weather, I'll have to try it.