Dumb mistakes you've made as a piper

[piperdown]

Last year our band was playing a show down in Washington State. I was standing beside the PM and he cut off the pipe corps at one repeat instead of two(Amazing grace of all tunes). I was oblivious to his change as I was right beside him and proudly kept on playing after everyone stopped.
The look he gave me still sends chills up and down my spine.
I felt pretty foolish!!!!

[george7]

Last year our band was playing a show down in Washington State. I was standing beside the PM and he cut off the pipe corps at one repeat instead of two(Amazing grace of all tunes). I was oblivious to his change as I was right beside him and proudly kept on playing after everyone stopped.
The look he gave me still sends chills up and down my spine.
I felt pretty foolish!!!!

My current pipe band plays America the Beautiful, but when they get to the end they slow way down. Nobody mentioned this to me. Since we only had five or six pipers at that gig, it was VERY OBVIOUS that I played the ending at tempo and held the last note out to keep my drones up.

[piperdown]

My current pipe band plays America the Beautiful, but when they get to the end they slow way down. Nobody mentioned this to me. Since we only had five or six pipers at that gig, it was VERY OBVIOUS that I played the ending at tempo and held the last note out to keep my drones up.

I know exactly what you mean....those few seconds it took as I was frantically trying to squeeze the air out, felt like an eternity!!!!

[BagpiperDon]

I'd have to say that my biggest mistake -- and lesson -- was agreeing to complete a particular job I had been approached to perform.

Rather wealthy folks contacted me about a year in advance of their daughter's wedding, which was nice to have as much advance notice. They made a special performance request, which was okay as I like to try new things and aim to accommodate. Then they proceeded to be a major pain in my pleats for the next X-#-of-months leading up to the gig largely around their special request -- manipulations, bullheadedness, and 1/2 their bleepin' family contacting me toward making the arrangements ... all for a few lousy hundred bucks.

In the end, they had a wedding 2Xs larger & more-expensive than anything I've seen 1st-hand before or since. When I was done no-tip (which I don't ever expect, but I went the extra 10mi's & they had the dough) no-thankyou (simple courtesy) but I did get a cold-shoulder to go out the door.

The great lesson...
I learned from this experience not to take every performance, some requests you need to respectfully decline, if a prospective client is being excessively crappy to you before the performance they're going to be worse on the day-of, and in the end you don't make enough off your fees for all this to be worth-your-while.
If your gut tells you not to take the job, don't take the job.

[cajuncelt]

I must be the "small bus" piper of the bunch. I've too much to list.
I have forgotten my chanter.
Carved up so many chanter reeds it's unreal.
Broken my chanter by stepping on it.
The list goes on (and on).

[BagpiperDon]

cajuncelt, this might be one of those 'don't ask/don't tell' sort of things

[cajuncelt]

cajuncelt, this might be one of those 'don't ask/don't tell' sort of things

Lol. Definitely. I revealed VERY little of the dumb piping stuff I've pulled.

[BagpiperDon]

Lol. Definitely. I revealed VERY little of the dumb piping stuff I've pulled.

Depending on who I'm with -- that is, if they can laugh with me -- I'll talk. But more than this sort of material, I think about the screwed-up humorous stuff I've encountered -- might compile a book on that some day, or maybe make a website that GHB'ers can post to ... if its a book of personal accounts I already know the title.

[SteveB]

Not even a Piper yet, and already pulled off a good dumb one.
On Sundays I teach a religious education group of 1st and 2nd grade students. I have obtained pipe score for many of the hymns used in the children's services. On Sunday I usually take along my poly practice chanter, and play whilst my pupils sing. I get in some practice and they are delighted to be the only class that has an instrumental accompaniment. I have just started learning to tune my drones and the huff and squeeze with a Tiger Woods chanter reed. I have been corking the drones and goosing my pipe chanter for some learning, but had not tried both the drones and the chanter and tune all together.
A recent Sunday was a group event with a small march of the students in their Samhain (Halloween) costumes. Knowing that my Blackwood practice chanter and heavy reed carry a large presence, I would bring it on this day. It usually lives in my Pipe bag. So come Sunday morning I rush out the door with my pipe bag and head to Church. As it is about time to start the march, I open my pipe bag to discover that I had left the practice chanter at home, and had only the GHB. I stepped out to the parking lot and tuned the pipes and chanter. I then led the RE students on the march from the Parish Hall to the Church and through the sanctuary on the full pipes, just waiting for some novel sound to erupt from my novice playing. I made it all the way back to the Parish Hall before my first squeek. I found out the easy way that you do not have to be long going under a door jamb top have the bass drone cut out. That is my first time playing the full pipes.

I now leave a bright red paper clamp on the pipe case strap when the practice chanter is not in it.

[Jack Daw]

I went into the comp circle wearing my tennies. I didn't realize I still had them on until we went up to the line! As I recall, there were a couple of remarks on the scoresheets (like "Nice shoes!"), but we still placed pretty well - I don't think it counted against us.

You're lucky. I know one judge who would have taken off points for that because when I first started I asked about Highland dress for competitions.