Ever heard of bagpipers in Louisiana French Music ? Someone told me that in the 1890's a Scotsman by the name of McAdam blew his pipes at funerals with Mr Bolden.
I myself play the pipes (three drones) and wish I could join you all, guys, for Mardee Graa.

Your friend

Blow Jaw

bagpipes
no
wle.

Who is mr Bolden???

He must've been the guy who played on something for everybody's funeral.

Several years ago the Alsatian heritage group from Castroville Texas sponsored a folk music group from Alsace, France, to play at the Texas Folklife Festival. The group consisted of a button accordion, a fiddle, a guitar, and a bagpipe. The bagpipe was not powered by lung power, but by a bellows pump held under the piper's armpit. He moved his elbow in and out to add air to the bag, then played on a chanter that looked like a penny-whistle. He said that type of pipe was only played in Alsace, and not anywhere else in France, Switzerland, or Germany. They sounded good, by the way. Lots of waltzes and jigs, etc.
JB

That would have been an uillean pipe, unless there's another type that does that. They are more palatable than bagpipes.

At Augusta festival, we are serenaded by a bagpipe troup one day out of the week. Not to everybody's taste.

Scottish small pipes and border pipes are also sometimes equppied with under arm bellows.

Bb, D, and A are common tunings for these various kinds of pipes. I think "MacDonald's Authentic Cajun Bagpipe Corps" is a non-starter, but I don't see why you couldn't learn a few tunes and find a few flexible folk to jam with.

I'm learning a couple of Cape Breton tunes on my D box...haven't tried them out on any Cape Bretoners yet...maybe if I wear a kilt

Technically, Uillean pipes are still bagpipes, cos they use a bag for a reservoir. Uillean just means elbow in Irish.

Every part of Europe seems to have had some kind of bagpipe. It would be odd if the early Acadians didn't take them from France.

BJ

All:

BJ is correct, it would be odd if the early settlers of l'Acadie arrived without bag pipes.

Take a look at the first website link above for more information from our own poster and Brave, Mr. Jim.

Peace,
Griff

Just had a look at Jim's site. Fascinating.
'Course, when you think about it - Bretons, Irish, Scots - all Celts. Natural that they're going to share more than linguistic connections.

BJ

I have talked to many old timers while studying the history of the cajun culture and music. Bagpips never came up in the subject. It sounds logical that it should have happeded but there is not record of it.

I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to Acadian history in Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada. I have never read about, seen pictures or heard about bagpipes of any kind within the context of Acadian history. Although several celtic & mediteranean cultures in Europe used some form of bagpipes, It is just not part of the Acadian culture at all, period, and it is not an instrument that is common in France either (our Braves on the old continent could probably concur to that). Over here in Canada, bagpipes are strongly associated with scotish & brittish cultures.

Having said that, a couple of year ago in Northern Italy (province of Veneto), and I saw a wonderful band called Calicanto (name of a fish) that played traditional folk music. Their music included among other things, a type of bouzouki, accordion a kind of bagpipe (see pics on their website above). I'd love to see that band again.
That was my two cents' worth.
Maz

And in the rest of continental europe, there are another 15 at least

Gus

Saw the website of the italian group. I already counted 4 different types of "mediterranian" and one irish pipe.

great stuff.

gus

Just watch the 1993 classic “A perfect word” with Kevin Costner , Clint Eastwood , there’s a scene in the movie where Costner describe how he grew up in a dime a dance *****house in New Orleans , then plays a song on a turn of the century Victoria that sounds like a old time Cajun waltz , only with Bagpipes instead of a accordion

I saw a bumber sticker that said An Accordion is Nothing but a Bagpipe with Pleats, so it must be true.

I still think that the anonymous poster of this thread, did it in a jocular way .

Claude.

I remember a character played by Kevin Costner in the film "A Perfect World" who put on an old "Creole" record that seemed to have bagpipes.

That was weird. Anyone remember?


Nick B.

Nick - I know that film, and for a long time I tried to find out about that track. In the end I had to concede it was a fiddle ( or two? ) . The waltz was called 'Big Fran's Baby'. Haven't a clue why. Strange title. It is credited to Clint Eastwood and his producer, whose name I forget. I did find out who was supposed to have recorded it. A well known Cajun name, but I've since forgotten who, but I tried to e-mail them about it and got no reply. I video'd the movie, and if you listen to it with fiddles in mind, you can begrudgingly accept it, but I was convinced it was pipes.

Credit must go to Eastwood for making a convincing 'cajun' tune, though. I guess they had to compose their own in case someone jumped up and claimed royalties on a traditional one.
They just spoilt it when they blended it into a big orchestral score at the end, as the credits went up.

I heard that perfect pitch was when you chuck the accordion in the dumpster and it lands on the banjo.

BJ

This is a fascinating conversation. My wife and I just watched "A Perfect World", and, besides being happy to have found a Clint Eastwood movie we both actually hadn't seen, I was delighted to hear that "old Creole record" "Big Fan's Baby", a fictional Cajun recording. The melody is by Eastwood and the credit for the arrangement and recording goes to Lennie Niehaus, who often worked with Eastwood on film scores.

Being a Celt myself (Welsh and a wee bit o Scottish), transplanted to America by way of Dad who came over in the 30s, I am also a composer (and recording artist). Bagpipes have always been one of my favorite instruments (Dad brought us kids to hear pipers more than once) so I loved hearing this arrangement. I give Niehaus credit for imagining this Eastwood melody to be sung by pipes. Asking a Cajun friend about the use of pipes in Cajun music, he said "the droning of fiddles and Cajun accordion may sound at times like pipes but they are not the common authentic instrument used by most Cajuns, alt5hough I did know one old timer who played one."

The French have several different type of pipes (bagpipes if you prefer that term). I saw a film on Brittany last summer at Celtic week at Swannanoa workshops. The accordions in that film looked like our Cajun accordion but were those from France.

I have heard of a Louisiana group called Celjun that was some mix of Celtic and Cajun muisc, but have not heard them in person.

For what its worth, I've been playing pipes (highland and uilleann) for the last 30 years are so. I prefer to stay with the tradations of a particular culture. If it Cajun music, I prefer to play on the accordion, if its Irish music, I play the uilleann pipes. Maz is right about the highland pipes as most consider it Scottish. But it can be the highlands of anywhere, Scotland, Ireland or North/South Carolina.

With all that said, the "Danse de Mardi Gras" sounds great played on the uilleann pipes. Would that offen anyone? I would not attempt the Port Author Two Step on the pipes. Perhaps there are some cross over tunes,but I think you would have to be very selective.

Thing is, there was a time when the accordion was looked at the same way, a foreign object not for cajun music. Luckily some kept it around anyway.

I'd like to hear someone play some samples just to see what it would sound like. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I heard the banjo playing cajun music.

One of my favorite sounds is Amazing Grace played on the pipes.

Q) What's the difference between a trampoline and bagpipes?

A) You take off your shoes when you jump on a trampoline.


Q) What do you call someone who knows how to play the bagpipes, but doesn't?

A) A gentleman.


(I should be careful, because I have heard these jokes applied to accordion as well)

A friend recently asked me if I knew what perfect pitch was. He said it's when you throw the accordion out the window and it lands in the dumpster.

Hal

an even better pitch would be if it landed in my lap.

David, as both a pipe (French cornemuse de centre and Cabrette) and a Cajun accordion player I like them all.
How about this one:

It is very difficult to play the bagpipe

It is a pity that it's not impossible...

Gus

Q)How does an accordion player dressed in suit begin every sentence?

A)"Yes, your honor."

The neigborhood I live in is really bad. Last evening I left my accordion in the back seat of the car. When I came out in the morning to start the car, my worst fears were realized. There were two more accordions and a bagpipe on the seat with my accordion.

Peace,
Griff

Where is that place ?
I want also two more accordions and a bagpipe.

Ron:

It's a little drinking village with a fishing problem on the west end of frozen lac Erie.

Peace,
Griff

PS:

Bagpiper said "Och aye laddie, I dinna want ya tae think I'm playin' by ear. I kin read music you know."

Symphonic musician said " reading music certainly isn't interfering with your playing."

Hwt's even worse than a bagpipe????

accordion?

No, 2 bagpipes

Gus