pipeTUNES - anywhere FOR ANY OCCASION
Neil's bagpipes usually travel with him. These short videos have been taken spontaneously as he has travelled and played all round the country and overseas - often in beautiful places
A magical moment on one of France's most iconic and historic canals - the Canal du Midi. Our on-board friend - a trained singer - began to sing with the pipes, and as she did a flock of ducks began to skim a lovely stretch of water in front of the barge - taking off and landing repeatedly in a perfect choreography. We were on a barge trip and Neil had been playing his pipes for appreciative lock-keepers and tourists up and down the canal for several weeks. This was our final day on the Canal and this short segment of video starts with a lock-keeper clapping her appreciation but moves into Amazing Grace.
France and Scotland have had historic connections and many Brits come to France to holiday. It's not surprising then that the bagpipes were a hit as we nosed our way along more than 200 kms of canal. This reception at Beziers was typical.
It's fitting that the bagpipes should get an airing in this beautiful spot in the McKenzie Country, named after a Scotsman.
A 250-year old traditional pipetune called "Not the Swan on the Lake"seemed appropriate to play here. There were no swans in this case - only a shag!!
Probably the first time this place or these islanders had ever seen or heard the bagpipes. They went with us on a 2 week trip to these remote Pacific islands recently as part of our luggage - which was limited to 10kg per person. The pipes were disassembled - as far as possible and travelled in a plastic bag done up with a bungee cord.
A spontaneous invitation to kilt up and play in the lounge of the iconic Chateau Tongariro - once NZ's foremost luxury restaurant and hotel and gateway to the volcanic plateau beyond. (The chateau is now temporarily closed.)
We found a remote southern beach with the same name as the piper. Of course had to stop and play there
Seeing how the bagpipes sound in one of NZ's remotest areas - under the arches in a huge limestone cave in Westland
We were in a lock on a barge on the Canal du Midi when a boat with a dog on pulled alongside. Neil began to play his pipes and the dog - after seeming a bit disconcerted - began to accompany the pipes. It became so funny Neil couldn't continue playing. Excuse the hoots of laughter from the videographer.
Capestang on the Canal du Midi has an old Gothic church which is now a national Monument but still a centre of worship. Neil asked if he could play his pipes (Amazing Grace) inside and was enthusiastically invited to do so.
This piece was composed on September 10, 2022 at the time of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, England's longest reigning monarch. The strains of the UK National Anthem are mingled with a lament and tribute. Played in our back garden.
The Travelling Piper on a bitterly cold, clear day at the end of summer on the top of Lindis Pass, South Island. Neither pipes nor fingers enjoy these sorts of temperatures but it always draws applause
The Travelling Piper pulls more bagpipe tunes out of his hat at New Zealand scenic spots. This is in Otago - a Scottish hinterland in NZ. The tune also plays against some video of a bike ride we took along Lake Dunstan.