During man’s time on earth, he has managed to create many instruments, some are majestic and wonderful that then there are some that are just not cool.  Take the ukulele for instance; can you really take anyone seriously who is holding a ukulele?  What about the cow bell?  Have you ever met anyone who could say with a straight face, “I have been seriously studying cow bell playing for quite some time now”?  I played the violin for a few years in grade school, it is impossible to be a cool guy and play the violin.  (By the way- what did my violin and a lawsuit have in common? Everyone was happy when the case was closed!)  Then there is the accordion – half a keyboard on one side and random buttons on the other with bellows in between.

Yet, as un-cool as those are, none can come close to bagpipes.  One can only speculate as to why they were invented in the first place and why they are not buried in the dust bin of history.  A few bagpipe questions for you to ponder:

Is it true that bagpipers walk when they play to get away from the noise?

Is it true that the difference between a bagpipe and an onion is that no one cries when you chop up a bagpipe?

I heard that playing a bagpipe is kind of like throwing a javelin blindfolded, with either you don’t have to be very good to get people’s attention.

Is it true that the difference between a lawnmower and a bagpipe is that you can tune the lawnmower and the owner’s neighbors are upset if you borrow the lawnmower and don’t return it.

Do you know how can you tell if a bagpipe is out of tune? Someone is blowing into it.

I heard that the definition of a gentleman is someone who knows how to play the bagpipe and doesn’t.

You know there is one sound worse than a bagpipe, we just have not figured out what it is yet.

Thought for the Week

“I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the man-made object never equaled the purity of sound achieved by the pig.” ~ Alfred Hitchcock