I've observed that pipers (NSP, BP, GHP, whatever) who come from a classical background have a "blind spot" in their hearing when it comes to drone music. I don't know if my observation is correct, and recognize its potential for appearing inflammatory or prejudicial. I certainly don't mean offense. I do think that growing up playing a drone instrument does allow the piper to hear certain subtleties that someone who grew up with a tempered scale and classical or even Rock and Roll chordal progressions might not be able to hear. People with years of music theory and academic expertise in music have tried to convince me that such and such doesn't work, or that my pipes are "out of tune". I spent a lot of time and energy trying to correct the problem, because we all know musicians with lots of schooling and degrees know more than I do, a mere piper. But my gut and my ear tell me, they just don't hear the harmonics or the matching of the "out of tune" notes with the drones. It could be that I simply like the play between the wah-wah and the perfectly synched that is part and parcel of drone music, and they don't. What are your considered thoughts on the matter, please, my esteemed colleagues? John --
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