Joe Shannon - Uillean Bagpipes

Irish Bagpipes

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Irish
• Uillean
• Bagpipes
• Folk
• International
• Celtic

[piobairesicago]

mighty piping by Joe. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam

[zyxwvut4591]

@seanthepiper

Thanks; I must admit that I never knew what the actual percentages are for each of the respective chiralities. I'm glad that you decided to come online and share your breakdown with all of us.

[seanthepiper]

@zyxwvu14591

70% of the population is Right Handed with a dominate Left Hemisphere of the Brain. 25 % is Right Brain Dominate and Left Handed.

5% of the population is Ambidextrous, so both Hands and Hemispheres

of the Brain, are equal. Source: Julian Jaynes

"The Origin of Consciousness in the Bicameral Mind"

[zyxwvut4591]

@seanthepiper

I first met Joe about 35 years ago, at which time he recounted the provenance of the set of pipes that he played, and the story of how he arrived at his hand positioning on the chanter. I had quite a number of nice visits with Joe in the 1970s and '80s. Whether a person is biologically left- or right-handed, if s/he plays the pipes with the right hand on top, then on the pipes, that person is a southpaw.

[MrJohnered]

Genius

[seanthepiper]

In regard to Joe being left handed, well No, he told me that he picked up the whistle in his youth, and with no one to tell him where his dominant hand should go, Joe placed his RIGHT HAND on the top notes of the Whistle. When he took up the Pipes, he carried through with the same Hand Position, so he played a "Left-Handed" set of (Prof. Beatty's) Taylor Pipes, seen here.

Thus, those tight, upper hand Tripletts.

I had great a visit with him one day in 2003.

Thanks to Jim Maguire.

RIP JOE

[WhiteSox095]

that is my grandfather.

[zyxwvut4591]

Thanks. It is wonderful to see and hear the great southpaw in action, from the good old days of in-home Irish trad. By the way, does anyone have video or sound/film footage of Joe and Johnny from Pipefest 1980 and/or 1981? If so, I would love to see it posted on YouTube. I have audio recordings only, of those performances. In the meantime, thanks again for this clip.

[Citternalia]

This is the man who played for Francis O'Neill at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933! Great to see and hear him on video.

[Legertymusic]

Oh WOW. What a treat! It was hearing recordings of Joe years ago that got me playing the pipes. I never got to meet him or hear him play live before he passed away. Thanks so much for posting this!