This video shows Scottish musicians Battlefield Band meeting an amazing Chinese musician and two dancers in Beijing whilst on tour in 2006. These artists are actually from a region in south-eastern China near the border with Vietnam. The musician played a number of wind instruments, most notably a leaf. Bagpiper Mike Katz was amazed: "This was astounding - Not just a note, he played an entire tune, lyrically and beautifully. We all had a shot at a leaf -- he had a whole bush of them -- and we were unanimously hopeless. But we did hammer him at table tennis..."
You can read more about this tour in the tour diaries section at www.battlefieldband.co.uk
I have never been to any place in China so devoid of people.
It's good to know that an instrument so foreign as the GHP was accepted with open arms in that region.
This vid answered a long-standing question about that particular sound in many Chinese folk songs. Now I know it's a leaf.
chinngis83 2 weeks ago
Great feelings wieving that!!
Alosnup 1 month ago
That Leaf was not in tune man!!! the E and the D where flat as as a cowpat!! and the second part of the tune was not pointed enough!!! *laugh* how the hjell do you learn to play a bastard leaf??? I can just picture the Clans going into battle and two Leaf players leading the charge!!! amazing but Im sticking to the Majestic Bagpipe and not a bloody piece of vegetation??? amazing all the same!! :O)
Bigirishcunt 2 years ago
Guys, you have to have such memories... Brilliant :)
buchtamakova 2 years ago
very good.
grof2 3 years ago
awesome !
celticgarrison 3 years ago
Cool stuff! I play the pipes myself and spent a year in China!
MattSteidl 3 years ago
so very very enjoyable! he plays leaves!
gataflacha 4 years ago