Open Forum in The Villages, Florida

The Sound of Scotland in Florida: John Mistler on Bagpipe Culture

• Mike Roth • Season 6 • Episode 36

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The Sound of Scotland in Florida: John Mistler on Bagpipe Culture

In this episode of the Open Forum podcast based in The Villages, Florida, host Mike Roth shines a spotlight on local clubs and noteworthy residents. The featured guest is John Misler, an instructor for the bagpipe band known as 'The Sounds of Scotland Pipes and Drums.' Misler shares his journey into the world of bagpipes, which began in 1999 and evolved into his role as a teacher. He breaks down the learning process, starting with the practice chanter, discusses different types of bagpipes, and provides insights into the courses offered through the Enrichment Academy. The conversation also delves into the history, techniques, and international variations of bagpipes.

 John Mistler is a  Retired Fire Captain from Atlantic City Fire Department in New Jersey.  Introduced to the bagpipe by Captain Norman Wilson and received instruction from Pipe Major Joseph Stearn . Formed the ACFD Sand Pipers in 2000 with the goal of creating a band to pay homage to public safety and military members that pay the ultimate price by performing at “Line of Duty” Funeral Ceremony’s.  

Elected to the position of Pipe Major of the ACFD Sand Pipers in NJ around 2010 and continued receiving instruction from the “Balmoral School of Piping” in East Strausberg, Pa.  

Relocated to The Villages in 2021 and lives in the village of Buttonwood.  Happily joining the “The Sounds of Scotland Pipes and Drums” in the Villages.  Currently serving as an instructor and Pipe Seargent of the band under the leadership of Pipe Major Scott Broaderick.  Serving as lead instructor with the “Enrichment Academy of the Villages.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Open Forum Podcast

01:42 Meet John Misler: The Bagpipe Enthusiast

02:27 Learning the Bagpipes: Techniques and History

04:19 The Global Journey of Bagpipes

08:58 Teaching Bagpipes at The Villages

13:15 Semester Overview and Practice Sessions

13:51 Alzheimer's Disease Insights with Dr. Craig Curtis

15:14 Bagpipe Concerts and Popular Tunes

17:09 Learning and Playing the Bagpipes

18:04 Women in Bagpiping

18:47 Bagpipe Competitions and Young Talent

21:50 Bagpipe Equipment and Maintenance

24:29 Electronic Bagpipes and Practice Techniques

26:56 Final Thoughts and Contact Information



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Open Forum in The Villages, Florida is Produced & Directed by Mike Roth
A new episode will be released most Fridays at 9 AM
Direct all questions and comments to mike@rothvoice.com

If you know a Villager who should appear on the show, please contact us at: mike@rothvoice.com

Emily:

Welcome to the Open Forum in The Villages, Florida. In this show, we talk to leaders of clubs and interesting folks who live here in The Villages. To get perspectives of what is happening here in The Villages Florida, we are a listener supported podcast. There will be shout outs for supporters in episodes.

Mike Roth:

This is Mike Roth. Listeners, I'm thrilled to share with you this podcast, which is my passion project for you. This podcast brings you knowledge, inspiration, and a lot of things that people need to know about The Villages and the people living here. Be sure to hit the follow button to get the newest episode each week. Creating this podcast is a labor of love. Even though it demands more time, I can easily spare. Now, here's where you come in. You can help us keep the podcast alive and thriving. How? By becoming a supporter. The easy way for you to support us is to visit our podcast webpage open forum in The Villages florida.com, and click on the supporter button at the top of the page. Or the purple supporter box. Even a small donation of three to $10 a month makes a big difference, and you can cancel your subscription at any time. Your support means the world to us. Stay curious, stay inspired, and keep those headphones on. I hope everyone enjoys today's show. /This is Mike Roth on Open Forum in The Villages, Florida. I'm here today with John Misler. John, thanks for joining me.

John Mistler:

Thank you.

Mike Roth:

John and I met when we were getting ready for an Enrichment Academy trade show.

John Mistler:

Sitting at my weed table and you came rolling by.

Mike Roth:

That's right. I stopped when I noticed that John was carrying a set of bagpipes.

John Mistler:

You don't see that every day, do you?

Mike Roth:

No. You don't see that every day. Did the Enrichment Academy actually have a course in how to play the bagpipes?

John Mistler:

And the answer to that is yes. I'm a member of the local village's bagpipe band called The Sounds of Scotland Pipes and Drums. And I am one of their instructors. We have three or four guys that'll help people out. And recently our lead instructor was having some health issues and he needed to take a little break And they asked somebody to volunteer and everybody stepped back and left me standing up. It turned out to be me.

Mike Roth:

How long have you been playing the bagpipes?

John Mistler:

Probably around 1999, 2000 is when I first picked up the practice chanter, which is how you begin to learn to play.

Mike Roth:

A practice Chanter, tell everyone what that is.

John Mistler:

Yeah. It's a small musical instrument that has the same configuration of the actual bagpipe. And you learn the play on that instrument and learn the fingering technique That you will eventually transfer over to the actual highland bagpipe that we play normally.

Mike Roth:

Okay.

John Mistler:

it sounds like it's similar to a recorder young kids play in school.

Mike Roth:

Is that what you brought

John Mistler:

I brought one my practice chancer and an electric bagpipe with me, just in case you wanted to demonstrate any of the sounds that come out without blowing up the actual instrument.

Mike Roth:

Sure. Let's hear what the, beginners tool sounds like Okay.

John Mistler:

It's, similar to a recorder where you blow into this one. And there's a reed inside the instrument creates a buzz. And you play the notes of the bagpipe. For instance, there's only nine notes on the instrument of the bagpipe.

Mike Roth:

Only

John Mistler:

Nine notes.

Mike Roth:

Demonstrate. we've got 10 fingers, so

John Mistler:

There's one that doesn't get used. one is ignored. So I'm gonna play the scale of the bagpipe right now. And that's what it is. you learn how to hold it, how your fingers work on it, there's a technique that you want a traditional way of doing it. We try not to use our fingertips You use more of the middle parts of your finger,

Mike Roth:

the middle parts of your finger.

John Mistler:

Which covers the bottom holes on the right hand holes. The top holes is closer to the fingertips, It's just an interesting technique. Most people pick it up and try playing it with their fingertips, which I guess can be done. But it's not the traditional way of playing it. your instructor will probably try to break you of that habit. Get you back, straightening your fingers out a bit.

Mike Roth:

Okay. I guess that's the way it looks, when you?

John Mistler:

Yes. It's the way it looks and there's reasons for it. I was taught that way. I try to teach students the way I was taught.

Mike Roth:

how long ago was the bagpipes invented?

John Mistler:

Everybody thinks the bagpipes from Scotland or they're from Ireland.

Mike Roth:

That's right. I think about 'em,

John Mistler:

They're from northern Africa, actually.

Mike Roth:

Northern Africa.

John Mistler:

Back in the days where they were, tending to herds of sheep Trying to occupy their time, they played an instrument that had a bag, a blow stick, and. A chanter that created the notes, the melody. when the Romans conquered everybody, and then went back into Europe, they carried this instrument with 'em. Depending on where it went. In Europe, it evolved into a slightly different instrument different areas. Scotland is the one we are used to seeing with the three drones that go over the

Mike Roth:

But the bag of air,

John Mistler:

bag of air is similar in all the instruments.

Mike Roth:

There are instruments all over Europe with bags of air.

John Mistler:

Yeah. there's a glacier area of Spain has a really awesome instrument. I love the way it sounds. Germany, has one of course Scotland Yeah. All over the place. There's slightly different looking and slightly different sounding. They have the chanter, the part that makes the melody keyed differently. In different areas. What they liked, however, they liked the sound

Mike Roth:

Did the other instruments also have the three pipes out of the bag

John Mistler:

Not all the Irish had an instrument they called the war pipe, so it only had two drones out over the shoulder where the Scottish had three. The other instruments, like Germany has three, I think on their drones and Spain, Galatia Spain has three, but they don't lay over your shoulder. They kinda lay across the chest. Just, slightly different instruments

Mike Roth:

As a bagpipe player, can you turn the drones on or off, or are they always on?

John Mistler:

They're always on. If you're playing correctly the instrument itself has four reads in it that you're playing at the same time. There's one in each one of the drones that go over your shoulder and there's one that comes out that plays the melody.

Mike Roth:

Yeah. And It's always the same note on all the bagpipes for those three drones.

John Mistler:

The Scottish Highland bagpipe has two tenor drones, two shorter ones. And one base drone. The long one has a base sound, and it should create a chord if they're tuned properly, which also creates a chord with the notes that you're playing out of the chanter. If you hear a well tuned. Good bagpiper. It's really beautiful music, people who hate the bagpipes have probably heard them play outta tune, and maybe by not such a good player. So getting back to the actual instrument it's one that takes time to learn. For me, everybody's different, but my rule of thumb is for an adult learner, it's about a year to learn to play. So yeah, the average adult learner takes about a year. So you're on this practice instrument. My rule of thumb is if you can memorize 10 tunes that you can play on your practice instrument, then it's time to look into the actual bagpipe. cause that's learning all over again. Now you have to balance the thing. Fill up the bag with the air. Blow the appropriate amount of pressure into the bag, And create sound that's pleasant.

Mike Roth:

So when you're finished playing a song, is there a valve that you turn to get the air out of the bag?

John Mistler:

You release your arm off of the bag quickly. And the pressure goes away. The reeds stop vibrating.

Mike Roth:

Ah, okay.

John Mistler:

Which is a technique that you need to learn when you're learning to play the pipes.

Mike Roth:

What's the first song you teach people?

John Mistler:

We try to keep things pretty simple. There's one of the tunes in most of the bagpipe books that you learn on. It's called Scott's Hay which is written by Robbie Burns, I believe. I don't know if he wrote the actual music, but he put the words to it Back in the 17 hundreds. So it's a fairly simple song to play and it's one of the first ones we teach then, we move on. There's a couple of progressions that you try to do with the pipes where you're learning more and more of the technique Of the instrument and notations. then we get you on Amazing Grace once you can play Amazing Grace, you're hooked. We're gonna put you in the live well 'cause you're gonna keep going. everybody wants to play Amazing Grace.

Mike Roth:

How many notes are there in Amazing Grace,

John Mistler:

I never counted, but there's nine.

Mike Roth:

If It's more than nine.

John Mistler:

it's not on the bagpipe.

Mike Roth:

Yeah. So you cut all the songs down to nine notes basically.

John Mistler:

And that's one of the challenges of the instrument because, it's a very old instrument. And the music for the bagpipe is quite old, and what we play today is considered the light music. So sometimes you have to adapt the arrangement to fit the range of the bagpipe. So you may be listening to a tune that you're familiar with and it just doesn't sound like it went to the right note. It might be because he had to drop the octave, Because we don't have that note on the bagpipe.

Mike Roth:

There's no way to Move up an octave.

John Mistler:

No, not on this particular instrument Now there are other instruments that are bagpipes that have keys like a clarinet and they have a larger range of notes that you can play. But not on this kind. It's a very old, ancient instrument that's played the same way as it was played many years ago, only with newer material that they make the pipes out of in their reeds and things.

Mike Roth:

You're teaching, a course. In the Enrichment academ. Yes. This is not the first time you've taught it.

John Mistler:

It is for me 'cause I'm fairly new to the band. But I've taught others back in New Jersey where I learned how to play. Over the years I had my own group of students that would come and go,

Mike Roth:

How many players do we have in the bagpipe Band here in The Villages?

John Mistler:

I think if we have a good turnout, we'll probably get 12 or 13 Pipers. Another eight. Or so drummers to have the full compliment.

Mike Roth:

And when should someone figure that they're gonna need to buy a set of bagpipes?

John Mistler:

When you've been practicing on this practice chanter my rule of thumb is you can play eight or 10 tunes while you're watching the news and getting distracted. it's time to start. On the real instrument. Start hunting for the real bagpipes and start learning how to play that thing. 'cause it's like wrestling an octopus in the beginning 'cause it's just very awkward feeling. Up on your shoulder. You don't know how to tip your, body to keep it from falling off and blowing hard enough to make the reeds play. It takes a bit.

Mike Roth:

And What a set of bagpipes cost?

John Mistler:

They do make bagpipes now that are completely made out of plastic, which is called poly panco. you can probably get a set of those in the $900 range. Traditionally the bagpipes are made of wood. usually African blackwood or maybe coca bola which is very dense, hard wood. Those pipes are probably gonna run you anywhere between 1500 and $2,000, depending on how much ornamentation you put on the pipes The bling doesn't make 'em play any better. It just makes 'em pretty, it's nice to play a pretty set of pipes. But it's the piper that makes 'em sound great. Not the ornamentation that's on the bagpipe,

Mike Roth:

Do people ever sell them used Yes. Can you find 'em Up on eBay?

John Mistler:

Usually when you get a used set of pipes, you have to replace some things like the bag itself.

Mike Roth:

Because

John Mistler:

you don't want whoever's cooties are in that bag to infect you when you start playing them. And maybe the mouthpiece that you put your mouth on, things like that would have to be replaced, which would bring the cost up of a used set of bagpipes closer to buying new.

Mike Roth:

Is that mouthpiece replaceable?

John Mistler:

I clamp it in my teeth when I'm playing. Okay. So I chew through 'em every now and then, but they can be replaced.

Mike Roth:

And tell us about the class that you're teaching. How many sessions is it? How long is each session?

John Mistler:

The Enrichment Academy helps us with this. they will set up the schedule. We have basically a spring, summer semester. And then a fall and winter semester. The spring semester just started in April. The summer semester, starts in July and goes to maybe the 11th of September. It's a nominal fee through the Enrichment Academy if you're interested in starting. we don't charge anything on our end for somebody who wants to come in a student. We just help 'em when we can. So

Mike Roth:

So you give them the instrument?

John Mistler:

They have to purchase their own equipment.

Mike Roth:

if they wanted to purchase what did you call that?

John Mistler:

The Practice chanter.

Mike Roth:

practice chant.

John Mistler:

If you get one that's plastic, poly pinco, it's about a hundred dollars investment for the chanter.

Mike Roth:

Book

John Mistler:

and the read that goes inside that makes the squeaky noise. it's around a hundred dollars investment. Sometimes you can get 'em a little less than that, sometimes a little bit more depends on what you order.

Mike Roth:

And how much is the cost

John Mistler:

it's like $25 for the semester.

Mike Roth:

And how many times

John Mistler:

We meet once a week.

Mike Roth:

Once a week

John Mistler:

At the Saddlebrook. Rec center, which is out by the polo fields.

Mike Roth:

Yeah.

John Mistler:

On Thursday nights, students will come in around five o'clock and stay till maybe six the band will sit down around the table and start practicing whatever tunes that they're working on, and then pipe up after that, like maybe six 30. We actually, pull out the bagpipes and play the actual instrument.

Mike Roth:

I'm confused. You said band? The band, What's the difference between the band.

John Mistler:

The students will come and they'll be one-on-one instruction

Mike Roth:

with the student.

John Mistler:

And we'll practice whatever tune the pipe major is trying to get us to work on and to learn.

Mike Roth:

all the members of the band at that segment are gonna be using The practice chanter And then everyone in the band, which is all bagpipes,

John Mistler:

And there's drummers, but they're usually sitting on their own table, working on their own things, like the drum scores

Mike Roth:

So that then you switch over to. You don't take that very same cantor and put it on a bagpipe?

John Mistler:

No. it has the same fingering as what's on the actual bagpipe but it's connected to the bag and the whole nine yards, and we'll practice together with the pipers and the drummers

Mike Roth:

So everyone's gotta stand up when you're holding a bagpipe.

John Mistler:

Usually. You could play sitting down if you had to, most people prefer to play standing up 'cause they're trying to run away from the sound.

Mike Roth:

So it's every week.

John Mistler:

week.

Mike Roth:

Six months.

John Mistler:

So we're about one or two weeks into the new semester now, so we'll continue. And I don't think there's any breaks this year. Usually like in between the spring and the summer, there might be a week that we're not out there. But this year seems to be every week it goes straight through

Mike Roth:

when everyone is practicing together. Are you practicing that indoors or outdoors? Really?

John Mistler:

Is quite loud in the rec center.

Mike Roth:

A lot of echo.

John Mistler:

I'm sure the poor lady that works the desk in the lobby will attest to that, that it's pretty loud.

Mike Roth:

She's getting a, noise canceling headset.

John Mistler:

Every now and then she opens the door and comes in and listens. I keep asking her, what's wrong with But yeah it's usually fun it's a fun night for everybody.

Mike Roth:

Good. Let's take a short break and listen to an Alzheimer's tip from Dr. Craig Curtis.

Dr. Craig Curtis:

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Warren:

disease. With over 20 years of experience studying brain health, Dr. Curtis's goal is to educate the village's community on how to live a longer, healthier life. To learn more, visit his website:

Warren:

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Mike Roth:

Okay. I'm back with John Mistler and we're talking about bagpipes. John, if you guys were gonna do a bagpipe concert. Do you do something like that here in the

John Mistler:

We get asked sometimes by The Villages entertainment folks to do stuff at different events on the square, like tree lightings. Heritage Day. St. Patty's Day, of course. We play at the different squares every year it seems to be a different one sometimes we play for the veterans organizations at Veterans Park up in Spanish Springs. Memorial Day, veterans Day, that sort of thing.

Mike Roth:

what are the four or five most famous bagpipe songs that you guys play?

John Mistler:

We like to play our military branch tunes and patriotic tunes like God Bless America and America the Beautiful on the bagpipes, the most recognizable tune is probably Amazing, Grace. You play that a lot at funerals. And such. And then the other most popular song probably is called Scotland The Brave. It's when everybody has heard before it used to be the theme for, old Spice, That's Scotland brave.

Mike Roth:

Okay.

John Mistler:

And on St. Patty's Day we changed that to, the Irishman's toaster because, I don't wanna say anything. It's a Scottish tune that we're playing on St. Patty's dad. We, that's a joke. Most people are like very cool about all that. But then there are people that don't like the Irish tunes and there's people that don't like the Scottish And they'll tell you the ones that have opinions that are that strong, they'll tell you, don't play that Irish stuff. Okay.

Mike Roth:

A lot of us Don't know the difference.

John Mistler:

It all sounds like screaming cats, don't call the SPCA. Cats are being harmed.

Mike Roth:

When I was in the rotary in Cincinnati we had a police appreciation day, and it always started with the Cincinnati police forces bagpipe band. Marching in playing the pipes. Going up on stage doing a number.

John Mistler:

Yeah.

Mike Roth:

So that was real

John Mistler:

There's something about it that makes the hair on my neck stand up.

Mike Roth:

The hair on net, the sound

John Mistler:

Of the pipes. It's inspiring for me. Now, other people, maybe not so much, but for me that's inspiring. years ago when I was a firefighter in Atlantic City, New Jersey You get transferred around different stations. I got transferred into a station where there was a fellow that was learning to play. he approached me and said would you like to learn? I said I've always liked it. Never thought about learning it, but I'll give it a go. He started helping me along and pretty soon, a year later. I was up on the bagpipes actually playing. we had two guys on the fire department in Atlantic City that could play the pipes a little bit, So we said two people makes a band, what are we gonna call ourselves? he came up with the name Sandpipers. 'cause we were on the beach, like the little wee birdie

Mike Roth:

Little bird.

John Mistler:

the, so we just changed from one long world to two words, Sand and Pipers. We separated and that band now. They expand and contract. Over the years we get more and more pipers and guys leave it was up to 19 or 20 pipers at the time and maybe 10 to 15 drummers when I left New Jersey. And that was four years ago. Yeah, there. We had very successful group. Great guys.

Mike Roth:

Do women ever learn to play the bagpipes?

John Mistler:

I would never discourage a woman, 'cause women usually have very great dexterity in their fingers. And some of the best pipers in the world are female pipers. So yeah, I would never discourage a lady from picking it up. Now it does take a bit of physical effort, to. Hold it, balance it, squeeze it. The pressure, blow the air into it. It does take some physical effort, but it's not something that you can't be, accomplished. If you're a female, just practice,

Mike Roth:

So here are The Villages. Are there any female pipers? Yes,

John Mistler:

We have a couple. One was with us and then she left recently. We have another that's, a snowbird that comes back and forth. Lori, I think her name is so she's a female piper. I used to play with a band down in Mount Dora that has a couple very good female pipers in the band.

Mike Roth:

Are there any local or national band competitions in bag piping?

John Mistler:

Funny you asked that. when I was going down to play with the band in Mount Dora, the reason was they had a competition group and they would enter. local competitions in Florida, sometimes outside the state, maybe like in Georgia and they've gotten to be pretty good. The last competition they entered this year they've been having a good year. They've been becoming in first place a lot in the grade level that they compete in. in band competitions, there's grade levels from five up to one, five being. The least accomplished, Grade one being the most accomplished. there's a band down in Dunedin that was grade one slash grade two. They go back and forth between the top levels, they're fantastic players and they got young kids that go to school there in Dunedin that play the pipes. It's a feeder program that feeds into the big band. There were always tough competition, these kids. you walk in and there's a 12-year-old kid ripping through these tunes and it sounds terrific, but they got young fingers and empty sponges for a brain. I like to say my sponge is pretty full.

Mike Roth:

It's true that children learn faster.

John Mistler:

They do it. when I was in New Jersey, I got a phone call from, the mother of a youngster that was interested in learning to play. he was about 12 years old at the time, this was around Christmas. she told me that her son had been teaching himself how to play the bagpipe since the summer. And that's usually not such a good thing. 'cause you pick up bad habits and it's hard to break a habit, I told her to bring him in and I'd be happy to help him out, This young fellow comes walking in, handsome young boy with a cap on, with a little badge on the side. He couldn't look anymore Scottish, but he was Italian. His last name was Voda, V-O-T-T-A. And I say to him do you have your practice Chanter? Let's see how you're doing. I'd like to listen to you and see, if I can help you. And he says I do, but I can't find my read that goes in the thing. And I'm thinking. 12-year-old kid, but he came out with a big case. What's in the case? He said, my bagpipes. I said, you already got your bagpipes? He goes, yeah, can you play them? He says, yeah. Okay. Let's see what you got to take 'em out, pull 'em, put 'em together. He fired up and started playing some songs. My jaw hit the floor. His musicality was right on the money. He was just a natural. The only thing he didn't do is there's traditional ways of playing some of the, embellishments on our instrument, He was making up his embellishments 'cause he heard it on the recording somewhere. That sounded similar. So I said listen, I just gotta take you back to the beginning to show you the traditional way to do these embellishments. And this kid has just taken off. We would come back every week to practice. Not only had he learned what I showed him the week before, then some we'd be circled up playing a tune. as a group on the pipes and drums, and somebody would be playing harmony to the song. and I'm looking and it's the kid. I finally said to him, listen Joe, I gotta find you another instructor, a high level instructor. 'Cause you've got a huge upside. I'm just gonna ruin you if I keep working with you. So I found him a fella in the north of New Jersey. Who played with a band called Scottish Power, a world class band. this guy took Joe and got him going into competitions and every competition he would enter, he would win First place. Now he's competing at grade one, the top level.

Mike Roth:

Wow.

John Mistler:

He's 25 now. He's like a real stud.

Mike Roth:

How much does a set of bagpipes weigh.

John Mistler:

I never put mine on the scale. I'd have to say four or five pounds maybe.

Mike Roth:

These three pipes are held together with rope.

John Mistler:

It's called a cord. they're held together, so they stay in a specific position so that when they're in tune, it creates a umbrella of sound, that you're trying to achieve, if they're tuned correctly.

Mike Roth:

And the bag Pipers own more than one bagpipe.

John Mistler:

I do. But not everyone, I bought a second set not long ago Our pipe major only because I need mine to be repaired. For some reason it goes off to the shop. I'd have something to play as a backup, but I haven't really played 'em that often, to be honest they've been sitting in the

Mike Roth:

So there's such a thing as a bagpipe repair shop.

John Mistler:

Yeah there's pipe makers, believe it or not. when I was living in New Jersey, there was a fella in Toms River, Who was a bagpipe maker. And he was also a silversmith for Tiffany. So he did all the fancy bling that's on the pipes and stuff like that. I went and saw him and ordered my pipes through him. He has now relocated to South Carolina, so if my pipes need repair, closer. They're gonna go to South Carolina.

Mike Roth:

So when someone joins they have to buy a uniform.

John Mistler:

Yeah. That's many of the bands up north, the bigger bands will supply a lot of the uniforms. Sounds of Scotland will supply some of the uniform parts, like your shirt. The socks you wear, it's called hose But the kilt itself is your room. So if they decide to leave the band, you don't have to chase 'em down for their kilt,

Mike Roth:

And the bling that people wear in the band, is that band specific or is that each guy or a lady in the band picks out their own bling?

John Mistler:

If you're in a band, you wanna look uniform with all the other players. Now there are days like St. Patty's Day that people will wear beads and fun stuff, but as a rule, we try to keep. Everybody looking the same to, look like a unit,

Mike Roth:

what's the most unusual song you've played on the bagpipe?

John Mistler:

Oh I've played Puck Be's Cannon in d Working on a Na Osborne set, with a crazy train and a couple other tunes.

Mike Roth:

Obviously.

John Mistler:

There is traditional music for the bagpipe. It's called pra. It means great music. It was written many years ago. Usually as a way of communicating with the clan, They wrote songs about battles or somebody's passing, like a lament It's like a meditation for me. It's not really melodic, it's like a series of notes. most people. Don't care for it, Pipers do. Oddly enough.

Mike Roth:

Can people actually learn how to play the pipes on YouTube?

John Mistler:

I don't see why not. It depends on how much time you put in, It's all about your practice time. If you can do 15 to 20 minutes a day every day, you'll get it.

Mike Roth:

So you brought along the electric? Yeah. Does that have a sound that people can hear Yeah, actually I have to plug it into earphones.

John Mistler:

I have earphones for it 'cause I'm practicing on my own. But I also have a little wee remote speaker that I can plug into the thing. Just happen to have it in my pocket. That was Scotland the brave.

Mike Roth:

You don't have to blow into that electronic one.

John Mistler:

That's what's great about this thing because you can practice all day long and you never get stupid lipped.

Mike Roth:

I play the Same thing on the air one. We actually have to blow into it. Yes. Because that. that's a fantastic little, Toy.

John Mistler:

And it comes with a metronome built in. So if you're practicing you can listen to the click and, get your timing down

Mike Roth:

And there's no air on that.

John Mistler:

No. It's just all electric. this particular one is made in Germany,

Mike Roth:

A digger. So it's got two sensors on the backside. Is that the same as the two holes on the backside of the cantor?

John Mistler:

There's only one hole on that one. The second sensor on the back is the on-off switch, so that's why I can flip it on, flip it off quick, okay. But yeah, other than that, it's set up the same fingering spacing idea as on the actual

Mike Roth:

Okay. Let's see what the actual instrument will do with it.

John Mistler:

Alright.

Mike Roth:

Don't know if we'll put 'em into the final recording,

John Mistler:

Any requests? Do you wanna hear a particular tune?

Mike Roth:

Frank Sinatra's, New York.

John Mistler:

I don't have that don't have that one, Amazing Grace?

Mike Roth:

Amazing Grace is good. Everyone's to hear that.

John Mistler:

Those notes that are in the music. I'm not just playing melody. Some of them are like bubbly sounding Those are called embellishments, and that's some of the technique that you need to learn as you grow in your. Education of playing the actual instrument.

Mike Roth:

So John, if someone wants to learn more about your course and get ahold of you, how do they do that?

John Mistler:

The easiest way to get ahold of me personally is via my email. It would be J-M-I-S-T, first, four letters of my last name,1 1 0 0 @ Comcast.Net.

Mike Roth:

Hey, thanks for joining us today,

John Mistler:

Mike, it was my pleasure. Thank you.

Mike Roth:

Great.

Emily:

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