What is sad, is that I cannot share my beauty with you
 

Beauty is the unique melody.

But people have different ideas about what melodies are truly unique.

Beauty is the color unexpected.

But maybe I am not so visually-oriented, and I overlook the beauty of the color you present.

Beauty is the purity of desire.

But everyone has baggage in the way of their desire.

Maybe we can just admit we all share joy in beauty, and not concentrate so much on what beauty means.

From the opening of Straight Man, by Richard Russo.

I totally agree with that Rich. I get my sophistication and deeper meaning from books. I do just go to the cinema to be entertained. I will appreciate deep and meaningful films, but in my top ten films are Ghostbusters and Clueless.

But I am a hypocrite of course, I would laugh up my sleeve at someone who listed a Virginia Andrews book in their top ten books.

UT you are right of course. But I just exposed my inability to live by the common sense suggestion you made.

I read a lot of 'trashy' sci-fi and fantasy novels and and I read a lot of very 'good' novels, also including sci-fi and fantasy. I read them to be entertained, to be moved, to connect or be distracted, to experience a journey. In all but the worst books I can find something of worth. Storytelling is never pointless. Movies I watch for equally diverse reasons. I watch films that have been crafted by artists and am in awe at their beauty. I watch terrible, terrible horror movies and am thrilled by their shocks, or amused by their games. Storytelling is never pointless.

Stories, to me, are some of the most beautiful things that humanity has created. The very idea of storytelling thrills me. Fiction as a concept is fascinating and beautiful.

Interesting. I thought sharing beauty was a paramount feature in living a quality life or experiencing any quality time to be had?

When I make beauty, it is perforce shared with all the world. Only a certain fraction of it actually appreciates bagpipe music, but that fraction is quite large enough to keep me occupied.

In the visual arts rather than the lively arts, show me something I couldn't do without spending some time learning how to, and show me things that are beautiful to contemplate. A lot of modern art should be designated with air quotes.

Personally, I think The Rowan Tree is one of the nicest bagpipe pieces I have heard. I also like Amazing Grace, although that has been overplayed.

Rowan Tree is nice; it's one of the simpler pieces -- iirc it's in Volume One of the College of Piping's tutor series. Amazing Grace is the very simplest, for the only part in the tune you have to pay a bit of attention to is to avoid making a "crossing noise" between D and E on the chanter -- a baby kind of mistake if it happens. Amazing is one of the two tunes no piper should be let out in public without; the other is Scotland the Brave, which also makes a pretty good test tune in a way Amazing G does not, as the piper who can play StB without any fudging has reached an acceptable standard of play.

I'd plump for, oh, The Dark Island among slow airs -- it shows off the quality of your "birls." Dream Valley of Glendaruel is very lovely with some pipers in the band playing "seconds," a harmonizing line. Likewise, and perhaps easier to find, Highland Cathedral. Haunting and lovely.

Among the fast stuff, maybe The Black Bear -- the only pipe piece with a vocal part. Makes you want to fix bayonets, go over the top and beat the foe like a drum.

hi i am looking for some info on the music the black bear i have just found some paperwork in my great grandfathers papers regards this piece of pipe music it say that he wrote it when in the army many years ago and its from the rca record label saying that he has no rights to any royalties from it his name was Macdonald any info please let me know many thanks
gordonmacdonald@ntlworld.com

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who like bagpipes and those who don't.

Welcome to the Cellar, Gordon, do you pipe?

Here's some Star Wars for UG.