Who Do You Consider the Your Favorite Piper and Why?

KDMARTINKY · Post by **KDMARTINKY** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 10:51 am

I have been building my collection CD's featuring UPs piping and listened to a lot of them lastnight. It was very difficult to single out of the ones I was listening to, who I would be tempted to say was the best....they all sounded great to me. But I do know that I love the "40 years of Irish piping" by Seamus Ennis and I tend to listen to him more often than the rest.

Question: Who do you consider to be the your favorite piper of all time and why?

Thanks

BigDavy · Post by **BigDavy** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:11 am

Hi KDMARTINKY

You have set a question that is impossible to answer. How do you adequately define greatest relating to piping.

If you said who is your favourite piper then I can answer it - Fred Morrison, because he plays like a demon on GHB border pipes UPs and whistle.

David

texasbagpiper · Post by **texasbagpiper** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:12 am

I second that.... Fred Morrison

KAD · Post by **KAD** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:59 am

Hard to choose just one, I'd say.

Mick O'Brien. He makes that swing sound so natural and easy. (Then you sit down and try it yourself and -- whoops! not so easy! How does he do it?)

Brian McNamara. Amazing level of detail.

Benedict Koehler, who doesn't have a CD, :cry: but who IMHO has no equal for pure musicianship, color, and tone.

Of the older fellows I favor Willie Clancy, again for swing.

KAD

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:02 pm

KDM, please stop and consider before posting questions like this. Who can say they've listened to every piper? Who can say they are qualified to give an opinion? How many times has this question been asked on this forum before, and what were the responses then?

And more importantly - why are you asking this question in the first place? Are you asking who you should be listening to in order to learn from? Listen to them all! You will find that everyone has their own personal style, their own personal take on each tune, their own capabilities. Even if you don't care for some particular piper's style, they probably have something important to teach you.

Don't limit yourself at such an early point in your learning. You're not going to sound like any of the great pipers in the first two months of your development, or the first two years, as far as that goes. Take it all in. Let's see what comes out 21 years from now.

djm

NicoMoreno · Post by **NicoMoreno** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:04 pm

Are you asking us to name the most favorite (ie the one who most people like the most) piper of all time? Isn't that the same as asking who the most popular piper of all time is? And if that's what you are indeed asking, it is still an impossible question. (And, frankly, kind of pointless. Just because a lot of people like him doesn't make him the best. Look at some politicians)

If on the other hand you are actually trying to ask who our personal favorite is, then that is answerable.

Jan Erik · Post by **Jan Erik** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:07 pm

My "fave" is William Fung.

Why? --- He Bangs!

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:26 pm

Jan Erik wrote:My "fave" is William Fung.

Never heard of him, so he can't be any good.

(see what I mean?)

djm

Bill Reeder · Post by **Bill Reeder** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:16 pm

My, my! I couldn't begin to name my favorite piper - I admire a lot of them for various reasons. To name "The" favorite piper seems to imply that there is some kind of universal consensus of opinion and when did that ever happen among pipers?

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:27 pm

The Pipers du jour for me currently are:

Brian MacNamara,
Mick O'Brien
Ronan Browne
Willie Clancy
Johnny Doran
Tommy Reck
David Power and Tommy Martin.

This isn't necessarily the order in which they are favored. My 'fave' list keeps growing and changing. To date, no pipers have fallen out of faith with my tastes... truth be known, I don't think that could ever happen.

ausdag · Post by **ausdag** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:47 pm

My favourite piper is me, of course. But who do I draw most inspiration from? None other than Willie Clancy.

Cheers,

DavidG

Bill Reeder · Post by **Bill Reeder** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:12 pm

ausdag wrote:My favourite piper is me, of course. But who do I draw most inspiration from? None other than Willie Clancy.

Cheers,

DavidG

Well, that's what I really wanted to write about myself. Good day, bad day, I'd rather be playing than listening if the truth be told.

For the record though, I'm also inspired by McNamara, O'Brien, Ronan Browne, Liam O'Flynn and Jerry O'Sullivan. And I'd like to be more inspired by Jimmy O'Brien-Moran if he'd ever do another recording. For inexplicable reasons, Paddy Keenan has fallen off my list. I find that mildly surprising. No more self-examination and introspection for me.

KDMARTINKY · Post by **KDMARTINKY** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:32 pm

djm:

why are you asking this question in the first place?

I am wanting this question to help me identify two things:
1) Which piper is considered the favorite by consensus and
2) To identify the pipers I haven't heard of so I may by chance get a listen to see what I am missing.

Thanks

The Sporting Pitchfork · Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:46 pm

Screw that Clapton bloke, Fred Morrison is God.

Mick O'Brien, Robbie Hannan, and Paddy Keenan would all be eligible for minor forest- or water-deity status, however...

myrddinemrys · Post by **myrddinemrys** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 10:23 pm

Joseph Smith

what a legend

Actually my favorite is Troy Donockley. (sorry, Joseph)

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