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To: sionnsar; Tax-chick; rottndog; Monkey Face
"Methinks that's a Scotty. But it's time to get ready for church... big day today. And LoM will be playing her harp."

More likely a "West Highland White" Terrier, like my "Chasing the Dark" Mandy.

By the way, Sionnsar, Happy Birthday! ( -- but isn't your playing of the bagpipes and LoM's playing of the flute the equivalent of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus"?

1,492 posted on 03/23/2008 9:22:42 AM PDT by NicknamedBob ( ... I'm tuning in Tomorrow! ...)
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To: NicknamedBob
-- but isn't your playing of the bagpipes and LoM's playing of the flute the equivalent of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus"?

Harp, NnBob, harp! And yes it is, and it's a very old tradition.

You see, once upon a time it was the harpist who held favour with the clan chieftain. And before the battles the harpists would play, singing of the victory to come while the men of the clan just stood around in the morning chill wishing the old **** would hurry up and finish so they could get on with it.

It took a while (perhaps the arrival of the bagpipe, which is not native to the British Isles though it certainly flourished there, living on when many others have either already become extinct or are on their way to becoming so), but eventually someone got the bright idea of using a musical instrument loud enough that *everyone* could hear. This really encouraged the clansmen -- no longer would they have to sit around in silence waiting for the word, they had something to focus on while they waited. (Perhaps the torments they'd reciprocate on the piper after the battle?)

In any event, the bagpipe soon edged out the harp as the instrument of choice -- the chieftains all had their pipers, leaving the harpists to the life of itinerant entertainers.

The harpists have never forgotten their fall from grace, and that is why to this day you'll never hear bagpipe/harp duets.

*\;-)

1,506 posted on 03/23/2008 1:20:18 PM PDT by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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