My poor ears….
Drenthe is the province of peace, space, nature and, increasingly technology. Soon it could also become known for its bagpipe ‘music’. The Groningen Clan MacBeth Pipeband cannot practice in its own club building due to the Coronavirus, and social distancing regulations, but luckily for residents in Groningen, Drenthe has enough space and has offered several outdoor practice locations, the Asser Courant reports.
“We have been in many different places, from Groningen to Valthermond,” says pipe sergeant Robert van Straten. Last weekend, he and four other bagpipers played at the transferium in Gieten. “We have also been once in the City Park in Groningen, but also in Gasselte. And on request we play at residential care centers”, says Van Straten.
The bagpipes are a musical instrument that use air squashed from a bag to play variously-toned reeds. They exist in various guises in many cultures around the world, but are perhaps most famously known as a symbol of Scotland. For some, they are entrancing, but for many they sound like someone that has swallowed a duck-call falling down stairs.