October 2023
Time to make: 2.5 hours
Finishing: 1 hour
Original design: Bill Macfarlane
An instrument of War? Perhaps if one was to consider the ruling by the Judge in the case of James Reid. Mr. Reid was a piper at the battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746), which was the last battle of the Jacobite rising. He claimed he was not a combatant in the battle since he had not fought . The Judge ruled bagpipes were an instrument of war because Scottish armies always had pipers in battle. He was found guilty and put to death.
In 1996 David Brooks was cited for playing an instrument in Hampstead Heath (do to an old law prohibiting it). Mr. Brooks defense was that he was not playing an instrument but instead was practicing with a weapon of war citing the 1746 ruling. While the Judge found Mr. Brooks argument humorous, he ruled that bagpipes were indeed an instrument and not a deadly weapon of war.
To my knowledge and research I may be the first to have created a neckerchief slide representing bagpipes. The body was carved from maple and the drones, blowspipe, and chanter were carved from a small dowel. The bag was made from cloth ribbon glued to the body. The drones, great and tenor, were painted with hobby paints (as well as the blowspipe and chanter) then glued to the body. A piece of red string make up the drone cord and was glued in place. A very cool slide!
