The pipes (and drums) call to Stony Creek couple

STONY CREEK | When Patty Dann first met her husband John on a blind date, she probably didn't imagine it would lead to her learning to play a snare drum let alone marching in parades with the Galloway Gaelic Pipes and Drums. But that's exactly what happened. Patty didn't say she fall for John Dann because he was a bagpiper, but it didn't hurt. She said she became fond of the sound of bagpipes as a child growing up in the Buffalo area. "We met, kind of, because of bagpiping," Patty said. John would play gigs at bars, and through a series of friends and working relationships, they were set up together on a blind date by Horicon Councilman Ken Higgins. That was between 10 and 11 years ago. Over the years, Patty began attending parades to watch and cheer for John and the rest of the Galloway Gaelic Pipes and Drums. Eventually, Patty became aware of the need for drummers in the band and she started to take an interest. "Mike Miller was the president (of Galloway Gaelic) and he said, 'We can hook you up with lessons,'" Patty said. "I was going to parades anyway, so I decided I would take lessons." Lessons were off again, on again until three years ago, when John got her lessons for her 50th birthday. Finally, last season, she performed in her first parade, keeping the beat along with the bass drum. John Dann said they are not the first couple to belong to Galloway Gaelic Pipes and Drums, which he described as being a "family band," with many of the members being related to someone else in the band; normally someone who passed along the tradition. Dann, 61, has lived in Stony Creek for almost 20 years. He said he began to learn to play the bagpipes about 28 years with Tara Pipe and Drums on Long Island. Although neither Irish nor Scottish, Dann said for some reason he was always attracted to the bagpipes. "My favorite part of any parade was when the bagpipes came through," he said. Then one day in his early 30s, he saw ad magazine ad for a beginning bagpipe kit. "I was looking through a boating magazine, of all things, and I saw this ad for a beginning bagpipe kit. You got a practice chanter (the flute part) with a bagpipe reed and a book, and I started with that," Dann said. Later he was talking with a friend who said Tara, out of Massapequa, was looking for students. The a couple weeks later, Dann was watching a parade when Tara came marching by. He spoke to members of the band and was invited to come to a meeting to see if it was something he might like to do. Now 35 or 36, he got his own set of bagpipes and the group provided him with an instructor. "It took me about a year to be on the street. Someone who is starting younger can progress quicker, but that's about average," Dann said. About 1995, Dann moved to Stony Creek and located two local bands, Adirondack Pipe and Drums, which he thinks has since disbanded, and Galloway Gaelic Pipe and Drums out of Glens Falls. Dann said he still has the bagpipes he started with, which cost him about $950, and which would probably cost $1,500 today. He said an individual can spend as much as $10,000 on a set of bagpipes. Dann is now on his third or fourth bag. Traditionally bagpipe bags are made of elk hide, but he prefers a Gore Tex-type fabric. The kilt is probably the second most expensive item in a bagpiper's gear, costing $500 to $600 for the real worsted wool; although cheaper varieties can he had. One other thing about playing bagpipes, Dann confirmed, is that there is no volume control on the pipes; although there are things one can do to quiet the sound. Otherwise, it can be a fairly loud instrument, having been designed to lead warriors into battle and be heard over the din of fighting. "The dogs and cats have gotten used to it," he said. The Galloway Gaelic Pipes and Drums are scheduled to play in the Chestertown St. Patrick's Day Parade, Saturday, March 17, starting at 1 p.m.

Signup for our newsletter

The pipes (and drums) call to Stony Creek couple

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS