Bagpipe Student Drowns Out Critics

All the music majors at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh practice side by side in small rehearsal rooms, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports in this week's Assignment America. That is, all but one. They make Nick Hudson practice in the basement of a whole other building.

Such is the life of America's only college bagpipe major.

Nick is a sophomore on Carnegie Mellon's bagpipe scholarship. The school offers it ever year, but Nick is one of the few to ever actually take it.

"There's something about the sound. You either love it or you hate it," he says.

Needless to say, it takes a confident kid to do this — or a lazy one.

"It's only nine notes," Nick says. "It's all about how you play those nine notes."

Plus, there are other classes like "Bagpipe History" and "Bagpipe Theory."

His teacher is three-time world bagpipe champion Alasdair Gillies, who says it's actually a pretty hard degree — which is one reason there aren't more kids taking it.

So what do you do with a bagpipe major?

Gillies says you can teach and play at weddings and funerals, but you're never going to be driving your pipes around in a Jaguar. Nick knows that, and still could care less. He's determined to stick with it at Carnegie Mellon, whether students like it or not.

Mostly not.

Nick, who's considered one of the top bagpipe players on the East Coast, is playing outside, as students pack up to leave.

"Wow, I just can't take this," one student says.

[thegreenink]

Is Steve Hartman the son of Rome Hartman, the executive producer for CBS evening news? If so, that would better define the word "lazy" and maybe a bit of nepotism. How ignorant to believe that it is easy to play such an instrument. Maybe the next segment, he can play the pipes for all of us!

[deity15]

very cool. the pipes rock so hard. too bad the mainstream doesn't have a musical clue.

[skirler]

CBS and Steve Hartman missed boat on this one. Bagpipes aren't laughable as you inferred. (Reflect back your your emotion-evoking Sunday Morning News 9-11 segment two weeks ago.) Pipes are a complicated instrument that produces a unique sound that speaks to the soul of many - myself included. Bagpipes can be played only by dedicated musicians who spend years practicing in an attempt to master an instument which can be very humbling. This young man cannot be "lazy" and play the pipes. In the footage with his (well-known in piping world)instructor, the young man was preparing to play ancient, classical bagpipe music known as Piobaireachd - which music is mesmerizing and haunting. I'm sorry CBS missed the opportunity to expose and educate viewers to this serious and pure form of music.
Skirler

[linfinster]

I too am disappointed that this story ended up in the strange catagory. I enjoy the sound of bagpipes, am of Scottish decent and think this piece was probably not given the proper placement BECAUSE it was so brief and not more indepth. Could have been so much better. D-

[dfmachell]

This story was offered as a comedy. As a bagpiper I realize the performance of this instrument is a great and ancient artform. This story upset me. It would have been helpful to know that Nick was majoring in music and simply focusing on an early musical instrument, just like students would play recorders or keyless flutes while studying the musical history and theory.
On September 11th, this instrument spoke for countless people all around the world in such unique and beautiful sounds which could only be spoken by this unique and wonderful instrument. Nick and the bagpipes deserved better then this distasteful production.

[janer543]

Re Assignment America--all of the music majors at Carnegie Mellon may practice side by side--they also obviously voted for this story. It is of no interest at all to anyone else. I would have preferred to see the story about dance hosts on cruise ships.

[luckyjack2]

I know it's old-fashioned and quaint to expect people reporting the news to be journalists and have some command of English. Steve, you said "Nick could care less." The correct phrase for the meaning you implied is "Nick *couldn't* care less."

[pipemajor2]

What a disappointing piece of journalism! Mr. Hartman presents young Mr. Hudson as some kind of freak who enjoys playing a musical instrument which every other student at Carnegie Mellon hates?

There is no country on this planet where interest in the great highland bagpipe is higher - not even Scotland which is the birthplace of the great highland pipe but not the generic bagpipe.

In fact, I *do* know someone who drives his bagpipes around in a Jaguar. Mr. Bob Wallace of Tacoma, Washington - a distant relative of William Wallace does just that. He and his wife Rosemary were featured in WalMart's holiday season commercials last year.

If you want a great history of piping in the USA, get a DVD of Highland Classic's "When the Pipers Play". It has been shown on many PBS channels as well as the History channel.

I guess I'll stick to watching public and cable programming from now on...