“I honestly don’t know much about the rules,” Chao, 37, said. They have watched some of the matches on their phones, which they stow in their sporrans.

At least one piper tried to curl once and said it didn’t stick. Curling, for that matter, does not matter that much to them either. Still, they conceded, they did not pick up the instrument out of an interest in traditions of a faraway place. The group designed the logo stitched onto their uniforms, which includes the letters Y and S, representing the Chinese word for warrior - another homage to Scottish history. “It takes a lot of time,” he added, “to practice each piece over and over again.” The bagpipes, Zhang said, “require a strong lung.” He described the strength it takes to achieve the right sound - “controlling the air pressure in the bag, to be stable and unchanging.” “Like, when a bagpipe is broken, how do you fix it?”Īside from the technical difficulty, the Chinese pipers were also surprised by how physically demanding it could be. “I think the hardest part of learning bagpipes is mainly not knowing enough about the instrument,” Chao said. The band - with four pipers joined by two drummers, coming from a range of backgrounds that includes elementary schoolteachers and a freelance stage designer - have played together for a few years, just as curling competitions were starting to ramp up across China ahead of the Games. I think there’s a draw to that to all sorts of people.” “It takes me to a place where I can emote the experience, not just play the notes. “It’s the rhythm of a babbling brook, it’s the rhythm of a season, it’s the rhythm of a doe bouncing down the glen,” McLean said. Playing it offers a singular form of expression. Learning the instrument feels like solving a puzzle. The curiosity and hunger for a challenge that pulled in this group is familiar among pipers. “I know only a dozen people in China who can play this instrument,” said Chao Luomong, another of the pipers. “Loud and clear and penetrating,” as Zhang put it.īut bagpiping, it turns out, is a pursuit that has yet to find much of a toehold in China, meaning becoming one of those skilled hands is not easy. Pato is pleased when she is able to change people's minds about bagpipes.The pipers in Beijing said they were lured by a sound they found mesmerizing. She also has collaborated on more than 30 recordings as a guest artist, including the 2009 Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Crossover Album, 'Yo-Yo Ma and Friends: Songs of Joy and Peace.' Pato, who lives in New York City, has released six solo gaita albums and two as a pianist. Over the years, Pato has performed with jazz, classical and experimental artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Arturo O'Farril, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and Paquito D'Rivera. Because of that, sometimes it is difficult to control tuning.'

Also, weather conditions and dryness affect the instrument a lot. You can't afford to make a mistake because you will hear it.

'And it really does not have a dynamic look. 'Like any other instrument, it takes patience and practice,' Pato said. What they did, I wanted to do.'īut playing the gaita takes some persistence. 'I am the youngest of four sisters, who played bagpipes. 'My father was an accordion player,' she said.

Female bagpipe player