How do you tell a bad bagpiper to stop playing?

[hospitaller]

bottom line is... 'nunya'

nunya business if someone plays well or lousy.

to his ears he/she is the cat's meow, and truth be told, everyone started playing any instrument, fairly badly, that's how people get better.

if you like it, say so, if you don't...keep walking.

[Iain Robb]

It could also be that he was practicing. There aren't exactly a lot of places besides the public to practice the pipes. And the only way a bad piper can become a good piper is practice.

Every time my daughter (a good piper) practices outside, even though she's tuning her drones as she warms up and playing scales and stopping and starting, people stop to listen.

[McELT]

I'll echo the sentiments that say, "You don't."

I'd even go as far to say that some encouragement, pointing out the one or two good things you may have picked up on, would go a lot further than being negative by asking the player to stop.

Would you approach a person who was lustily singing off key and ask them to stop?

[Nighthawk]

My two cents as a bad piper- it may be someone like me who has only been playing for half a year, and is practicing. I don't have pipes yet- only a chanter- but when I do get my pipes... am I really supposed to practice in my house? Better to have complete strangers hate me than my family...

[Keith A]

Iv been taking lessons from a man who has been playing for the better part of the last 50 + years. He is also the lead instructor, for the NYPD pipe band. He has a rule that he will never tell a piper that they are a bad piper, because it takes time to learn and it is very easy to wreck the confidence of a person. So he will just give advice on how to play better. So it comes down to a simple thing if your not up there doing it you don't have a leg to stand on. And as all of our mothers have taught us if you don't have some thing nice to say don't say anything at all.

[pipesndrumsnun]

Quite honestly, you'd be lucky not to get punched in the nose! Just like your mama always said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"... I totally agree with Keith A.!

[george7]

A bad piper probably won't be able to continue their playing for more than five minutes at a time... survive it. As for the piper: don't play in public until you're ready. Play simple tunes. Bad pipers have a tendency of ruining it for the rest of us.

[isantop]

While I have no experience with the pipes, I do play violin, and I can tell you that many musicians wouldn't mind constructive criticism. As long as you can tell them something that will help.

Good EX:
Person: I noticed you have a tendency to go flat on your fourth finger. Try to angle your arm to keep it stretched.

Violinist: Thanks! I'll try that.

BAD EX:
Person: You stink, could you be quiet?

Violinist: Get a life, I'm better than you!

[SteveB]

I am of the opinion to not say anything, unless I were well enough trained, to point out the better part of the piper's performance. I do not know the circumstance of the "public" nature of this performance. I also do not know the piper's intent. I and many others in this area of the city, know that there is a nice clearing in the Stony Brook Reservation, that is a comfortable place to make noise away from ones neighbours. Many aspiring musicians bring their instruments, or vocal chords to the clearing to make sound. I have brought my practice chanter there on many occasions to get in some time without annoying my spouse or my neighbours. During one of my trips through there last summer, a very talented violinist was playing a very wonderful piece and then played a round of noise that sent the squirrels running. As both of us were walking out together and know each other fairly well, I asked what the piece was that was played. She chuckled and said it was her release, and it was an intentional selection that is intended to sound real bad as part of an upcoming performance. She also gave me a few jabs about the squawks that came from my chanter.

I have also made the mistake of assuming I knew the tune the musician was performing "poorly" only to find that the tune was something else that was really being performed quite well.

I have my GHBs in my bank account. Until the chanter is mastered by the standards of my instructor, the GHBs remain in the bank.
Slainte

[Jack Daw]

bottom line is... 'nunya'

nunya business if someone plays well or lousy.

to his ears he/she is the cat's meow, and truth be told, everyone started playing any instrument, fairly badly, that's how people get better.

if you like it, say so, if you don't...keep walking.

When I was a fledgling piper, I piped outdoors, but not in a public place that would have engendered an audience.