Irish eyes are smiling
Holland’s Gary Guth invites aspiring musicians of all ages to attend ‘Bagpipes for Beginners’
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
It was the end of his first day at Helix Charter High School in San Diego, California, and sophomore Gary Guth was taking a seemingly innocent walk home. Recently moved to the area because of his father’s department store manager position with May Company, Guth was nonchalantly observing his new surroundings during his stroll.
That is, until he heard the sound.
“I had no idea what it was,” Guth recalled. “So I went to find this sound that I heard, and here was this bagpipe band, probably seven pipers and some drummers.”
After inquiring with the instructor, Guth, who had been playing piano since the age of 6, learned that a bagpipe consists of only nine notes with no sharps or flats.
“I thought, wow, how hard could that be? So I signed up and I’ve been playing ever since,” he said.
Currently 62 years old with more than 1,900 gigs under his belt, the Holland resident is both a professional bagpiper and instructor, teaching students of all ages, skill levels and health conditions. On Monday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. at Yardley United Methodist Church, 300 Yardley-Langhorne Road, Guth hosts “Bagpipes for Beginners,” an ongoing clinic that educates anyone with an interest on how to play the instrument.
For some time, Guth has witnessed a surprising need in the area for a program like this. Not only did experienced musicians crave a space to play, but beginners wanted someone to teach them. Many of the latter were husbands of Bucks County Women’s Chorus members, which Guth’s wife Pat is the founder of.
“So I’m thinking, there’s probably a lot of people out there that bought a practice chanter at one time, but haven’t done anything about it yet,” he said. “It’s sitting in their underwear drawer waiting for the day that their kids go off to college, and now they have time to do something.”
According to Guth, people from all walks of life are invited to attend “Bagpipes for Beginners,” which costs $15 per week. While some pipe bands discriminate against older people, he welcomes them with open arms.
“I’ll teach anybody that’s coherent from 8 to 80,” he said. “I kind of joke with people. If you have arthritis or emphysema, this will be very difficult for you. But you should know the first seven letters of the alphabet and be able to count to four, and if everybody can do that, then we can go somewhere with this.”
One 72-year-old student, whom Guth began teaching two years ago over Skype, was on a CPAP machine and suffering from severe breathing problems.
“I said, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to kill this guy.’ But two years later, he looks remarkable,” Guth said. “It’s because he’s getting inhalation therapy from blowing the practice chanter. What he likes are the hymns, so I’ve arranged 64 hymns for the bagpipe.”
Another of Guth’s students, who began taking lessons from him at the age of 10, has autism. He’s now almost 30, and continues to hone his bagpipe skills.
While a number of pupils have gone onto bigger and better things, with one currently playing in the Carnegie Mellon University Pipe Band, the majority are adults looking to pick up a new hobby. Guth stressed that “Bagpipes for Beginners” requires virtually no prior experience.
“Somebody coming in at the bottom can climb their way to the top,” he said. “Playing a musical instrument is a habit, and so it’s teaching these adults how to form a new habit. But what I’ve found is that the busiest people are the ones that get this done because they know how to manage time, and they know how to manage their schedule to make sure they get the practicing in. This is something that you have to do every day because playing the bagpipe demands a lot of physicality.”
In addition to running “Bagpipes for Beginners,” Guth offers one-on-one lessons to students across the country through Skype, and at his Symphony Studios, 3474 Coventry Place in Holland. He also performs at more than 150 weddings, funerals and parties annually.
“The majority of the people that I play for are the Irish, because it was the Irish who actually made playing at funerals, especially with fire and police, popular,” he explained.
Though Guth hasn’t had a full pipe band in eight years, he’s not opposed to the possibility of performing at local events with interested “Bagpipes for Beginners” attendees. But until that day comes, Guth is perfectly content simply sharing his expertise with those who wish to learn.
“I’m very lucky. I’m 62 years old, I’ve been in business for 22 years. I was the man at 40 who thought he was going to die right away, so I pulled out all the stops and said I was going to do something that I want to do,” he said. “I’ve had some great students over the years. It’s not that they’re all going to be real fantastic bagpipers, but doing this has changed their lives. It’s given them goals and a project to do, and I think if people are getting that out of the work I do, that’s a great benefit.”
Just as his wife Pat created a welcoming environment for female singers in the Women’s Chorus, Guth hopes to do the same through his clinic.
“When I started in the Helix Pipe Band in 1972, I met people along the way that I’m still communicating with on Facebook 46 years later. That’s because this is a community,” he said. “And so, I’m looking to create a community in this area of like minded people. They’re going to know these people for the rest of their lives.” ••
For more information on “Bagpipes for Beginners,” visit bagpipelessons.net/bagpipe-clinic.html
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
