Both have some Scottish ancestry and had an interest in bagpipe music. She may have neglected to mention that he would also have to keep four different reeds in tune with each other. Until recently, both were active with the Fort Collins Pipe Band, performing at weddings, funerals and parades. While Dale Baker and McGregor enjoy the competitions, Cheri Baker prefers to teach. She's particularly proud of McGregor, her star pupil, who has played pipes for about four years and took first place last summer in a competition at the Highlands Ranch games.
People also have their own preferences when choosing bagpipe music.
The great music, which interests Cheri Baker the most, includes older, more traditional music like the laments. It has to be taught, rather than just read from a written score, to be interpreted correctly. There is no regular rhythm to this music, and it is more expressive than the light music. The great music is one of the rare oral traditions of today, one that has to be passed down from generation to generation. Roots in antiquity One of the oldest instruments still in use, the bagpipe dates back thousands of years.