Filling a void

Deepa Bharath

Playing the bagpipes is like trying to drink coffee from a leaking

cup, says Newport Beach Fire Department Paramedic Brian Slater.

“It’s like you have to keep pouring more coffee in the cup or you

have an empty cup in your hand,” he said.

But that didn’t stop Slater, 50, who already could play the alto

sax, tenor sax, the bassoon, trumpet, drums, sousaphone, harmonica,

guitar, violin, bugle, piano and the five-string banjo.

The bagpipes were obviously next in line.

His musical background has helped Slater learn to play the tough

instrument in three months. Today, the first anniversary of the Sept.

11 attacks, he’ll play “Amazing Grace” at two city memorials.

Slater said he was always intrigued by the bagpipes.

“Over the years, I’ve had an interest but never really knew much

about them,” he said. “I’ve heard them played at memorials.”

As a Newport Beach firefighter paramedic for the last 28 years,

Slater has attended a number of memorials. He saw that there were no

bagpipers in the Newport-Mesa area to play on such occasions. He

didn’t pick up the instrument because of Sept. 11, but that sure spurred him on, Slater said.

He started learning three months ago. After two lessons, it was

mostly hours of practice.

“It’s an extremely hard instrument to learn,” Slater said. “You’re

juggling doing many things at once. You’re blowing, squeezing,

fingering the notes and controlling the air pressure. You miss out on

one thing and everything falls apart.”

But when everything is in tune and when the neighbors aren’t

complaining, bagpipes can be very moving, soulful and mellifluous,

Slater says.

“There’s something about it,” he said. “The tradition that it

represents over the years and it’s melodic quality. I love it.”