Kevin Murray, the Kentucky Piper

Kevin Murray, the Kentucky Piper, regularly fills his Lexington neighborhood with the sound of bagpipes. (Source: LEX 18)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Dogs barking, birds chirping -- but bagpipes? That's not the typical sound you expect to hear in your neighborhood.

"I heard this noise and I looked to my roof to see if something was squeaking on the roof, and I said, 'That sounds a lot like bagpipes!'" said Aric Myers, who lives in the Andover area of Lexington.

Myers told LEX 18 that he thought he was losing his mind after hearing the unexpected music while in his backyard one day, but he found out he wasn't alone.

"We have a good, active Facebook page for our neighborhood community, and I just put a post on there to make sure I wasn't hearing things," Myers laughed.

Sure enough, he wasn't crazy either. Kevin Murray has been playing the bagpipes for decades, and, well, he has to practice.

"I try to practice every day, but that doesn't always happen," Murray said.

When the weather is good, he takes his bagpipes out to the deck and lets loose.

"If I can get outside it's great," he said. "In the family room there it's got a nice, high, cathedral ceiling, so that kind of helps in small spaces because there's no volume control on the bagpipes. They're just loud."

As it turns out, it is all much to the delight of his neighbors. Richard Harless has lived next door for 18 years, and he said he and his wife love the music.

"He does it with a lot of passion, and he plays the heck out of those pipes," Harless said.

Murray says children will gather, dogs will bark and people will applaud. He says he is just thankful no one minds.

"Oh, it makes me feel good," he said. "People appreciate what I'm doing. It's just kind of a neat feeling."

On a still night, Murray said the music can be heard for at least a mile, so the next time you are in the neighborhood, roll down the windows and enjoy the show.

Anyone interested in learning more about the bagpipes can contact Sandy's Sewing Center at 859-260-2003, or Kevin, the Kentucky Piper, at 859-489-0080.

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