... But has anybody heard bagpipes indoors at very close range???![]()
Alas, yes

In addition, there was the small issue of pitch. He told me that bagpipes tune to A=454 (Standard pitch is A=440). But he would try to tune them down a bit. I think when I mixed the bagpipe tracks in I brought their pitch down a bit further still, but there's a limit to how much you can do that.
That being said, when played in the proper environment - ie outdoors - the pipes can be pretty thrilling. But nae indoors, mon!