How loud? Well, if the wind is in the right direction and you listen a bit, you can hear the buskers on Edinburgh's Royal Mile from a couple of miles away. Also, a lot less painful outdoors than inside, as they are also quite loud. Hearing somebody unskilled learning to play bagpipes, though, is just as painful as media makes it out to be. Bagpipes are fantastic instruments- if you know how to play them.
