Bagpipes are one of the few instruments with a really huge initial hurdle. That hurdle is the fact that you have to learn all of your technique on a separate instrument! My teacher has said that if 100 people tell her they want to learn to play, only 10 will show up for a first lesson. Of those 10, only 1 will go on to be a piper. It isn't about talent or innate ability, either. It is about persistence.

I've been taking lessons for 7 years but only really got serious about the pipes 3 years ago. I've been making good progress, but I'm not some rising star in the piping world and probably never will be.

Here's something that helped me with several tunes that were developmental tunes for me. I wrote the name of the tune at the top of a notecard (you can also use a PostIt note) and made a tick mark every time I practiced the tune. My goal was 100 times through Cameron Highlanders in one week. You realize pretty quickly that you don't play these tunes half as many times as you thought. I actually made 86 times through in the week, but I was over 100 before the middle of the second week. I still screwed it up in competition, but I knew the notes cold. I screwed up tempo.

I don't do this with every tune, but I do it with tunes that challenge me in some way. It helps a lot to make sure I am really drilling them hard.

Welcome to piping. It has a tough initial plateau, but it is worth it.

-Patrick