Taking up the bagpipes (Gibson or McCallum Chanter?)

[Profane James]

I'm a baby piper, if at all, but I will offer my only suggestion. Make sure the PC is the long type, with counter sunk holes. This makes the transition to the actual chanter easier. I'm sure the official pipers of the forum will chime in directly.

FWIW, I purchased my Dunbar chanter package (No.2 Practice Chanter Outfit) from this guy:

http://www.hotpipes.com/pract3.html

[Kamilavalamp]

I'm a baby piper, if at all, but I will offer my only suggestion. Make sure the PC is the long type, with counter sunk holes. This makes the transition to the actual chanter easier. I'm sure the official pipers of the forum will chime in directly.

FWIW, I purchased my Dunbar chanter package (No.2 Practice Chanter Outfit) from this guy:

http://www.hotpipes.com/pract3.html

Yeah both of the sets I'm looking at are the long type. I'm heard it's easier to transition that way so they seem like the way to go. After I get good with the Chanter will I be able to transition straight to the Great Highland Bagpipes or will I have to get a set of small pipes in between?

[Profane James]

I'll have to default to those who have made the transition already. I've only been on the PC for about a year, and sporadic at that. I'll say this, from all the reading and research I've done, it seems that the general consensus is the sooner the better. Also, do yourself a favor and invest in African Blackwood. Again, my opinion is only from research, not from experience - I'll let the professionals give it a go from here, which btw, I'm also interested to read!

[416 Rigby]

They're both good. My PC is a Gibson standard length, and I like it. All Gibson PC'S have countersunk holes. I really think Blackwood should be reserved for later, when you're certain you're going to stick with it, since they're 4 times the cost of poly.

My pipes are McCallums, which I love.

The usual progression (at least for the students my teacher has) is PC, then on to the practice goose, then to GHB. The smallpipes are not part of the progression, they're a great instrument in and of themselves. The fingering is the same as GHB.

The goose is simply a bag with no drones (or just stocks corked off) on which you play your practice chanter, learning to manage blowing and squeezing. I went from my first lesson on the PC to the goose in 6 months, then after a few months of that on to the pipes with corks plugging 2 drones. After you start getting a handle on that, another drone is uncorked, and so on, until you've built up to running it all. Quite a workout in the beginning, hence the stepped plan.

It takes commitment, it's not an instrument one can just dabble in.

Listen to your teacher, and practice daily, even if it's only 15 minutes.

Cheers,

[Profane James]

Right on...
To clarify, my ABW reference was regarding the pipes - my PC is also poly.

[KD Burke]

Basically, it's a Ford vs. Chevy question. Either will serve your needs well.
A PC is not a performance instrument, so the emphasis is a good scale and a good "feel."

I've played both, either is good.

[Kamilavalamp]

They're both good. My PC is a Gibson standard length, and I like it. All Gibson PC'S have countersunk holes. I really think Blackwood should be reserved for later, when you're certain you're going to stick with it, since they're 4 times the cost of poly.

My pipes are McCallums, which I love.

The usual progression (at least for the students my teacher has) is PC, then on to the practice goose, then to GHB. The smallpipes are not part of the progression, they're a great instrument in and of themselves. The fingering is the same as GHB.

The goose is simply a bag with no drones (or just stocks corked off) on which you play your practice chanter, learning to manage blowing and squeezing. I went from my first lesson on the PC to the goose in 6 months, then after a few months of that on to the pipes with corks plugging 2 drones. After you start getting a handle on that, another drone is uncorked, and so on, until you've built up to running it all. Quite a workout in the beginning, hence the stepped plan.

It takes commitment, it's not an instrument one can just dabble in.

Listen to your teacher, and practice daily, even if it's only 15 minutes.

Cheers,

Thanks for the advice. What do you think of delrin pipes? They seem to be popular, less prone to aging, and require less maintenance. How do they sound compared to Blackwood?

[pbutts]

You will use your practice chanter practically everyday of your life so expect it to get banged up and the delrin poly can take it. I have a Dunbar but our band pipe chanters are MCCallums.

Everyone's experience on this instrument is different, so don't feel like you have to progress at a certain pace. It took me 20 some years to go from the practice chanter to really beginning to play the pipes.

[Mike S]

Both are good choices, however I prefer the Gibson long practice chanter, especially in delrin (polypenco) for the budding piper.. Getting used to the spacing on the long chanter is a big help for when you transition to the pipes.

[EagleJCS]

If you haven't yet, you may want to check out this thread in the Celtic Musicians subforum here on XMarks: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...agpipes-41561/

*Lots of generalizations and broad sweeping statements follow. These are based on both personal experience and anecdotes from other pipers.

I have a long Walsh blackwood PC and really like it. I started out on a standard Naill poly PC. It's OK, but I really like the tone of the Walsh.

As far as the GHB's go, choice of materials will depend partly on the environment you expect to be playing them in. Delrin/polypenco generally requires less maintenance but you have to be careful about exposure to strong sunlight and extreme heat. I play Madagascaran rosewood (Bois de Rose) pipes, in the Dalbergia family (same as African Blackwood - ABW). They're a little lighter in weight than ABW (but I also don't have any metal mounts, just imitation ivory).

I agree with the advice to check out the Dunsire forum as well. Look at the archives.

If you haven't found one yet, find thyself an instructor forthwith! I’m sure there are oodles of pipers and pipe bands in your area.

My background:
I just stepped down as Pipe Sergeant of the Louisville Pipe Band and have about 13 years playing experience. (I was even acting Pipe Major in a couple of contests and band performances). I started taking lessons in April 2000 (it took me a while to get going on the big instrument).