Seven days in a kilt...

[Hologenicman]

Wow that is taking the plunge!!

I have traditional wool kilts/traditional outfits which I only wear when performing on the pipes. They're my "work clothes" in that sense, much like an orchestral musician's tuxedo.

That being said, I have spent several consecutive days kilted, especially around St Patrick's Day, due to lots of gigs.

I got a utility kilt which lends itself to everyday wear but it still is a new adventure.

I also got a chanter and lesson book or two. Of all the instruments that I have ever played, i find the chanter to be the most challenging. Using grace notes to mark time, delineate notes, and give emphasis is entirely foreign to me. It is a great challenge and I love it!

[OC Richard]

I got a chanter and lesson book or two. Of all the instruments that I have ever played, I find the chanter to be the most challenging. Using grace notes to mark time, delineate notes, and give emphasis is entirely foreign to me. It is a great challenge and I love it!

You're learning at a great time, due to the internet.

There are tons of online lessons/tutorials. You can hear all the top players performing, both current players and famous players from the past. You can chat with pipers on Skype or Zoom.

When I started, in 1974, all I had was a couple albums to listen to and the College Of Piping "green book".

There were no pipers around to take lessons from, so I was self-taught the first couple years. Happily then my family moved to an area with more people including several Pipe Bands and a large number of good pipers. I worked my tail off and joined a good band in 1977.

I can't encourage you enough to stick with it. You obviously have the musicianship, that's the biggest part of becoming a piper, as it is with any instrument. The rest is diligent practice or "face time" as the jazz guys call it.

It's critical to make sure that you're doing everything right from the very beginning. Some people, due to not knowing, practice their mistakes and ingrain them into their muscle-memory. Then it takes twice as long to get them on the right track.

As they say

"Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."

I was going to ask what instruments you already play, but in truth it doesn't matter. Many years ago a wise old musician told me

"A musical instrument is merely a mechanical device. The music is in the person."

If you have the music in you, for sure you will become a good piper, if only you diligently and correctly practice the technical details.

[Hologenicman]

You're learning at a great time, due to the internet.

There are tons of online lessons/tutorials. You can hear all the top players performing, both current players and famous players from the past. You can chat with pipers on Skype or Zoom.

When I started, in 1974, all I had was a couple albums to listen to and the College Of Piping "green book".

There were no pipers around to take lessons from, so I was self-taught the first couple years. Happily then my family moved to an area with more people including several Pipe Bands and a large number of good pipers. I worked my tail off and joined a good band in 1977.

I can't encourage you enough to stick with it. You obviously have the musicianship, that's the biggest part of becoming a piper, as it is with any instrument. The rest is diligent practice or "face time" as the jazz guys call it.

It's critical to make sure that you're doing everything right from the very beginning. Some people, due to not knowing, practice their mistakes and ingrain them into their muscle-memory. Then it takes twice as long to get them on the right track.

As they say

"Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."

I was going to ask what instruments you already play, but in truth it doesn't matter. Many years ago a wise old musician told me

"A musical instrument is merely a mechanical device. The music is in the person."

If you have the music in you, for sure you will become a good piper, if only you diligently and correctly practice the technical details.

All very true!

I was given the green book and promptly got Alfred's book whick speaks to my mind better. Both are helpful, but youtube videos are way more helpful for learning technique.

I agree, the music is in the person. I play many instruments well enough to have fun but without endangering any professionals of their status

[MichiganKyle]

You're learning at a great time, due to the internet.

There are tons of online lessons/tutorials. You can hear all the top players performing, both current players and famous players from the past. You can chat with pipers on Skype or Zoom.

When I started, in 1974, all I had was a couple albums to listen to and the College Of Piping "green book".

There were no pipers around to take lessons from, so I was self-taught the first couple years. Happily then my family moved to an area with more people including several Pipe Bands and a large number of good pipers. I worked my tail off and joined a good band in 1977.

I can't encourage you enough to stick with it. You obviously have the musicianship, that's the biggest part of becoming a piper, as it is with any instrument. The rest is diligent practice or "face time" as the jazz guys call it.

It's critical to make sure that you're doing everything right from the very beginning. Some people, due to not knowing, practice their mistakes and ingrain them into their muscle-memory. Then it takes twice as long to get them on the right track.

As they say

"Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."

I was going to ask what instruments you already play, but in truth it doesn't matter. Many years ago a wise old musician told me

"A musical instrument is merely a mechanical device. The music is in the person."

If you have the music in you, for sure you will become a good piper, if only you diligently and correctly practice the technical details.

Rather nice to hear this right now. I was given a set of bagpipes for Christmas and am now looking more seriously at how to play them. I've been interested in learning them for a while now, but just never devoted the time to getting started. I know there's a pipe band in town, and I've casually talked to one of their members, but that's about as far as I got. Don't know who around here actually teaches lessons. Well, now I've got a reason to learn. I play piano (favorites being ragtime, video game music, and traditional Irish music), and I tend to really like playing highly technically-complicated music so it seems like it'd be a good fit, but I've been rather intimidated by the learning process. Been trying to watch books and read up on it to figure out as much as I can, and have one really difficult to play practice chanter and another on the way in the hopes the feel will be better.

Anyway, the positivity in this comment is nice. Most of the comments I've seen from other pipers have been more along the lines of "It's the most complicated instrument ever! Don't even think about trying to learn the pipes unless you've already got 40 years of experience playing them!" So the idea of actually being able to learn them is...refreshing.

[OC Richard]

Most of the comments I've seen from other pipers have been more along the lines of "It's the most complicated instrument ever!"

Yes I hear that nonsense all the time.

In truth, all instruments can be said to have the same level of difficulty.

Why would I say that? Think about it. Whether it's playing violin or bagpipes or anything else, there's a small number of people to get to the very top. Nearly always it's because they have this combination:

1) supreme level of innate talent
2) fanatical dedication/willingness to put in the time and hard work
3) top-notch instruction/mentorship

If musical instruments had differing levels of difficultly there would be only a couple great players on some instruments and thousands of great players on other instruments. But the pyramid for all instruments looks pretty much the same.

What is true for any instrument, or dance genre, or language acquisition, is that it's best to start young. The learning curve gets steeper as people age, it just does. Ask anybody that teaches anything.

Highland pipes are like anything else in that regard. The very best players started when they were youngsters, by age 8 or so.

The percentage of people who get good on the Highland pipes who started as adults is quite small. I personally know a few. They had these things in common:

1) prior musical experience
2) good instruction
3) the ability and willingness to put in huge numbers of hours practicing

[KILTED BILL]

You have nothing to be self conscious about, be proud in your kilt. I have been wearing kilts exclusively for almost five years now and have never looked back. When i committed to the kilt i actually got rid of all my pants, i do not own one pair of pants or shorts, true story. I have kilts for working in, ones for dressing up and ones for everyday life.
Sure, it was a little awkward at first but i got over that quick.
Kilt proudly good sir.

[Hologenicman]

You have nothing to be self conscious about, be proud in your kilt. I have been wearing kilts exclusively for almost five years now and have never looked back. When i committed to the kilt i actually got rid of all my pants, i do not own one pair of pants or shorts, true story. I have kilts for working in, ones for dressing up and ones for everyday life.
Sure, it was a little awkward at first but i got over that quick.
Kilt proudly good sir.

Thank you!

I am not ready to go full time but I really enjoy the utility of it. Hauling firewood with a kilt was much more comfortable and easier to move around.

[tripleblessed]

My first job away from home was on an uncle's bridge crew, where I learned to walk steel. No kilts. After college, the Federal Reserve; very conservative dress. No kilts.
Didn't even like light blue or yellow dress shirts, definitely no kilts. Left and went into theater. Competent actor, but no Scottish roles. No kilts. Very strong reputation as
a lighting tech, hand, rigger; enough time in the air that, you guessed it, no kilts. When occupational damages required no more work at all, I bought a kilt. Wear one
three or four days a week; bank, grocery store, restaurants, playing music. Positive comments all the time. Many say they don't have the (insert required equipment here)
to appear in public like that. I say men dressed like this beat the world for the British crown, so don't tell me it's unmanly. And if I didn't have it on, I'd almost certainly be
arrested or institutionalized. Kilt up and go about your business. If that business is inappropriate for a kilt, dress appropriately. If a kilt doesn't hinder what you are up to,
feel free to make that choice. It gets comfortable very quickly.

On the music side, for a time I lived with a first chair symphony harpist who recorded with the Cleveland Symphony among others. As a senior in high school she learned a
little harp and when a sophomore in college finally learned to tune it. For that level of play, starting that late is unheard of; as OC said, assiduous correct practice and serious
determination yield good result.

[Hologenicman]

My first job away from home was on an uncle's bridge crew, where I learned to walk steel. No kilts. After college, the Federal Reserve; very conservative dress. No kilts.
Didn't even like light blue or yellow dress shirts, definitely no kilts. Left and went into theater. Competent actor, but no Scottish roles. No kilts. Very strong reputation as
a lighting tech, hand, rigger; enough time in the air that, you guessed it, no kilts. When occupational damages required no more work at all, I bought a kilt. Wear one
three or four days a week; bank, grocery store, restaurants, playing music. Positive comments all the time. Many say they don't have the (insert required equipment here)
to appear in public like that. I say men dressed like this beat the world for the British crown, so don't tell me it's unmanly. And if I didn't have it on, I'd almost certainly be
arrested or institutionalized. Kilt up and go about your business. If that business is inappropriate for a kilt, dress appropriately. If a kilt doesn't hinder what you are up to,
feel free to make that choice. It gets comfortable very quickly.

On the music side, for a time I lived with a first chair symphony harpist who recorded with the Cleveland Symphony among others. As a senior in high school she learned a
little harp and when a sophomore in college finally learned to tune it. For that level of play, starting that late is unheard of; as OC said, assiduous correct practice and serious
determination yield good result.

Hey there!

Yeah, I currently work in a hospital and as you say, "no kilts".

I am headed toward retirement in about 5 to 7 years and will have more freedom that will not impact my income and livelihood.

Kilt on...

[brendanthetraveller]

Well done although I am surprised at some of your comments.
I wear my Kilt all the time but I live in Scotland. However, for the last fourteen years I have regularly travel on business throughout Europe. I never find that I go un-noticed and it is usually the ladies that are looking. I think it would be strange if everyone ignored me. So my question? . . Are they just being too polite and do not want to be staring at someone that is wearing something different? As for walking around your own village. Go give it a try and just remember that it is your choice what you wear. I find people respect your individuality and if they do not; why worry. Just one word of advice. Be casual. No dress jackets or fancy hats no furry sporrans and no badges knives or other stuff. Remember the Kilt is enough keep it simple and enjoy the fact that most people actually want to come up to you and ask why you are wearing it. Oh and one other piece of advice. . . . Smile. Not a broad grin but just enough that you look happy. You find that if you do that people will smile back and some of them will stop and ask you questions.