Quote Originally Posted by kevinkinney View Post
Hello Pipers,

I've been pondering the purchase of pipes for a late Xmas/40th birthday gift. My father gravitated to the pipes during college, and I've managed to avoid their pull until now.

This question is for the experienced members out there: Where would you recommend shopping for a beginner set and a chanter?

Cheers,

Kevin.
Ahh, something I know well...

Many of the top pipemakers would be a great start. Naill, Dunbar, Shepard, Kron to name a very few.

By chanter, I assume you mean a practice chanter. Don't bother with a blackwood PC. They require more maint. than a poly chanter. It took me splitting two PC tops before I learned my lesson. That being said, there are some blackwood PC's out there that are much older than I am and are in no danger of splitting anytime soon. I've been through 4 PC's, the poly ones are still with me.

Also, get a PC with counterbored holes. They give a better feel and are a bit less forgiving, making you position your fingers better. Also, they are closer to a pipe chanter therefore making the crossover easier.

Don't worry about pipes right now. Get a good instructor, a good PC and good book to study, in that order. Most likely your instructor will have a huge influence on your choices.

I spent better than a year on the PC before making the move to the pipes. You will likely do the same. If your instructor pushes to get you on the pipes faster, question the reason. This is not only tradition, but also the amount of time needed to learn the fingering, learn tunes, learn to listen and strengthen your lip. There'll be plenty of time. Don't rush it.

Much of this has already been mentioned. I hope it all makes the point.

Last piece of advise: Make the commitment to practice everyday. A minimum of 15 minutes, with most of my sessions ending around an hour. If I was gearing up for a competition, I'd push it to two hours or more a few weeks before and backing off just before the comp, say, four or five days before only playing 15 to 30 minutes a day.

Sorry for my ramblings. I just realized that this is more info than you asked for but I hope it helps. Please ignore anything you aren't interested in.....

And, welcome to the brotherhood.

T.