Wanting to learn the pipes

**JerseyLawyer** · 7th May 08, 09:53 AM

Moosedog and Barb have it right, and I humbly agree with them.

With all due respect to Daz, I wouldn't recommend the Logan's Tutor. It's a great book, with fabulous tunes, and it has the best five pages of bagpipe instruction you'll find, but I don't know that you can actually use it to learn to play the pipes.

Get a teacher, and get whatever tutor the teacher tells you to. Absolutely failing that (and you should be able to find a teacher almost anywhere now, unless you live in the middle of the Sahara), I would suggest either the College of Piping tutor (the "green tutor") or the Piping Centre tutor, the latter being slicker and more modern, but both being very good.

**highlander_Daz** · 7th May 08, 10:08 AM

I agree Id never suggest not having an instructor, its just the Logan book is the best tutor book on the market

**James MacMillan** · 7th May 08, 10:11 AM

I don't play any instrument harder than the record player, but I do have a related question.

What is the ball-park price for a good set of pipes and a good chanter?

I see plenty of prices on line, but I don't have a clue as to which ones are good ones and which are just high-priced crap.

**JerseyLawyer** · 7th May 08, 10:16 AM

A decent set of basic pipes these days won't cost less than about $1000 new, give or take. You can get a good long plastic practice chanter for about $80. A long blackwood practice chanter will set you back about $250 or so.

Anything you want pimped out with silver and whatnot, start adding.

**James MacMillan** · 7th May 08, 10:51 AM

That's pretty much what I thought - Thanks.

**JS Sanders** · 7th May 08, 03:57 PM

<< Anything you want pimped out with silver and whatnot, start adding. >>

A tradesman is known by his tools and same applies to gigging pipers.

I bought a set of pipes with most of the fru-fru. And I can state without fear of reprisal, that clients like to see those accents on the piper's instrument.

Then again, it wasn't free.

Slainte yall,
steve

**7 miles** · 7th May 08, 06:53 PM

Thank you all so very much . I knew asking this here would end in great results thank you again.

**Barb T** · 8th May 08, 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by Ancienne Alliance

If I may add something, it's a good thing to join a local pipe band. Most of them are open and friendly : they will even lend you a PC and a set of pipes. You will be with other beginners, that will stimulate you.

I second this wholeheartedly. Most bands give lessons to new pipers and drummers because they are always looking to bring new people along. In our band, we basically do beginner lessons for free. And the really nice thing about being around a band is that you _hear_ the music as you're learning it. The sooner you can internalize both the tunes and the idiom, the easier it is to learn to play well. I had a real advantage when I learned, because our daughter had already been playing for five years when I started. So, I had all the music in my head from the get-go (plus a built-in cheering section to keep me from giving up when the going got tough...).

**JerseyLawyer** · 8th May 08, 06:06 AM

Originally Posted by JS Sanders

A tradesman is known by his tools and same applies to gigging pipers.

I bought a set of pipes with most of the fru-fru. And I can state without fear of reprisal, that clients like to see those accents on the piper's instrument.

Then again, it wasn't free.

I can't throw stones. I have full mounted pipes myself. But for a beginner, a set that's full mounted in imitation ivory is both good looking and (relatively) inexpensive.

Of course, if you are independently wealthy... Jim McGillivray is selling his 1949 Silver & Ivory Sinclairs that he won the gold medal and clasp with. Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page.