self-taught pipes?

[Jack Daw]

If you know yourself to be a gifted muscian, then I would go ahead full steam at self-teaching. But, even so there is a caution - there are things only an instructor can pass on that are not in the books. If you are not that familiar with music or just a technician with another instrument, then I would not waste the time to teach yourself. I agree with Stevie. It is a frustration to learn on your own and it's even worse to unlearn bad mistakes when you do eventually find an instructor...if you can find one that will take a self-taught piper.

[JS Sanders]

To illustrate further...

Once I provided some instruction to a member of the local symphony. A classically trained & degreed musician. A woodwind player.

After a few lessons, which were preceded by a number of hours self-teaching, he slammed down the practice chanter in utter frustration. In a raised voice he exclaimed, "This S of a B is hard as hell! Staff notation for bagpipes is nothing but a %&#@ing suggestion! I thought this was a folk instrument!"

That was the last occasion I saw him. He never even got to the actual pipes. And this was a real musician.

Slainte yall,
steve

[sharpdressedscot]

OK, I'm convinced, I'm getting an instructor...when I can.

[kypnkilt]

John Cairns Bagpipe Solutions Vol. 1,2 and 3 (for beginners) with the CD's can help you learn to read music. There are chapters on how to understand music and read it.....then practice it. Not saying this is the route to go, but it is a start. Having an instructor is beneficial, this goes without saying, but sometimes geography, economics, and time can limit instruction. There are many "rogue" pipe players out there that are self-taught and and the untrained ear will never really distinguish the difference in most cases. But if one were to "meet" one, he or she might get an ear full. Who knows.

I know several beginning players that only have 1 hour of instruction a month because that is all they can afford, but it does help a great deal, especially in the long run. Good Luck!!

[JerseyLawyer]

"This S of a B is hard as hell! Staff notation for bagpipes is nothing but a %&#@ing suggestion! I thought this was a folk instrument!"

I'm way late on this thread, but this was just too good to pass up.

This guy is lucky he never got so far as the big music. The Kilberry Book and the PS Books (all 15 of 'em) are really just a general idea of what a tune might sound like.

Which is why the books at home are covered in red felt pen marks. Cut this, hold this, cut this a lot...

Not that the same doesn't go for light music. Sometimes, you hold the heck out of that dotted note and sometimes that dot is just a misplaced fleck of fly doodies. I, for example, probably don't have a musical bone in my body, because if I try playing a tune from the sheet music without having heard it before, my father will start making organ grinder motions to criticise my general lack of expression. :P

To bring this back to somewhere near the topic - all of this does go to show why teaching yourself is hard.