"So You Want to Play Bagpipes" sticky

[beloitpiper]

I thing we need a Sticky for people that want to get on pipes. There have been a lot of posts by people asking about how to get on pipes, and we seem to give out the same advice every time. Whadda ya say, Mods? Care to help us pipers out?

[Panache]

Greg,

I'll tell you what. Unless there is already a thread you would propose to "sticky", why don't you write one up? I would suggest that you PM a few of our XMTS pipers (or maybe form a social group! Didn't you once propose a a virtual XMTS pipe band? ) and hammer out the details. Then submit the thread and the Moderators would be happy to put a "sticky" on it.

We did the same thing for Yaish and his "So you want to be a Highland Athlete" thread and would be happy to do the same for our pipers.

Cheers

Jamie

[Thunderbolt]

OOOooo, good idea.

I could help contribute, if needed.

T.

[londonpiper]

You can include me too

[Jack Daw]

Me three.

[JS Sanders]

I'm not really interested in being actively involved with a committee, but here is something yall may choose to use in whole or part, or disregard altogether.

I receive a few inquiries annually for piping instruction. To separate the wheat from the chaff, I composed this blurb that I e-mail to those asking. Some have rebuked me for being too harsh, others thanked me for the information.



Learning the Pipes…
Yes - the pipes are a difficult instrument to learn to play and mastering them is arduous. I’m asked that most every time I perform publicly. If they weren’t, many people would be playing them and playing them quite well. There's no single difficult thing to learn - you must master many small skills.

There exists a very high attrition rate among beginners. Perhaps 10% of those who start learning the pipes ever become full-fledged pipers. And that may be a generous estimate. Once realized it isn't all adoration and kilts, but a lot of tedious work, most chuck the idea.

It usually takes 1-2 years from a student's first lesson to his first public performance on the pipes. And it takes a reasonable amount of daily practice (4-6 hours/week). It's not just learning techniques, but you must build strength of specific muscles and practice things until they become automatic.

A student with prior musical experience has a decided advantage. Why? Discipline. Already knowing that practice produces results makes a huge difference in the student's attitude toward the pipes. Realizing beforehand that 'This ain’t gonna be simple' actually makes the student’s progression easier. Discipline guarantees the student will practice and excel faster than the student who practices sporadically.

The Great Highland Bagpipe is probably the only instrument that you learn by learning how to play another instrument first. One begins with a ‘practice chanter’ in order to learn the scale and embellishments, as well as initial tunes. The practice chanter is mouth blown and similar to a recorder. It costs $85-$150. Practice chanters are used by every level of piper and are not considered “training wheels”. The advantage of a practice chanter is that the investment is small and the student can simply walk away if he finds the regimen not to his liking.

After 6-12 months on the practice chanter and a few specific tunes are properly memorized, the student may be ready to order a set of bagpipes – at his instructor’s discretion. A new set of reasonable quality bagpipes starts at about $800 and from there the price is almost unlimited. Pipes in the $150-400 range are almost certainly Pakistani made and unusable other than wall hangings or kindling. Buying used pipes present their own hazards to the uninformed and even experienced pipers can be fleeced.

You must be taught this instrument – it is not self-instructed. Being “self-taught” before seeking out a teacher leads to poor playing skills that may be all but impossible to unlearn. The instrument is complicated enough without compounding matters. Only an experienced instructor can guide you. It does not matter how accomplished or classically trained a musician you are already.

Once you acquire a set of pipes, it may take another couple of months to build up stamina, ability, and technique to play the pipes for 20 minutes non-stop.

Not everyone is destined to be a musician, or a piper. Desire to succeed at any endeavor will help compensate a lack of talent, but can't make up for it entirely. There are levels of competency that can be achieved, but without some innate musical talent, there’s little chance to reach even the 'middle ranks.' The last thing I want to do is discourage, but there is a boundary some students can't overcome.

One last item to consider… No other musical instrument has a built-in uniform. That is to say, people expect you to don a kilt while performing. Playing public in ordinary clothing will gain you negative comments – that’s a promise. Kilts are made to order and cost as much as a new business suit. Accoutrements bring the cost to $1,000-1,200. This is exclusive of the pipes’ purchase price.

[Jack Daw]

Oh, we're already doing it...here. OK, here's my 2 cents.

Before you buy anything, get an instructor or get lots of advice from an experienced piper. You could make some bad, expensive mistakes if you are not careful.

Join a good band. A band provides instructors and you learn faster by playing with others.

If you can't join a band (b/c of too much business travel, etc.), get a private instructor. Unless you know that you are a gifted musician, you'll learn the wrong way on your own because: 1) the written music is not always how things should be played; and, 2) you'll learn bad habits that will be hard to unlearn later when you realize that you need an instructor after all.

Be able to set aside prioritized time for practice. My regimen is four days a week (minimum) for roughly an hour. But, everyone has to develop their own schedule. If you have to go more than 2 months without practice, then you may not have the schedule or the self-descipline to stick with it.

Seriously consider competing at WUSPBA- or EUSPBA-sanctioned events - either solo or with your band, or both. It provides additional motivation to improve...because you should never stop learning. Both have websites to accommodate joining.

My advice is a repeat of Stevie's advice above. But, repetition is the key to learning!!

[haukehaien]

1) Find a teacher. Local pipe bands often provide free instruction. The Bob Dunsire forums can help with finding your local bands and teachers.

2) Don't buy Pakistani stuff unless you want to spend a lot of time and money fixing it up - and be aware that it may not be possible to fix up.

3) Don't buy pipes. Talk to your instructor and buy a good practice chanter. The long ones are nice, although not strictly necessary. I would recommend buying a Delrin PC because they're less likely to break. Dunbar, John Walsh, Scott Morton and Gibson all make excellent PCs.

4) Practice. Practice. Practice. Get the scale down, then the G-grace scale. Get the grip and the D-throw solid. Five hundred repetitions is not a bad idea.

5) Practice in front of a mirror - it lets you see what your fingers are doing.

6) Listen to good piping whenever possible.

7) If you're not VERY GOOD at internalizing a beat, get a metronome. Start from the beginning getting the gracings in the right places.

8) Get a metronome even if you are VERY GOOD at internalizing a beat - you're not as good as you think you are, and the unforgiving little blinky light will show you this.

[JS Sanders]

I see yall are gonna have a grand time putting a blurb together....

[beloitpiper]

by the Pipers of X Marks the Scot

So you've decided you want to play the bagpipes, eh? Well, let us help you get started. First, here's a warning: this is not an easy instrument. Many people drop out after only a few weeks or months. This takes dedication, commitment, time, energy, and money. If you cannot sacrifice one of those things, stick with the whistle.

First, you'll need a practice chanter. What is a chanter? A chanter is the part of the bagpipe that plays the melody. A practice chanter is a chanter without the bag or any of the drones. With this you will learn how to play the tunes and embellishments. There are many good practice chanter manufacturers, Gibson and Dunbar both make wonderful chanters. You'll want to invest in one of these because you'll be using it the rest of your life. Ebay is not your friend. If you go for the cheapest chanter you can find, it will only make things difficult in the long run.

"But why can't I just buy a bagpipe?" - This is a common question. Without knowing how to use the chanter, the bagpipes are useless. One does not learn how to play tunes on the bagpipes, they are for the performance. Learning tunes requires stopping, starting, and repeating. This is difficult on the pipes, because one cannot strike up the pipes, learn a section of a tune, then stop and put them down. Chanters are easy because they are smaller, quieter, and when you stop blowing, the sound stops.

To learn tunes, you'll either join a band, buy a book, or both. It is extremely recommended that you join a band or receive formal training through a tutor or pipe major. There is no true substitute to having a live person there giving you immediate feedback and demonstrating how to play. Joining a band also helps you standardize your playing, and playing with other people will help you learn faster. If a live teacher is unavailable and a book is the only option, the almost universally-used book is the College Piping Tutor. This is available for about $35 and almost every instructor recommends it as the best book. But BE CAREFUL. Self-taught pipers almost always develop bad habits which must be untaught by pipe majors when joining a band. This takes time and will considerable slow your development.

Tips while leanring:
-The first few months of scales and embellishments are boring and difficult, pay attention and work hard on them, if you don't you will be very sorry later on.
-Be able to set aside prioritized time for practice. A good regimen is four days a week (minimum) for roughly an hour. But, everyone has to develop their own schedule. If you have to go more than 2 months without practice, then you may not have the schedule or the self-discipline to stick with it.
-Go slow! This doesn't come over night. It takes a long time to learn a tune properly, so take the time necessary.
-Metronomes are essential. Even if you believe you have a good internal beat, this will only help and even improve your sense of rhythm.
-Be sure not to grip the chanter too hard. Your hands will become sore and your fingers won't be as nimble. It doesn't take a tight grip, just a firm grip.
-Listening to good piping can only help, and there are plenty of piping CD's out there. Buy a few and train your ear to know what good piping sounds like.

After years of practicing on the chanter, you may be ready to move onto pipes. Begin by talking to your pipe major. See what the band uses and what reeds and drones the rest of the people use. EBAY IS DANGEROUS. There are a lot of tempting offers, almost all of which are too good to be true. It is usually advisable to get a set of kitchen or practice pipes. These are bagpipe from none to 3 drones, but require less air than the Great Highland Bagpipes. This provides a gradual step up to the great pipes.

So that's it. If you have any other questions, just ask. Some other good resources are the Bob Dunsire Forums, the Bagpipe Forum, and Bagpipe Talk.