Extreme Beginner

[Mr. Woolery]

Bagpipes are one of the few instruments with a really huge initial hurdle. That hurdle is the fact that you have to learn all of your technique on a separate instrument! My teacher has said that if 100 people tell her they want to learn to play, only 10 will show up for a first lesson. Of those 10, only 1 will go on to be a piper. It isn't about talent or innate ability, either. It is about persistence.

I've been taking lessons for 7 years but only really got serious about the pipes 3 years ago. I've been making good progress, but I'm not some rising star in the piping world and probably never will be.

Here's something that helped me with several tunes that were developmental tunes for me. I wrote the name of the tune at the top of a notecard (you can also use a PostIt note) and made a tick mark every time I practiced the tune. My goal was 100 times through Cameron Highlanders in one week. You realize pretty quickly that you don't play these tunes half as many times as you thought. I actually made 86 times through in the week, but I was over 100 before the middle of the second week. I still screwed it up in competition, but I knew the notes cold. I screwed up tempo.

I don't do this with every tune, but I do it with tunes that challenge me in some way. It helps a lot to make sure I am really drilling them hard.

Welcome to piping. It has a tough initial plateau, but it is worth it.

-Patrick

[EagleJCS]

There are many of us here and on bobdunshire.com piping forum.
Slainte

Erm, Steve, it's bobdunsire.com - no 'h' - so get the 'h' outta there!

(http://www.bobdunsire.com/ubbthreads...s.php/ubb/cfrm)

[ohiopiper]

Ask him or her to write out (or photocopy) scale exercises for you. Playing the notes while reading them is a skill that requires practice and will pay huge dividends for you. The mind will train itself to go from seeing a note on paper to making the fingers move. With enough practice, a tune can be played through the first time nearly at tempo.

The advantage to scale exercises over tunes in this reagard is that you're not memorizing them. Every time through is reading the music, not playing from muscle memory.

[SteveB]

EagleJCS,
Thanks for the correction, its my boss that is named Dunshire the forum is Dunsire. Should not be on XMTS during work, I guess.
Slainte

[Derek Conley]

My tutor has started me on tunes - Yes, Scots Wha Ha'e is the first and Rowan Tree (part of the band's repertoire) is next.

BTW, welcome to the Pipers In Training Service of XMTS. There are many of us here and on bobdunshire.com piping forum.
Slainte

My instructor and I touched on Scots Wha Hae but moved past it quickly; we don't really play it much anymore. 2nd tune was Amazing Grace, then The Marine Corps Hymn (he found that particularly fitting!). Last week he handed me like 7 different tunes and started me on High Road to Gairloch. Rowan Tree and Scotland the Brave are apparently coming up in the next few weeks.

I've yet to head over to the bobdunsire.com forums...

[SteveB]

Derek,
I agree on the Marines Hymm to be fitting. There are several arrangements for the pipes that sound awesome. The band has it in their regulars. I am happy that you are doing well. I am just getting to beginners tunes on my fourth lesson. I am a long way from A.G. or S.T.B. I am a little slow at the reading of score, and have no previous music experience to get the tempo/rhythm thing going. I have a lot to learn, and will probably be a lot longer at it. I am having a lot of fun with my Dunbar long Blackwood chanter. It has a real nice tone to it and delivers a good presence. It is also not forgiving of my "occasional" misses of the holes.
I take the chanter with me everywhere. This past Sunday I had some time before my students are at church to get in some tooting time. Took out one of the song books for children and tried one that was scored within the range. I was overheard by the Religious Education director, and wound up playing the song for the kids on the chanter during their singing time.
Great fun.
Cheers

[Derek Conley]

I was overheard by the Religious Education director, and wound up playing the song for the kids on the chanter during their singing time.
Great fun.
Cheers

That's great!

[Kilted Jeeper]

You're learning Scots Wha Hae, right?

Actually working on This Auld Hoos.

I can get the notes, it's the tempo that messes me up quite a bit.