Practice Chanter and Book Advice

[Crazy Dave]

I have bagpipes coming my way. I am expecting them to be unplayable, for a country that starts with P, but I only bought them because the come with a kilt and fly plaid in a tartan that I wanted (not so much the fly paid) as a package in a charity auction. In my vain hopes of a long shot that I would get a vintage, African blackwood (ebony?) set of bagpipes, I realized that I did really want to play the pipes, even though I doubt that I will get a playable set. So I decided that what I realistically should do is by a practice chanter.

I did read the sticky, "So You Want To Play The Bagpipes" and found it very helpful. I then did some research which brought up some questions that I thing the rabble could help me with. I did find a chanter that looks to my uneducated eyes like a good deal, but I wanted your feedback. J. Higgins has a house brand chanter that looks to be a good product and is at an attractive, but not dirt cheap price of $50. Is this a good one to start?

Also, it is available in a standard length of 18.5" and a longer length. My inclination is to stick with the standard length for portability, but I want the rabble's input on this. I can buy it in a package with the book "The Highland Bagpipe Tutor part 1 ". Should I get this, or should I buy the recommended "College of Piping Tutor"? Maybe I should buy both? (https://www.jhiggins.net/learn-to-pl...asic-in-stock/). It can also be bought in a deluxe package that contains a carrying case. (https://www.jhiggins.net/learn-to-pl...luxe-in-stock/) This is what I think would be the best deal to get started, provided that the book an chanter are of good quality. Is this false economy? I don't want to amass a bunch of cheap canters for the price I could have bought a good one.

I just met a professional piper, who lives about a block from me. I'm sure he can help me find a tutor. I used to be a pianist, so I can read music and understand that there will be a lot of boring scale practice ahead of me. I look forward to it!

TIA!

Dave

[kilted redleg]

Dave

Let me be the first to welcome you into the friendship and community known as " The Piping Fraternity." As far as your inquiry goes let me preface this response with the following: "If you can always find a competent tutor to instruct you face to face". That being said I cannot pass judgement on J. Higgins piping equipment as I have never dealt with him. The Highland Bagpipe tutor 1 is from the National Piping Center in Glasgow Scotland. The College Of Piping was recently acquired by the National Piping Center [NPC] so either tutor will do you well. If the College tutor is the later edition it was updated by champion piper and former principal of the COP Robert Wallace. As far as your practice chanter [pc] goes that's strictly up to you. The longer ones are supposed to replicate the feel of the chanter on the pipes. Construction material is up to you, there is polypenco [a type of plastic] or African Blackwood. Most pipers starting out take the poly chanter as it is less expensive then blackwood. As I said in the beginning nothing replaces face to face instruction. It's great that you can read music that'll help lots but piping is all about getting the fingers to move at the proper speed to play the proper note. One final not the above mentioned Robert Wallace also has a blog "the piping press" and also sells basic piping tutors here: https://pipingpress.com/ Good luck and as you progress think about playing Piobaireachd [pea brock] the original pipe music. Neil Munro Scottish poet famously penned " Seven years it takes for a piper to make"
Once again welcome to the family.

redleg

[OC Richard]

Yes welcome to the world of piping!!

I got my first Practice Chanter in 1974, it was like Christmas! It was the typical (for the time) RG Lawrie standard-size PC, African Blackwood, with nickel ferrule and Catalin sole.

I got the famous College Of Piping "green book" and off I went.

In the old days all the PCs were what's now called "standard". They did have "child's" but often the PC was the same, just the top was shorter.

I think the "long" or "fullsize" PC, the plastic PC, and the plastic mouthpiece with integral valve were all inventions of George Alexander in the 1960s.

In any case nowadays the "long" or "fullsize" PC is standard. Every piper in every Pipe Band I've been in over the last quarter-century has played the "long".

Be aware that the "long" PC plays at a lower pitch than the old-school "standard" PC, so you will want the "long" in order to play along with YouTube videos etc since nearly all teachers use the "long".

Also the "long" gives you a better feel for how the actual Pipe Chanter feels in your hands.

In the various Pipe Bands I've been in over recent years everybody has used one of three brands: Naill, McCallum, or Gibson. With the right reeds all of these will play right in tune with each other. (I'm not alleging that these three brands are the best, or any better than others, just that they're the ones I've seen nearly everybody use.)

Personally I use a McCallum with a John Walsh reed. My McCallum PC is red plastic, which I like because at band practice I can tell it from all the black ones! I also have a Gibson with a Gibson reed which is very nice too.

Though face-to-face lessons are the best, I think as long as you're on the PC internet lessons are OK. With Practice Chanters there's not as much to go wrong with the instrument itself, and a teacher will usually be able to diagnose a beginner's problems online.

Once you get to the actual full set of bagpipes then it must be done face-to-face, because it's impossible for a teacher to "set up" and troubleshoot your bagpipes over the internet. A teacher can't reach through your monitor and adjust a bridle! Or shave a reed! Or blow your pipes to test your setup! It can only be done in person.

I think lessons from the get-go are needed to get a good grounding. People who flounder on their own often end up learning some things wrong. The more they practice the more ingrained the bad habits become! Because they're practicing their mistakes and fixing them into their muscle memory.

Then when a teacher comes along, before they can start teaching you how to play properly they have to spend a lot of time undoing the ingrained bad habits. I've heard Pipe Bands where nearly everybody in the band has deeply ingrained problems. Anybody put in the position of trying to get them to play better would have to take them back to the beginning, to re-learn the fundamentals.

You don't want to be a piper like that! It's far easier to learn things right from the get-go.

[EagleJCS]

I'm in the 'first find an instructor' camp. Find your instructor and ask what book and practice chanter they recommend. Some don't really care which book their student chooses because the book simply provides exercises and the instructor skips around using their own sequence of instruction. My piping instructor suggested the Sandy Jones tutorial Beginning the Bagpipe. Which practice chanter they recommend may depend on their personal experience with different brands.

Just about any practice chanter will do, except for the burgundy-colored practice chanter and tutor book combo. I haven't tried one of those myself, but have heard from several others in the band that they started with one and quickly had to move on to a "real" practice chanter. My first practice chanter was a Naill standard-length polypenco practice chanter with counter-sunk finger holes. I still have it, but currently use a John Walsh long blackwood practice chanter that has an integrated moisture trap in the blowstick cap.

Be prepared to spend at least 6 months on the practice chanter learning the finger technique, embellishments and avoiding crossing noises. It may be a year or more before you start working on the 'big instrument' and incorporating blowing, squeezing and finger technique all together.

Best of luck, and welcome to the obsession!

[KD Burke]

I used to be a pianist, so I can read music and understand that there will be a lot of boring scale practice ahead of me. I look forward to it!
Dave

You will probably learn the scale in a day or two. It’s only nine notes. If you can read music or have a talent for mimicry, you can probably play a recognizable tune on the practice chanter in a day or two. By the way, I describe the sound of the PC as a cross between an oboe and a kazoo. It ain’t the most musical of instruments!

You WILL spend hours learning the embellishments that make pipe music interesting. You will have to get used to the fact that you can’t vary the volume, can’t “rest” between notes. 100% of your expression will be tempo variation and embellishments.

[OC Richard]

I'm in the 'first find an instructor' camp. Find your instructor and ask what book and practice chanter they recommend. Some don't really care which book their student chooses because the book simply provides exercises and the instructor skips around using their own sequence of instruction.

My piping instructor suggested the Sandy Jones tutorial Beginning the Bagpipe.

Which practice chanter they recommend may depend on their personal experience with different brands.

Yes I agree with everything there.

Different instructors favour different books and PCs as you say, so it involves less cost to find these things out from your instructor first.

I couldn't agree more about the Sandy Jones book.

I started with the College Of Piping "green book" because that was the only proper tutor available back then.

For people who are familiar with typical American tutors for, say, band instruments like sax or trumpet the CoP book is exceedingly odd.

Crazy Dave mentioned scales and the CoP book does have a few. However there's little in the way of intervals and there are no arpeggios whatsoever.

Thing is, Highland pipe tunes (and trad Irish tunes too) are often chock-full of arpeggios, and as a direct result of the standard tutors not teaching them I hear, all the time, fairly decent pipers who can't play a clean arpeggio to save their lives.

Here's a common tune, The Atholl Highlanders. There are loads of pipers who sound pretty good, but ask them to play this and you're going to get crossing noises and sloppy arpeggios overall. You can't play Highland pipe music well unless you master arpeggios!



What the CoP tutor struck me as was a book written by somebody who knew how to play the pipes, but didn't know how to teach music.

That's why the Sandy Jones book was such a breath of fresh air! It felt like an actual musical instrument tutor, with helpful logical exercises.

However as with many teachers I developed my own materials, in my case due to teaching at a summer camp for many years. I wanted exercises that hit all the skills needed in the most compact way possible. So people coming to me can use any book they want, but they have to master my exercises first, because once they can play through all my exercises cleanly they won't be caught off guard by any note sequence they encounter in a tune.

I think Job One, before tunes or ornaments, is to be able to negotiate your way around the chanter, and be able to play any interval, any arpeggio, cleanly and fluently. There's plenty of time for ornaments later, once you know how to play the chanter.

[Crazy Dave]

Thank you all for your comments. They were all very helpful. I will seek out a teacher. I'll start by talking to my new piper friend. I will pick up one of the recommended books and a long chanter it is. I'm now inclined to go with one of the name brand suggested. The difference in price is not much.

An interesting side note. I met my neighborhood piper because on Saint Patrick's Day, I decided to wear my kilt. When I was walking my dog by his house, I heard bagpipes playing "The Minstrel Boy". I turned and there he was, standing in the door, playing his bagpipes. When he finished the tune, we had a very nice chat.

Dave

[Crazy Dave]

Yes I agree with everything there.

I couldn't agree more about the Sandy Jones book.


I think Job One, before tunes or ornaments, is to be able to negotiate your way around the chanter, and be able to play any interval, any arpeggio, cleanly and fluently. There's plenty of time for ornaments later, once you know how to play the chanter.

Looks like I will be checking out the Sandy Jones book. I am familiar enough with interval and arpeggio from the piano that I should be able to focus on acquiring the skills. I expect that arpeggio will be a bit of a task. Thanks for the advice.

Dave

[Crazy Dave]

I talked to my neighborhood piper to see if he knows a good teacher. It turns out that he teaches. We talked about what chanter to get. I'm on my way! We will start as soon as I get my chanter.

Dave

[OC Richard]

So cool! Good luck with your lessons!

I mentioned "clean arpeggios" and "crossing noises" and someone coming from piano might not know what a piper means when they say those things.

The problem with the Highland pipes is it's "partially closed" or "partially open" fingering system. (Glass half empty/full.)

Whereas orchestral woodwinds generally operate on an "open" fingering system.

To take one example, going from D to E on the Highland chanter as compared with going from G to A on the orchestral flute.

On the flute:

xxx ooox
xxo ooox

You're just lifting one finger! Nowt to go wrong.

On the Highland pipes:

xxx ooox
xxo xxxo

Hold on, what's this? On the flute all the lower-hand fingers remain the same, while on the Highland pipes all four lower-hand fingers reverse positions!

Theo Boehm is spinning in his grave!

So when going from D to E on the Highland chanter FIVE fingers are reversing: the fingers on have to come off and visa versa.

So what's "not playing cleanly" or a "crossing noise"? This:

Let's say when you go from D to E you accidentally put down the lower-hand fingers a split-second before you raise the upper-hand finger, thus:

xxx ooox
xxx xxxx
xxo xxxo

or:

xxx ooox
xxx xxxo
xxo xxxo

THAT'S a crossing noise! Or crossing note, as some call it. In this example it's a Low G or Low A appearing between the D and E. It sounds like a little catch or blip, and is the hallmark of the piper who hasn't had proper instruction.

Thing is, on the actual Highland bagpipe chanter Low A and Low G are the loudest notes, so ONE piper playing a crossing noise in a 12-piper Pipe Band will be heard...by one of the Piping Judges! When you're in competition.

I think the thing that makes me cringe the most, when hearing certain pipers and Pipe Bands, is continuous crossing noises peppering every tune. Well, that and out-of-tune pipes!