posted
I bought a bagpipe chanter and an instructional DVD with some music books from a Michigan bagpipe music store (on the other side of the state, but they aren't exactly prevelent all over the state).
So anyway, I've found the instructional DVD to be very helpful, and if I actually lived near the place that sold it to me, they have lessons that people can take.
It's a fun instrument to learn, though I haven't been practicing enough to really be good at it, and I'm nowhere near the point where I could buy an actual set of bagpipes and be good at it. Still it's fun to practice!
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Definitely start with the chanter. We had one growing up and also a set of child-size pipes, and I found that learning the chanter first was a lot easier than trying to do it all at once; I was able to concentrate on fingering first and get in good habits, then concentrate just on the bladder and controlling airflow, and then I was able to put them together. (Children's pipes are also a good starter, even for adults, because the drones are dummies except for one and you don't have to give it as much air. But I was 10 at the time so what do I know. )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Yeah, chanter for sure. Actually, when I learned, we used a combination of the chanter for understanding notes and finger positioning and a whole bunch of standing outside school droning with an actual set and holding a note. Because knowing the notes is very, very good, but actually getting the hang of playing a set can take a lot of time.
Another thing we did was to cork two of the drones until we got the whole breathing/squeezing thing down.
posted
I have a chanter, and have been practicing off and on for a year, but I don't know if I am actually playing correctly. I have a CD and book, but it only goes so far. I am thinking about a program made by this Canadian piper who has created a progressively harder program of something like 7 books.
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
When Dad first undertook the pipes, he began walking the house carrying a stuffsack sleeping bag under his arm to build up the muscles necessary to maintain a squeeze.
See if there's a pipe band in your area that will let you observe practices. Bonus points if they consider themselves a "teaching band."
Posts: 354 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I'll second (or third, or whatever) the advice to learn the chanter first, and to plug the drones when you first start on the pipes. My teacher uses ear plugs for that.
If you already play wind instruments it's a little tricky to get used to the proper fingering on the chanter, and even more difficult to get your head around the idea of keeping your fingers going even when you take a breath. That's mostly fixed with practice, but I highly recommend talking someone into giving you a few lessons in addition to working on your own.
Posts: 3420 | Registered: Jun 2002
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