1st Week

Uilleann Pipes
1

Hi Folks,
It’s been a week since I got my practice set. This is unbelievably difficult!! I still can’t get the first octave off cleanly, you name it I’m doing it wrong, driving the chanter with the bellows, breaking notes with too much pressure, not closing the holes properly between notes etc. The only small sucess was making a case to carry them, even that was an almost disaster!! Oh well, only another 20 years 51 weeks to go :smiley:
Elbogo, have you just started, how’s it going with you?

Cheers, Mac

2

I know how you feel:

  1. Forget the second octave until you can close the holes cleanly.

  2. Sit and hold the chanter until you feel comfortable. Look at the masters online and mimic their posture and grip on the chanter.

  3. Hold the bottom D until it is smooth and consistent.

  4. Repeat with low E.

  5. Spend 1 month mastering the low octave. After one month (1 hr per day), your shoulders and pressure control should be such that you are ready for the second octave.

Got to go…off to the Chris Langan weekend up in the Arctic (Toronto).

Cheers,

Virgil

3

Hi Virgil,
Thanks, appreciate your reply, I won’t go for the 2nd octave, I could’nt. I’m taking lessons anyway so I should’nt get carried away. I read that 3 months is’nt unreasonable to learn the scale, better make that 6. Enjoy your weekend :slight_smile:

Cheers, Mac

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Relax…

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For all of us who couldn’t get to Toronto this weekend, let us know how it went…

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If your heart is in it , then , dont worry about it ,:slight_smile: . tok . take it slow . Go easy , Please your heart .:slight_smile: . Music speakes from the soul . :slight_smile:

[ This Message was edited by: tok on 2003-01-18 00:51 ]

[ This Message was edited by: tok on 2003-01-18 00:57 ]

7

MacEachain, yes, 1st week, me too! How’s it going, you ask? Same here… you know I could also drive chanter with bellows!! But I stopped doing that! I am “feeling” my fingers get used to finding the holes, and I’m getting good at the scales… and sometimes find myself “playing” air chanter when I’m sitting somewhere idle.

But it is dryer than hell at home, and the same at work, where I practice in an auditorium(!), and my reed is very hard to play. I found myself really squeezing the bag hard to get notes, and white knuckling the chanter… a piper friend moved the staple just a wee bit and it is playing a little easier (but still hard)… so I am learning how to relax…

AND, I love it! I feel that the more I practice the more automatic will be the fingering… and easier too, once I get myself a local reed.

8

Hi, I’m at the three year mark, and just thinking back to the first six months makes me shudder! It took me six months to be able to play the hard bottom D!

Some tips given to me (and my experience).

Practice – it will come if you stick at it. Find somewhere comfortable where you can relax and not be concerned about anything else. Try to do at least an hour at a time – 10 minutes here and there doesn’t work. One of the best pieces of advice I got was “If for any reason you’re not enjoying your practice session, stop, and try again the next night”. Your pipes will behave differently in different conditions – heat, humidity etc – and you won’t realise it yet. You will go from one day where you think you are making reasonable progress, to the next, when it seems like you’re back at square one – and it might just be the pipes. I don’t think about trying to be better when I practice, just try to relax and enjoy it.

Make sure you’re fingering properly. I started off using the tips of my fingers, rather than the ‘pads’ between the joints. It took me months to ‘unlearn’ this. Also about six months ago, I went on holiday for a week and came back unable to play the second octave – nearly chucked the pipes out – unbelievably frustrated until I realised I wasn’t closing the holes properly on the left hand. Good tight fingering is key to getting the notes out, and takes practice.

Get the low octave scale right first – don’t worry about playing tunes too much. If you do play tunes, play them slowly, until you can play them perfectly slowly, then speed up to a normal pace – don’t try to play fast too early. Practice rolls, crans, triplets etc. separately, so that you can seamlessly play them in a tune, when you’re ready.

Get help. If you can, go to a club or teacher. I think Armagh and Belfast (?) have pipers clubs. I go to the London Club and it’s invaluable – your fellow pipers will check out your style, teach you tunes, check your pipes (a lot have leaks, bad reeds etc. which make them even harder to play, but you won’t realise it), and provide much needed sympathy and encouragement. People also recommend the Na Piobairi Uilleann tapes strongly, but nothing beats personal contact

Best of luck, and stick at it,

Keith

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Hi Mac.,Hang on in there! Rome wasn’t built in a day,as they say.By the way, What happened to the picture of your pipes? I re-visited the thread the other night and noticed that you had edited your post and the picture had disappeared.

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Elbogo AIR CHANTER! You got it bad!

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Hi Mac,

I can still remember the number of bruises and abrasions i’ve got on my right arm after the first week of practice. Well, same problem like you, i was pumping the bellows like a mad-man, driving and forcing air into the chanter. I’d even sent posts here asking why so much force is needed.
By the second week, things got better; Coordination between bellows and pressure of bag improved, and i was so happy to hit the top D by the end of the second week. Hopes the same thing happen to you!
But i must say that i really envy you cos uilleann pipers are so available over at your place; I’ve got to struggle alone here in Singapore, sigh… Not grumbling here but just hope to send you this bit of encouragement.
Happy Piping,
Cowan

12

Hi Folks,
Thanks to everyone who replied, lots of good advice. I’m having lessons and have the utmost respect for you guys who had to go it alone. Yes its difficult, but also adictive, you know what I mean, I go to do something else and then I think I’ll have a go on the pipes :laughing: I’m getting there slowly.
Kevin, the pic was’nt showing for me, I think it was an MSN problem, I re-posted it, I can see it now, looks like I’m the only one. I re-post it and see what happens.

Cheers, Mac





[ This Message was edited by: MacEachain on 2003-01-18 17:23 ]

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Yup,They’ve re-appeared! :slight_smile:

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I started learning the UPs at a weeklong festival and by the end of that week i could play a simple tune. My technique was and is not perfect but i wondered if anyone had any views on wether a “crash course” or a slow steady intro to playing is better?

Dan

15

Hi Dan,
that’s a very good point which deserves its own thread. I assume you attended a workshop at the festival. Had you any experience before going? A workshop for absolute beginners sounds like a great idea. Could you go into a bit more detail either on the forum or by e-mail? I’d be very interested to find out more.

Cheers, Mac

16

just so you know there are others, been a month since i got my practice set. practicing 20 min a day (which many would say is too little). concentrating on bellows technique, good pipers grip, finding the holes properly, not gripping too hard, and getting a few notes out. spending the rest of my practice time on whistle.

meir