Some times I read advices like " even for non-biginner it is important to take a lesson and make the teacher point out your bad habits"
I’m a isolated piper and there is no chance to take lessons from a master piper.
So what is regarded as a bad habit? Is there a typical habit that
non-student piper always tend to have?
In a related thread, I see there are some attempts to get pipers together in Japan. This is an excellent beginning. It gives everyone a chance to share their knowledge.
You may not be able to go to Ireland for classes, but sometimes high quality pipers go to Japan. Try to get a lesson from them. They charge a lot of money, so you would want to get a group together to pay for this. Contact the piper’s management and arrange an extra hour or day to get a lesson in.
Trying to play tunes fast before you really have them under control. Fight the temptation to imitate your heroes for a while and just play tunes slowly, steadily, and comfortably before ratcheting up the tempo. Give your muscle memory some time to develop.
Unsteady playing - speeding up or slowing down in the middle of a tune should be avoided at all costs. Try to play in a clear, rhythmic manner first; if a passage proves difficult, slow down the whole tune and work the difficult passage into the context of the tune. Eventually the speed will take care of itself but you can’t force it to happen any sooner than it wants to happen.
gotta agree with the above comments: a tight grip is a curse and you won’t get anywhere with the chanter unless you cure it. Make sure your instrument is airtight and your reed is not too open. Keep the tension of working the bag and bellows in your upper arms and do not allow it to creep into your forearms. Visualizing your forearm tendons and muscles as long, rubbery pieces of silicone or similar material can sometimes help you to relax them.
PLAY THE BAG. Do not use the bellows to drive the chanter. This can not be over-emphasized.
Actually, we tried to do this with Liam O’Flynn. His manager/booking agent wanted $600 for an hour. I couldn’t afford it, and couldn’t get enough people together on such short notice.
Will try again with Paddy Keenan or Martin Nolan next time they’re up this way. Martin Nolan came through once before, was an incredible instructor, and only cost $25 per hour.
Liam O’s worth $10 a minute? “Come on, goddamnit! Faster! I don’t care if you are from the Midlands, pickup the pace chop chop!”
A lesson with Kevin Burke costs $30. Actually that was the old price, it’s perhaps higher now. Ack, all those 50 cent pauses!
The pipes have to be set up correctly, the neck of the bag should be long enough for your arms, the blowpipe and connecting tube shouldn’t be too long or short, and the stock should be tied in where they’re most suitable for you. All of these things vary depending on how tall or fat/thin you are, how long your arms are, how wide your hips are - a problem for the ladies sometimes. And even how high the chair you’re sitting on is. There are a few pages online that can help you with this, also back issues of the journals of the Dublin and American pipers’ clubs.
And you need to keep everything airtight. Play a few tunes or practice something, then stop for a while and tighten things up. Very soon you won’t have any problems!
I took my first flute lesson there last week. The multimedia lessons are excellent, and you keep the file so you can watch them as much as you want. The best part of the lesson, however, is the feedback from the teacher. I received my first assessment from Conal O’Grada this week, and I have to say it was comprehensive and extremely useful. He spotted some points in my playing that had been worrying me, and noted a few things I had not realised.
Each lesson costs $19.99, and I think it is well worth the money. The whole process is very well thought out, and it is a very valuable resource for people living far away from a teacher.
Although you don’t get any feedback, you could also try the CDs from http://www.madfortrad.com . They are also useful because you can see the teacher playing.
Send me a private message if you need any help with those sites.
By the way, I am not affiliated with any of these companies; I am just a satisfied customer.
Solw down, feather touch, yes I must learn them. Still have a lot of time
to practice
Uilleann pipes are not popular in Japan,so some pipers come to Japan
without enough announcement.
Recently Mr.Liam O’Flynn and Mr.Jimmy O’Brien Morran came to Japan.
Mr.Liam came with Liz Caroll,Carlos Nunez, Sharon Shannon ,but played only few tunes. And Mr.JOBM! I didn’t konw that he was in Japan utill he left
A begginers bad habit to avoid is violently throwing your pipes at the wall while uttering obscenities. It costs too much, its better to put them down for a while and go for a walk or something. I found kicking the next door neighbours cat sorted me out . (and produced a similar sound)