I’m new to this forum as you can see from my post count; I was directed here by someone whose name on this board I don’t know. I’m looking to begin playing the bagpipes (Great Highland Bagpipes/Great Irish Warpipes)as I haven’t played a musical instrument in a bit and would like to continue from now on. I’ve been directed to Bagpipes Galore for a starter kit by someone, but above mentioned person told me to steer clear of Pakistani goods and look here for help. Any recommendations?
Edit: For some reason I forgot to type of bagpipes I wanted to play. Silly me.
The reason I asked is that 20 odd years ago I started learning on my own. It was VERY slow and I learned some things wrong that I later had to correct. About 8 years ago I located a pipe band and began lessons. Much easier if you have a teacher. It’s just not an instrument that would be considered easy, in fact it is a lot of work, and like most things, it makes the learning much more enjoyable if you find someone to help you in person. They could recommend what you would need, particularly if you might ever consider playing with a GHB band.
Before I checked the internet, I called about 5 music stores in my area, except one which was closed for inventory on that day. Every one told me they had no bagpipe products.
Your best bet for help with Highland piping would be to check out the Bob Dunsire Bagpipe Forum. You’ll get all kinds of help there as well as suggestions on how to get started.
The first thing to get on your own is a practice chanter. Most are not the same size as the real pipe chanter, but you can get full-sized models fo ~$100. It is absolutely worth it to get the fingerings down comfortably from the get go.
Another piece of weird advice - MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE that when you begin playing, put your left hand on the top part of your chanter and your right hand on the bottom.
When I started taking lessons years ago, neither my teacher nor I noticed for several months that I had my hands positioned backwards. I had learned too much to go back to the begining and start from scratch. So, 20 years later, I play all wind instruments “backwards.” = More expensive, much of the time.