Well, i have been stuck on the practice chanter for a quite a while, I’ve almost given up learning the pipes quite a few times. I can’t give up piping because my mom is the one paying for the lessons, and i promised my instructor i wouldn’t wuss out on him. I find my self playing my low d like the uilleann pipes a lot, and i also tend to play it to much instead of practicing my practice chanter. I want to learn the bagpipes too. Any words of encouragement ?
Hi celticgarrison
It is like learning any new skill, it takes time to develop,keep at it and you will be playing bagpipes and enjoying it in no time.
David
cant help thinking that this reply; however positive and encouraging; is more than a tad simplistic.
“Just wave your arms and the orchestra will follow”
Do you mean a low d whistle or do you have an uilleann practice set?
Piping requires a lot of practice and discipline. To keep it from getting boring it helps to reward yourself. Use your other instrument. Promise yourself that you won’t play the other instrument until you have done at least 30 minutes of chanter practice. If there is a bit of technique or a passage in a tune that you are struggling with, reward yourself for getting it right by giving yourself a few minutes extra time on your other instrument.
Something that can be a reward and an inspiration is a good CD. Use listening to a piping CD that you enjoy as reward for your practice. If you don’t have any, just getting some and listening will be a good motivator.
Well thanks for the idea, i am talking about the highland bagpipes hehe practice chanter…thanks again!
Its an expensive way to go, and probably wont solve all your problems but…
Before I ever laid a finger (or arm) on a set of GHB’s, I had my Deger electric pipes (no blowign required 
). I learned the fingerings and articulations over some time, and became proficient with a good deal of tunes. When I was loaned an accoustic set to mess with for a while, it made it much easier that my fingers were already trained, and I could put all my focus into bad pressure, breathing, etc.
There are other electric pipes out there, and IMHO they make a better option for learning fingerings for tunes than a practice chanter (which is what I messed around with before gettign a Deger rig). There have been a few threads about them on this forum.
And totally pick up some CD’s. Having something to hear and then mimic can be a big help!
Hi ChasR
I thought it was simple - get competent tuition + put in the practice time = playing the instrument
David
So can you give us a clearer picture of what stage you are at in your bagpipe tuition? Do you have any tunes yet? What goals has your instructor set for you before getting your pipes?
Well…i am currently stuck on the G,D,E combo, and as for the pipes, i do not know when i will start on them.
Well…i am currently stuck on the G,D,E combo, and as for the pipes, i do not know when i will start on them.
Well…i am currently stuck on the G,D,E combo, and as for the pipes, i do not know when i will start on them.
The GDE is a fundamental way for pipers to articulate rhythm, kind of like the roll on a whistle. Think about the rhythm. The GDE movement comes in either 3-part or 4-part rhythms. In 3-part you are using the gracenotes to count “1-2-3.” In 4-part your usually adding a note before or after the GDE so you’ll have “note-2-3-4” or “1-2-3-note.”
A fun thing to do when practicing GDE is to close the bottom of the chanter off on your knee so that no sound comes out when your fingers are in “low G.” Then when you play a gracenote a little “pip” sound comes out and GDE comes out as “pip-pip-pip.” If it you’re not lifting your finger high enough the gracenote will be clipped or muffled. If you are lifting your finger too high or not putting it back quick enough it will just come out as a note. They will kind of sound like sound effects on an old video game like “Pong.”
Sounds like you enjoy playing the whistle, but don’t enjoy playing the practice chanter. There are several possible causes and solutions, and only you know which is true:
- you dislike the practice chanter because it’s just a learning device, while the whistle is an actual instrument. The solution would be to start playing the actual Highland pipes. Now, you say, “but my instructor says I shouldn’t start playing the actual pipes until (fill in the blank).” I’ve been teaching Highland pipes for well over 20 years and I’ve noticed an interesting thing about what various teachers say about when to start the pipes. Some have a time thing: “You shouldn’t start the pipes until you’ve been playing the practice chanter for (fill in the blank)”. The time varies from six months to a year or more, from teacher to teacher. Some have a performance thing: “You shouldn’t start playing the pipes until you have mastered (fill in the number) tunes on the practice chanter.” This varies from six to twenty or more tunes, from teacher to teacher. Other teachers say that it’s best to start learning to play the actual pipes from the get-go. Of course on the PC and on the pipes you would be doing different things: learning fingering technique and tunes on the PC, learning blowing technique on the pipes.
What does this huge disparity from teacher to teacher, as to when to start the pipes, tell us? THAT IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU START THE PIPES. I let the student dictate it. Some students are just itching to get blowing on the pipes, others are more comfortable spending more time on the PC. - That in your heart of hearts, you’re really more interested in playing Irish music, the whistle, and perhaps the uilleann pipes, than playing the Highland pipes. Solution: stop the Highland lessons and start uilleann lessons, or at least whistle lessons, with a good teacher.
- Your Highland pipe teacher just isn’t very good at motivating you. True, the motivation must come from within the student, but a good teacher can be inspiring, a bad teacher uninspiring. Solution: find another teacher. My son went through a number of trombone teachers and only one really connected with him and inspired him to practice and play more.
- You just don’t like doing things your Mom makes you do. Nobody at that age does! Solution: If you really do want to play Highland pipes, and you are happy with the teacher’s personality and methods, and can accept his timetable for when you will start playing the actual pipes, you just have to get past the fact that it’s something your Mom wants you to do. Focus on the fact that it’s something YOU want to do, and do it to the best of your ability. (I know you didn’t say that your Mom was making you take the lessons. It’s just a guess on my part, because I’ve had a lot of young students who were in that situation.)
Learning Highland pipes is a long grinding road. There is a lot of boring technique that must be mastered, and a lot of boring drills that must be played over and over. I started when I was 17. I was fanatically dedicated and went three or four years before I missed a single day of practice. By the time I was 19 I was playing in a grade 2 band, and never looked back. I’ve loved every minute of it, more than 30 years later.
Maybe you should get some smallpipes.
Great Highland pipes are, of course, an abomination and were, I believe, invented to drive the Roman legions from The British Isles but Scottish smallpipes are wonderful. You play them exactly the same way (errr sort of) and no one has to go deaf or hate you. What could be bad?
Doc
Note that Doc has used his traditional diplomacy and tact in saying only the kindest things he can muster so as not to engender feelings of ill-will among those already afflicted with GHB.
Some good poits Richard (pancelticpiper). There might be something to having a student learn to blow the pipes in the meanwhile learning fundamentals on the practice chanter. It’s probably just not practical in most contexts but I wouldn’t rule it out. Maybe an instructor could have a student pipe and each student has his/her own blowpipe that they bring to their lesson to practice blowing the bagpipe under the instructors supervision.
As far as the practice chanter thing, I’ll go back to my suggestion of listening to CDs. In this instance I’d recommend Gordon Duncan’s “Circular Breath” which features tracks of Gordon playing in his inimitable style on a practice chanter. The practice chanter is a musical instrument too.
I’m sure Doc’s tongue is planted firmly in his cheek regarding his philosophy about GHB v. smallpipes. If not, be ready to take a dive when a Glasgow Celtic hooligan storms your goal box.
Maybe next time put the focus on GOOD pressure.
Kevin Krell
Yikes! Ahem…
Official Retraction:
The Great Highland Bagpipe is, perhaps, the most sublime and beautiful of musical instruments. Its dulcid tones elevate the consciousness and bring harmony to the universe. I think everyone should have a set. 
Phew! That was close!
Doc
I added the red text.
Mukade
There’s a good sport, Doc. And who says us Highland pipers have a mob-like mentality? 
The difference between a Highland piper and most anybody else is that when a Highland piper thinks of a bagpipe they think of the best case scenario: drones in perfect phase lock with a harmonically balanced chanter, cracking technique and dripping with music. Aside from non-participating enthusiasts, anybody else usually thinks of the worst case scenario: drones squealing and roaring, chanter just a couple decibels below dog whistle range and no discernible melody to be heard.
What you wrote is absolutely spot on. The problem is that scottish pipe music is an acquired taste (I got into piping through playing Irish music and thought the GHB was a severely limited instrument, only being able to play nine notes, but then I saw the light), and no one outside piping understands the perfection that is required to play at the top level. I don´t want to offend anyone, to play any instrument really well takes a lot of work, but I know of no music outside of classical music that requires so much practice and so much attention to technique.
I´ve just come home from a serious drinking session with my PM so any spelling errors are to be expected.