I’m a french student from North of France and I’d love to learn the Uilleann pipe. But where I live, it’s a bit difficult !!
I found a method free and in french, “la méthode Guilloux”. Do you know it ? Is this a good method ? Is it possible to learn without a teacher ? I couldn’t find any where I live.
And I would also like to buy an instrument because right now I’m learning on a Tin whistle, which is a bit less expensive .
What would be a good instrument for a complete beginner ? I think I must buy a practice set but I dont know from which pipemaker. As I said, I’m a student so I don’t have much money to spend
I, like you, am new to the pipes. I have ordered a practice set from Patrick Sky and should have it by the end of this month. I have learned an enormous amount on this forum. Read all the posts on the “budget sets/pakistani sets” that is on this forum. It will answer many of your questions.
Others on this board have incredible insight and knowledge regarding the pipes, so I can only forward to you what I have learned from them…
Buy a practice set. David Daye, Patrick Sky, The PipeWorks in Boston all make good budget sets. There are some instuctional books and DVDs that you can order to help learn. And one thing us newbies need to do is learn how to adjust and ultimately make our own reeds to be a happy piper…
Like I said, others on this board have a wealth of experience and I will defer to them…I just thought I would pass on what I have learned so far and I haven’t even played a note yet.
By the way, your English is fine…100 times better than my French
Actually, being in France a better idea might be to head over to Germany to one of Andreas Rogge’s practice set making classes. That would probably be the cheapest route to go. I don’t see anything at his site, but I believe there are people on the board who have taken it.
Marc Guilloux is an accomplished player. I don’t know about his tutor. The Paris and Breton regions have many pipers. Get in touch with these gals and guys: http://www.ganainm.fr/ http://www.napiobairi.fr/
Je suis piper en Bretagne, où notre association (Gan Ainm) est active. Tu peux nous joindre (off board), et nous rejoindre quand tu veux; notre association dispose d’un practise set que nous pouvons prêter pendant une durée limitée à un nouveau piper.
Marc est un pilier de notre association, l’un des premiers (et meilleurs) joueurs de pipe du pays, avec quelques autres…
Si tu es dans le Nord de la France, tu peux entrer en contact avec nous. Pour ma part, je suis à Charleville-Mezieres, dans les Ardennes. PM si tu veux plus de précisions (France + Belgique). N’hésite pas !
Trés interresant, I thought my french was so weak, I couldn´t understand some text, and it seems I can
SadWolf: I can only forward informations given here. Adding to all mentioned earlier, CJ Dixon is not so “old” craftsman, meaning he´s got good prices - I´ll be ordering one of his sets soon. He´s more expensive than Daye or Sky, but one of my “mottos” is, that I´m not rich enough to buy cheap things - I´ll rather buy a practise set for 1200-1500 dollars, rather than buy one for 500, and throw it away after some time…
Okay thanks all for your advices, it’s very encouraging !
I’ll be looking for my instrument on your links, it’s cool you give me many choices !
I’m sure I’ll have more questions once I’ll have it .
Pyroh —> I understand what you mean, but my instrument will be paid with my holiday job, so I haven’t that much !!
Oliver & phcook —> Merci beaucoup de me proposer votre aide mais je suis dans le Nord du Nord de la France, je fais mes études à Valenciennes (j’habite près de Dunkerque) donc c’est un petit peu loin !! Par contre de savoir que je peux demander des conseils à des sonneurs en français ça c’est vachement bien !
Misterpatrick —> I’m afraid I can’t help you I’ve only been in Paris three times
David Daye’s is apparently the cheapest, but as Pyroh says I will probably use the same one instrument for a long time, so I’m wondering if it’s a good solution to buy my bagpipe here ?
Otherwise there’s Andreas Rogge and CJ Dixon, with prices for about 600€ (900£). I don’t know which one of them I could choose if I decide to buy a better instrument cause both of them seem to be quality.
One last question. Are the instruments coming with reeds and all ? Are they ready to play ?
The pipes should be ready to play, but it will have to adjust to your climate first.
Reed supplies and performance will vary with the maker, most of whom supply one reed, sometimes two, and sometimes at extra cost.
I really haven’t gotten a satisfactory chanter (throw in drone and regulator) reed from any chanter maker I have tried except for David Daye, so I suggest ordering a couple of extra staples to get started on your reedmaking skills, no matter who you choose as your maker.
I get the best results making my own reeds. After all, I am the one that is playing it, so I can adjust them better and so they play as I like them to play.
I have seen posts where the pipes were practically pick up and play, but I never have been that lucky.
Olivier m’a devancé, j’allais suggérer que tu le contactes.
Je n’ai pas encore regardé une carte géographique, mais peut-être que, une fois que tu auras un instrument, tu pourrais contacter Gérald Ryckeboer, qui habite en “Flandre française” (guillemets par prudence vu la situation politique actuelle en Belgique!), et doit donc être assez près de toi.
Tu serais le bienvenu au tionol (rassemblement de uilleann pipers) belge qui a lieu le 3e ou 4e weekend de mai (il faudrait que je vérifie les dates!) près de La Roche en Ardenne.
Donne-moi toujours tes coordonnées par PM, je dois avoir une adresse email pour Gérald, et s’il se passe autre chose dans les environs on te tiendra au courant.
Entre temps, persiste avec le tin whistle, tout ce que tu apprendras avec servira aussi pour les uilleann pipes.
hello and welcome new piper,
I was playing for almost 25 years galician pipes (gaita galega) and two years ago I begun to play a very cheap and modest practice set bought from www.oworlds.com. At the beginning I had to find out a reed maker cause the chanter came with a pair of plastic reeds. Once found the reed maker now I can play entirely in tune and with three keys for C, F and G# and a powerful hard D. Three months later I bought the drones set and two weeks ago I have order the regulators set. I had to work hard on the sets changing plastic reeds for cane reeds for the chanter and find out new canes for the drones but in my country (Galicia, northwest of Spain) I am lucky due to this is an old celtic country plenty of pipers and pipemakers and we are invited every year to attend to Lorient International Celtic Festival in Bretagne. It wasn´t very dificult to find new cane reeds for drones and even the plastic ones. Now I can play with the chanter and the three drones without a hard effort. In my case I knew that it would be like plug and play but by my experience I could do some arrangements at the set like joint adjustments, reinforce the spring at the Fnat key, reed adjustments for get in tune, etc.
One year later I bought a very expensive full silver keyed chanter (1500 €) in ebony from a irish pipemaker but the cheap chanter has better intonation at the tuner (just intonation not equal temperment). What I like in my irish chanter is the high volume and power it transmit and reminds me the style of playing of a superstar piper called Jarlath Henderson. I called to Antonio Obrero for reeding this chanter cause he is a very good reed maker and lives in Lion d´Angers (close to Nantes I think). I am only telling you what happend to me and it is not and advice. In Brittany or Bretagne for sure you cand find several pipe makers and guys like Patrick Molard or Ronan le Bars or Brendan Ring I suppose can help you.
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