Well, there I was, browsing the 'net and checking-up on all things piping, since it’s one of my Secret Obsessions to learn some sort of pipes (other than GHB!) one day.
I looked at the description, thought, well that sounds interesting. And then I thought I’d check on over at C&F to see what the pipers there think of a mouthblown smallpipes set with plastic reeds from a maker called Gibson.
Well, what a disappointment! Not a single post on the subject!
So, here IS that post. Given that:
– I’m a complete beginner on pipes
– authenticity is NOT so important to me as much as being able to knock out a few tunes in D for session purposes or in my local band
– a maintenance and bellows-free introduction to piping sounds interesting
– the price of around €600 (from an american dealer) is certainly OK
Tráthóna maith agat
Hardly surprising as this is a forum for Uilleann Pipes(Irish Pipes).
There is a quite a difference between us and the rest of the piping world!
Az, I don’t know anything about the fireside pipes, but if you want to start piping, pick an instrument you feel comfortable with and have a go. Money is a big part of piping, and you’ll want to investigate all kinds of pipemakers to guage what price range you feel o.k. with.
I think that you will eventually be bitten by the bug bigtime, as most of the rest of us have, and when that happens your journey to the dark side will be complete. Good luck on your journey.
About a year and a half ago, I purchased a set of the Gibson Ceildhe pipes and converted them to bellows blown smallpipes. (You can buy them that way now) I wanted the look of traditional smallpipes, so I opted for the Ceildhe pipes instead of the firesides. The sound is excellent and they are very pleasant to listen to. Playing these pipes got me interested in uillean pipes. Since they were bellows blown, the transition to uilleann pipes was not as difficult for me.
Good luck on your journey.