I have been hovering on and off, browsing this forum for a couple of weeks now and it is fantastic.
I have been playing Highland pipes for several years and the band I played for broke up due to lack of interest in the area. So, I have now decided better to learn the instrument I have always admired.
My problem at present is getting a set of pipes to practice on and what arrangement I should go for?
Could anyone out there give me a little advice on, where and what I should go for? I have a little money saved and I sold my Highland pipes.
I don’t want to pay for something I would want to sell at a later date and would not have to wait to long either. I see that Wooff, Froment, K&Q and Williams are impossible to order from due to their very large waiting lists. So do any of you more experienced people out there who knows who’s, who and what’s, what give me a little advice. As, I’m sure like everyone else, we are looking for the best we can get for our money.
Sorry for all the questions, but any help would be very much appreciated.
Alice, that’s not an idle question from Tony. One of the best things you can do is find a pipemaker near you. You will want easy access, especially in the beginning.
We all have our favourite pipemakers, so we can all make recommendations, but being able to physically visit your pipemaker often will help you a great deal until you get familiar with the octopus.
To begin with, you really want to limit yourself to just a chanter, bag and bellows. You will have to get familiar with not only the fingering differences between GHBs and UPs but the varying pressures to play in the second octave, something not readily available to GHBs. Depending on how fast/well you take to UPs, you can easily do without drones for the first year or two, and without regulators for even longer, if ever.
Hi Alice,
My advice is that you make sure that you have decided on whether you want a flat pitch, wide bore D, or a narrow bore D set before looking for a maker (some makers only make a certain type). You might want a quiet set if you will be playing them in a small room or a louder set if you intend on playing in sessions in the future. There are lots of postings discussing the differences between the types of chanters (assuming you do not already know about the differences between the pitches and bores) - just use the search icon.
I agree with djm about finding someone local, but if money is an issue, you might want to consider ordering from a country with an exchange rate in your favour.
In terms of not wanting to wait long, the makers you mentioned have a long waiting list because they make good sets and are reputable, but there are still some good makers out there with shorter waiting periods.
My Ian Mackenzie (Australia) practice set is a reputable set and took a year to get to me. I played his C chanter a year ago and fell in love with it.
You can search for postings mentioning a makers name if you want to see what people think of their sets - I’d suggest you try this.
For your advice and it does make some sense to have something local. I met a fellow last night who played Uilleann pipes for several years and he told me that Lorcan Dunne in Ireland makes fine pipes. I live in the UK and I also was told his waiting list isn’t too bad either.
Does anyone know his contact details, as I think he would be worth contacting. I looked on the NPU web site and didn’t find anything listed for him. I hope this isn’t a bad sign of his pipe making skills, or is he part time and does not want listed.
Thank you Tony, djm, Goldy and Rick for your advice, it all helps, as nothing seems as staright forward as in Highland piping.
in the uk look into davy stephenson. affordable and has alot of fans. you can find any of these people on any browser- it is generally not hard.
in addition, how is your knowledge of irish traditional music? if it is sketchy, you want to do some serious listening. you can pm me or anyone else who has responded a for recommendations. you can probably choose 5-6 cds (from a list of about 100 or so) with great educational value. pick the tracks you like and listen to them again and again. not just for the melody. ask yourself: what and how are they doing to make the music interesting.
do you play whistle? you want to learn some tunes on whistle so you will have a repetoir when you get your pipes. if you do not yet play whistle or you want to recs on tunes, you can pm me for that too.
one major difference between highland piping and the playing of traditional irish music (on any melody instrument for that matter) is the approach to reading.
in highland music, reading is critical, as well as listening.
in traditional music, just the opposite. you can learn only by ear, not even knowing how to read, and become VERY good at traditional music. on the other hand, if you only read and do not listen, your playing will lack flavor. ideally you do both. the written music gives you the melody, and helps with “how does that tune go again”?
Thanks Jeff I’ll send him an email to see what the chances of looking at a set of his pipes. I’ve been told he makes a pretty good set, so I’ll see for myself if I like the sound and looks of his pipes. I was also told Kevin Thomson is also making good stuff also.
Thank you too meir I’m very impressed with your very kind offers. I have a few Irish music CDs, a Paddy Keenan recording from 1975 and I did a little bit of Irish dancing when I was younger. I know I have lots to learn and I will take your advice on taking up the whistle also, it’s a cracking wee instrument, so simple but great.
…there’s quite possibly an Irish club or uilleann piper’s club somewhere near you if you are in the UK and don’t mind a wee bit of travel.
If you’re in Scotland, I have a contact list of just about every uilleann piper [and learner] in the country, so could put you in touch.
Try to get to a tionol somewhere and see/hear/try a few different sets before taking the plunge.
Good second hand sets are sold person to person when an established player upgrades or changes to a flat pitched instrument…there’s nothing better than knowing a few good pipers.
[I use a few friends at home when I get stuck with anything, and took their advice when ordering a set]
