Not too long for me, about err.. 3 months or so? I’m getting along fine, and I can’t wait to get drones! My keyboard does the drones for me for now =P
Anywho, et tu?
Cheers,
Armand
Weeell…that depends. I’ve had my pipes since 1990, and practiced like hell for the first few years plus busked in the mall for about two years. Then by about 1994 I went into a lull and didn’t come out of it again till 2004, meaning for about 10 years I only played them for band gigs and hardly did any practice except to polish the 50 or so tunes I did with the band but basically stagnated.
So If you put it all together, I suppose I’ve only really been ‘at’ the pipes for about 5-6 years if you would calculate that based on how much practice I do.
Cheers,
DavidG
I built mine 3 years ago, but after being frustrated with my screwup on the drilling, I laid it aside and have recently picked it up again.
6 weeks…
… and at the rate I am going, I will be able to play like Becky Taylor sometime early in the Third Millenium.
hi all,
i’ve been at it for about six months now,my problem is getting the bag pressure correct,at the moment its all right sometimes and sometimes its just not happening,but i started off with a very hard reed ,but i now have a soft one in so over blowing is something i am having a bit of trouble with.but i’m learning all the time
I’ve been at it long enough to know better…
lol…i’ve been at it long enuff that I should know better…six years…
People never want to answer this question. 
I got my practice set 16 years ago, played for about 6 months, then went off to college and didn’t play at all for 4 years. After college I took 'em out a few times, mostly for some tionols and classes, but never practiced and never got any better. Then, in the last 2 years or so I finally started practicing and improving and playing regularly, so I consider myself to have been playing for about 2 years.
Justine
It can be embarassing if you have played a for a long time, to focus on how little progress has been made.
There’s the fire of enthusiasm driving you in the early years, then thing start to come together and you ease off a bit too much. Or work and kids leave you exhausted.
And then there’s alway the niggle of “if only I’d practiced for just 45 minutes a day for all those years I’d be a top piper by now. It couldn’t have been that hard to find the time?”
For those starting off on the long road I would say keep practicing through those years when your enthusiasm is low, make yourself do it and never forget your dreams. (Sorry, got a bit soppy at the end there).
David
I wish I had been able to spend lots of time practicing. I’ve been playing very minimally for about 2 1/2 yrs. now, but I probably sound like I’ve only been going for a couple months. But now I have a silencer like the one Morten made (I’ll dub this the "Morten Box). I’m finally getting in some decent late night practice.
Bought practice set in 2001.
Been pokin around on the pipes with no formal instruction since then.
Half set upgrade on order due in 2007.
Bought my Thompson practice set in late 1996. The reed was incredible stiff. Got terrible pain in both hands from trying to play. In 1999, I went travelling the world for 2 years without my pipes. Moved to Canada in 2001 and found myself completely unemployable - the pipes were my fallback plan. The reed was still terribly stiff. I read somewhere that by scraping the reed I could reduce the stiffness. Messed up badly and ruined the reed - no spare. Joe Kennedy came to the rescue with three lovely reeds (which I’m still playing). Since 2001, I’ve been playing fairly regularly. If asked how long, I’d have to say 4 years, as from 1996 to 2001 I was merely the owner of a practice set. Last year, I ordered drones from Nick ‘the Man’ Whitmer and hoping to have them in April.
about 8 1/2 yrs now. i bought my lynch half set from a friend in 1996.
Just a bit over a year. It’s recently started to feel natural and sort of easy, it’s very nice, that. Waiting for drones…
Hey, Seis, nice to hear you’re flirting with the ‘dark side’. Hope all is well. 
Hey JES, how ya doin?
Not too bad, looking forward to Summer.
I don’t put a whole lot of meas on the Ennis 21 years buisness but in September coming I’ll have my 21 years done.
Tommy
Jusy to add to that I have been playing a Johny Bourke chanter for 20 years. Its my favourite chanter ever!!!
But in the last few months I’ve been playing a Leo Rowsome D chanter which is beautiful!! and so easy to play too!!! There’s no keys on it and so I feel there is some things I can’t do on it but bottom line is I’ve waited 20 years from when I heard Leo Rowsome first and now I have one of his chanters and I can’t be happier!!!
Tommy
I’m curious to know what happens to pipers after they’ve done their 21 years. Do they fade away or do they just drone on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and … you get the idea.
After the 21 years, they then put in a 5 year stint with the French Foreign Legion and after that, they go back to their day jobs.