I am getting a practice set on March 2nd. Found a teacher here who has prctice sets that he rents for $25 a month. I can’t wait for the week to go by
Ron,
Congrats…!!
I think you’ll love it. You might want to practice some finger stretching and squeezing a rubber ball to reduce hand cramping.
Good luck with the lessons. I hope you post back and tell us how you’re progressing.
Doing the HAPPY DANCE. Took A mental health day from work and got my practice se a week early!!! Sounds like I am strangling a sack full of cats but I couldn’t be happier
So Ron,
Who’s the maker, and what’s the hardest thing you’re struggling with so far???
B~ 
Pipes are made by Charles Roberts http://homepage.tinet.ie/~robertscharles/index.html
Lovely tone to them, well made. I have kind of got working the bellows and bag under control, right now my biggest problem is getting used to using closed fingering, I am so used to open on whistle. I’ve only had them for a few hours now so I’ll report back later in the week as to my progress
Ron, if you can’t get the bag & bellows thing working… DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try hooking up a hose to your chanter and mouth blowing the instrument. I’m told it will send your reed into another dimension.
I can co-ordinate the bag and bellows okay Tony, it’s getting used to the closed fingering that’s killing me
Anyone else have any experience with Charles Roberts pipes?
Dionys,
There’s a Roberts half set currently on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1518028183
Starting price is $1,350.
New Roberts half sets are going for £1450.00 or about $2,075US.
I thought they were going for IRP1450 which is about US1750 at the current exchange rate?
Dionys
Dionys,
Something like that… I read the wrong conversion. Yahoo converter has it about $1,612USD.
I found a good posting about Roberts pipes on Patrick’s message board:
http://pluto.beseen.com/boardroom/m/48828/View?n=00857a00875
Ron,
It’s not too late to change your mind!!!
I started about thirty years ago, and in spite of varicose veins in the left armpit, arthritis in the cervical region of the spine, calloused right thumb, split thumbnaile etc. etc. I’m still at it, and looking forward to retirement and having more time to play, so it’s not without its attractions. But you should realise you’re probably letting yourself in for decades of frustration.
Having a teacher helps, I don’t know how people cope without. My one word of advice is to learn at least the essentials of reed maintenance (and even reedmaking if you’re up to it), especially if, as I guess from your address, you live in a region subject to significant fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Coping with a bad reed must be one of the biggest turnoffs for beginners, and ill-advised tampering with a reed is their form of original sin.
One piece of advice which I give beginners is to fill the bag and then hold a single note for as long as you can without pumping with the bellows. It helps to overcome the “drowning man” urge to hyperventilate.
I’m still intrigued by the connection between getting a practice set of pipes and a “mental health” day off from work. Are you sure they ain’t trying to tell you something?
Welcome to the club.
Roger
The instructor is a great guy, very calm and patient, he also makes reeds so knows about the high altitude and dryness here and makes the reeds for the climate. When I get further along I am going to ask him to teach me to make them.
The approach you mentioned of holding 1 note as long as possible is the technique he started me out with. He stresses playing in a relaxed fashion, very loose fingers, relaxed through the shoulders and arms. This weeks homework is to just prctice with the bag and bellows holding a note while staying relaxed.
As for the mental health day, that was my decision cause I didn’t want to wait another week before getting my practice set .
Ron
Another one hooked.
Realised I started off talking about “the one piece of advice” and then proceeded to give two.
The relaxation is an important part. If you have to tnese up your upper arm just to get a sound out, it’s very hard to relax the fingers. So yet another little tip is to take a break from the chanter from time to time in the course of a practice period and loosen up with a tin whistle.
Many reedmakers forget how hard it was at the start and give beginners unnecessarily hard reeds, but it sounds as if you’re in good hands. It’s time enough to have a hard reed when you’re into noisy pub sessions.
Now you’re hooked, stick with it!
Roger
On 2002-02-24 11:58, Dionys wrote:
I thought they were going for IRP1450 which is about US1750 at the current exchange rate?Dionys
For the record : IRP has ceased to be legal tender
That’s right. It’s the feckin Euro now. Good thing I saved all those punt coins and notes.
Go raibh maith agat,
Dionys
Well, after a week of work I can now play a scale without any trouble, working the bag and bellows in harmony is beginning to feel natural
So Ron,
What’s the best bit of advice you can give me when my set arrives in about a week?
Bri~
Take it slow and easy, don’t be in a rush, get the feel for the bag and bellows before you worry about playing notes
Definitely in agreement with Ron, I just picked up my loaner chanter with my own bag and bellows and just getting used to working the bellows/bag combination.
I’m the type who gets easily testy, but I’ve got it in my head now that I need to take the time and develop the patience to learn for the long-run. After a few days with this magnificent creature, I know she will tame eventually;-)
Cheers,
Paul