As an isolated piper myself plopped right in midwestern Canada, I would like to know if there are any other isolated pipers here and would like to ask, what has helped you progress?
Ex: Meeting other pipers, learning reedmaking, skype, sessions, reading music?
Just would like to know what could help me as an isolated piper myself.
Thanks.
It was 40+ years ago when I taught myself to play, in some isolation for the most part living in Australia. One or two tutor books helped but mainly I listened. I put all the recordings of my favourite pipers onto Cassette tapes and had a tape player with auto reverse in my workshop. Luckily I worked alone and could have a tape running continuously. Tunes and techniques were learned by osmosis ( or in my case by OZ-mosis 
)…
My favourite pipers were Seamus Ennis, Willie Clancy, Tommy Reck, Leo Rowsome, The Dorans etc… my Parents generation in fact.
I think it feels natural to learn this way, by absorbtion. 
Regarding isolated pipers, (I’m an isolated piper) What do you guys do in regards to maintenance? I think the need to tinker is the most daunting part for me in regards committing fully to the pipes (I am borrowing awildman’s practice-set for trial).
Assuming you guys have had to tinker, have you guys learned to tinker well on your own? Any tips on learning to tinker well?
In my area, I’ve thought about reaching out to the GHB-pipers (as there are a lot of them) but I actually don’t know how helpful that would or wouldn’t be. 
About two years of halting, solitary progress now.
Episodes of face-to-face instruction have helped the most.
Tinkering is the huge challenge, especially the chanter reed, and it is still a mystery to me. I don’t know how long it will take me before I can confidently adjust it to work (or know to leave it alone) as well as the one experienced piper that lives within two hours’ drive of me. Finding leaks was tough until I learned to be no-nonsense and methodical and stop making assumptions.
Compared to that, actually playing is fun, really (when all is working!).
Ken
Echoing Geoff, listen, listen, listen. Get the NPU tutorial DVDs, practice regularly. Not only was I isolated, I was stuck in Alabama 
dave boling
I’m not isolated,but I would think that this forum is a great help
RORY
In addition to listening and this forum, going to workshops has been the biggest help. The O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat and Swannanoa have helped me the most. You get confirmation on what you are doing right, correction on what you are doing wrong, and a lot of inspiration and social connection.
Thanks for your input, much appreciated everyone.
Indeed this forum can be of great help, surliness and all
Interestingly enough I have used the same reed ever since I got my chanter, it’s about 5 years old now.
In the winter when humidity can drop to about 20%, the reed still plays OK, aside from a Gurgling and unstable Bottom D, and a sinking Back D, just have to play a soft D.
Where are you in Midwest Canada? There are pipers in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg (I think), northern Minnesota, southern Minnesota, Northern Michigan, Detroit area, east/east-central Wisconsin, Chicago, etc. There will be pipers about at festivals in Saint Paul,MN and Milwaukee WI next month too. Maybe a pipe-about is in order?
I always 100% recommend to any piper that has the time, interest, and money, to get into reed making. It made a huge difference for me, especially as a piper who gigs regularly. I can typically get my reeds to behave in any venue. And when I get a chanter from another part of the world, I can make a series of reeds until one works well. In fact, I have a chanter from Europe waiting for me to make a reed for it, as the reed arrived playing extremely sharp. If you’re able to start making reeds, there are free books and videos, and the tools and materials are all fairly cheap. The most expensive piece for me was the gouge.
Good suggestion. I’ve been watching for a chance to try it in a class, but heck, maybe I should just give it a go on my own. I have the interest and probably the money, just need the time!
Ken
I understand that one! Well if you find the time, check out the reed making videos on pipers.ie (http://pipers.ie/source/section/?sectionId=133), the Hagerty book (http://pipers.ie/source/media/?sectionId=133&mediaId=9753), and Evertjan 't Hart’s guide (http://www.hartdd.com/reedmaking/Intro.html). Another good reference for issues once you can make a working reed is http://upreeds.com.
Youtube has great info. Especially looking for the videos where the pipers explain a bit.
Edmonton, Alberta.
I think I will purchase some reed making supplies from NPU.
Fortunately my C# chanter is able to use tube stapling.
BTW how liberal could I be with reed measurements, is trial and error required?
I have found measurements to be largely trial and error. There are typically measurements that a particular chanter likes, but depending on the cane used and how you make the reed, there could be variations throughout. For example, I made some reeds I hoped to used in a bass reg, but they turned out to be too sharp. I didn’t really have measurements to aim for with the bass reg reed, since the reed had arrived damaged. For kicks I threw the same reeds in the first chanter I purchased, and the reeds played excellent! And the reeds were much larger than previous reeds I had used in that chanter. When I make reeds for a chanter I’m unfamiliar with, I start with a guess, maybe making a few different sizes of reeds at once, then go from there.
Also regarding materials/tools, I found most of my materials from random local and online stores. There are a couple specialty items that can be harder to find, like the gouge or the channel blocks for gouging. I ended up finding a gouge on Amazon that works well. Some people make some of their own tools as well.
All great suggestions.
The isolation I faced when I picked up the uilleann pipes in the late 1970s simply isn’t possible today, due to the internet.
Nowadays no matter where you live you can chat with pipers, listen to pipers playing, and take lessons from pipers, all online.
When I started there was no interent, no instructional videos, nothing but listening to albums and reading books.
The greatest helps were The Dance Music Of Willie Clancy and Learn To Play the Uilleann Pipes with the Armagh Pipers Club.
The worst thing was reeds. Our weather here can be fine for reeds much of the year but a few times we get hot incredibly dry winds (below 10% humidity) and I’ve had reeds collapse in the dry heat.
So my first five years or so I only had a working chanter half the time.
I got a working reed in 1982 and I still play that reed today. I have been told that it’s probably California cane which I was told is more weather-resistant than Spanish or French cane.
It would have helped me tremendously to have learned to make reeds!
The best thing for me back then was attending tionoil when I could.
I’m isolated by choice, really . . . meaning I live in an area where there are teachers and probably sessions going on. But frankly I’m too much of a novice to show up at a session. I’d just embarrass myself. As I get more tunes under my belt I might have a go at that . . .
Nevertheless, what keeps me going is listening to delightful pipe tunes, either on CD or found on YouTube, and wanting to play those tunes myself - which is really the same thing that got me started: hearing the music played by masters of the art.
I agree with the others.
Listen to good music as much you can. I can play music in my workspace, so most days I just let it run all the time while I work. I do keep a whistle on my work table so that I can try something on the spur of the moment if I hear or see something I like. Actually, I keep a set of pipes in my workspace also, and sometimes I will play for a while for a break from work.
Attend a tionól, workshop, or retreat whenever you can. You can learn more in 2-3 days with a good teacher than you can in a year of stumbling around by yourself. Totally worth the expense and time to go.
I agree with Richard Cook on good tutor books; the Armagh Pipers Club one is still my favorite.
As has also been said, the NPU DVD’s are a good resource and come with tune booklets.
As far as learning to adjust your reeds and maintain your set, yes, you really need to learn how when you’re far from your pipemaker, but be slow to adjust the chanter reed until you can play well enough to know that the reed really needs adjusting, and it’s not just your own poor playing technique.