Can anyone suggest/provide contact information for a good teacher in southern Ontario (Greater Toronto area)?
I can’t even claim to be a beginner (haven’t yet begun!) but I’m becoming obsessed by the music/sound of UPs. I’ve heard that they are exceptionally difficult to play - perhaps a way to discourage the faint of heart? I’ve played flute for 12 years, scottish smallpipes for 2 years - is there anyone nearby who might help out?
m.
Hmmm…I’m always puzzled by how many people contact me AFTER the Chris Langan weekend to inquire about pipes! MJS you just missed out on a great gathering of Uilleann pipers right in your own back yard. Check out:
http://www.chrislangan.ca/
In the T.O. area there are several people who can help you out. Ray Caldwel and Debbie Quigley have been each piping for years. I know there are several others as well.
Check out Wil McAuley’s site at:
http://s92972807.onlinehome.us/torontoceltic/index.php
I’m sure he can give you the contact information you will need.
Feel free to reply or to pm me if you have any other questions.
Paul Gribbon
Ooops! Forgot to mention Kelly Hood. 
Check out at:
http://spraoi.ca/
Paul
You can contact me if you need a few beginner lessons, but what are you doing about getting a beginner set? Without a beginner set, it will be hard to get going.
Cheers,
Virgil
Thanks guys!
Maybe I should have said I am even looking for “pre-beginner” lessons - it would be great to just talk to someone who plays (OK, this site is GREAT, but no substitute for the real deal) … sit in a room for half an hour and look at a set close-up, talk about chanters, keys, drones, bellows technique, good tutor books etc.
As far as buying a practice set, I’ve trolled around through this site and others, soaking in the good and the bad, but in the end, I think what I hear is buy the best you can afford at the time, weighing off wait-time with resale. I also wonder if it might be a good idea to wait until you have ID’ed a potential teacher - I have had the experience of walking into a class, and waiting patiently while an instructor hunts for the words to politely say where did you get that piece of crap!
Love to hear from you again,
m.
Get thee to Dora Keogh’s on Sundays at 4:00 pm. Deb Quiggley is usually there.
djm
I would say go ahead and start putting your practice set together. You now know where there are good teachers in your neck of the woods so waiting to pick one sounds like an excuse for not getting your feet wet. 
Also, you can go the NPU video route, or any of the CD/book tutors…H. Clarke’s is good… they’ll be quite enough to get you started. But you will benefit most by learning from a living, breathing instructor… seeing and especially listening to what they do and how they do it.