i always get such good advice here i will try again.
when i play low whistle i have no problem relaxing my grip. however, on pipes, there is just too much tension, especially in my thumbs and wrists. i know it will hurt me later. it hurts now, and limits my practice time.
is there any good trick to learn to relax?
i know it sounds like a dumb question, and you want to say “just do it”. but if anyone has any more specific advice, would appreciate it.
i just picked up my gallagher half set in concert pitch with 4 keys. it is awesome. i generally practice with the drones off and will continue to do so until i get this relaxation thing licked. i am learning mainly from the heather clarke tutor.
That’s quite a tip of the iceberg you touch on here. There are entire degree disciplines on the study of musical physiology. I had to study a little of this in a former life so I’ll offer what I can with out getting too “Zen” on you here.
A couple of things to be watchful of.
(and I know this is a subject of much contribution) Make sure your pipes are set up properly. Do some experimenting to see what the absolute least amount of effort is you have to expend to make any sound. Don’t even touch the chanter… just air through the bag. If every thing is where it needs to be, it should be very little effort to get some sort of sound. (not musical or in tune just sound)
(another well contributed-to subject) Bag position. For a couple of reasons.
A. The lever mechanics of your shoulder work so that you will exert less force to achieve the same bag pressure if the bag is high up in your arm pit. Of course this may not be the most comfortable position depending on the configuration of your set. I’m just throwing out some possibilities to experiment with.
and B. (this is one that I have to be mindful of) the position of the bag will also impact the position of the chanter reed cap and, by virtue of the leg bone-connected-to-the-hip-bone principle, the angle of the chanter sole on your popping strap. My bag shifts sometimes so I start to press the chanter into the strap harder which requires a tighter grip and my right hand gets sore. So I have found that bag position can make my hand sore and I try to watch it.
Be present! Pay attention to what you are doing. You have already said that it is causing you pain. I have known musicians who have kept on playing through pain and it ended their careers before they even started. And, interestingly enough, it was always their hands that were unreasonably stressed. Pay attention to what your body is telling you and when it starts to hurt, stop and relax.
Practice playing relaxed. Seriously. Come up with some really easy exercises like half-note scale segments such as D, E, F#,E D.- E, F#, G, F# E. and so forth up to say, back d, and then go back down. Go slow, no faster than 85bpm. No crans, no rolls, no cuts or triplets. No second octave. The only thing you should concentrate on is finger (the note will sound as soon as the hold is cleared, no reason to lift your finger 2 inches) and hand position and how tightly you are holding the chanter. All you want to do is practice a relaxed playing style.
Give yourself time to correct the bad habits. It has been suggested that it takes twice as long to break a habit as it did to create it. That is to say, until it becomes an unconscious action. Keep working on it consciously until you “accidentally” do it without thinking.
just try a little playing with the right thumb off the chanter or keep it on the C key but don’t depress it. just a few moments a few times showed me how little pressure is really needed.
also for me, if i say words silently to me own mind, words like delicate, sweetly, lightly, it seems to make it happen and it comes out the fingers then the chanter.
Boy, Meir, these are all really excellent responses you’ve gotten so far. If you don’t mind, I’d like to add a couple more.
When I find things are going badly, I usually find a couple of things have gone wrong:
I have started to slump. Sit up straight, and try to learn to relax in an upright position. Sounds simple, but it takes practise to turn this into an unconcious body habit.
I’m holding my breath. This happens when I’m concentrating on something and its not going well and I am starting to get frustrated. Stop. Take a big breath and let it out slowly. Repeat until you’ve forgotten what you were getting so worked up about.
Grip of Death. Stop. Shake your hands out to get the blood flowing again into those cramped hands.
Here’s some other tips that others have passed on to me:
Look down at the shape of your hands on the chanter. Your hands and wrists should form an arc off the ends of your forearms. Do not get your wrists locked into a crooked/bent shape. They must remain curved and relaxed.
If you have any keys on your chanter, observe how far the keys open. That is a far as you need to pull your fingers off the chanter to sound a note cleanly. Anything more is too much, and will interfere with your timing when you want to get faster. (Don’t even dream of trying to play faster for the first year).
Keep your fingers soft and curved around the chanter. Do not stiffen them to pull them off when you sound a note.
When playing notes with the upper hand, try only holding the chanter with the lower hand. When playing notes with the lower hand, try only holding the chanter with the upper hand. This is another way of helping your hands relax while you are sounding notes.
Most importantly, pray to God that you soon come to your senses and pick up the electric guitar instead.
Not exactly ideal conditions, were they? I thought you carried it off very well. And, hey, at least you didn’t have to play behind chicken wire!
I remember a gig I had once at SeaWorld near the Seal den. We were just downwind of a dozen or so large buckets of dead fish they rewarded the animals with during the shows. It was about 95 out with a light breeze that wafted a truly incredible smell right into the band. The worst of it though was the seals themselves. They were plenty quiet between songs but every song the entire time we played all anyone could hear was ORF ORF ORF.
Nice Job this weekend, you’ve obviously been practicing patience and grace as well as relaxation.
As per usual, it was a real treat to see you play. You’re going to have to show me some of the tunes on your set list. Really fine stuff.
Very good advice!!!.. As Scott mentioned, setup is very important. I’ve only been at this for about a year and a half and don’t get to practice much. It took several months for me to figure out, the way I position my bag under my arm, the bag neck was to long and had my chanter in an awkward position. The “death-grip” resulted from undue tension from the bag neck when trying for a comfortable chanter angle. Once I cut about 2" from the neck, it took alot of tension from my grip. When I am demonstrating my form, I put the bag under my arm, set the chanter on my leg without gripping it and inflate the bag to just about playing pressure, the chanter will stand at attention at about the right angle for my hands. It surprises me now, just how little pressure it does take to seal the holes… Hope this helps!!!
Very good hints - and it is probably unnecessary to add my 2 cents, but nevertheless, here they come.
Put the instrument away for a short while.
Sit upright and use a chair which has a suitable height to put your feet flat on the floor.
Bring your fingertips together in front of your belly, as if you were embracing a pillow or your favourite teddy bear or your girl friend or …
Important is that your elbows are held clear of the body by approx. 4 to 5 inches.
Move your arms outwards until your fingertips are 4 to 5 inches apart.
Lower your right arm until your right hand is 7 to 8 inches lower than the left one (if you’re right-handed).
Try to memorize this position.
Strap on that funny instrument, put the bag under your left elbow and place the chanter on your right thigh, let’s say 5 inches from the knee (I suggest to the beginner to use the practice set-up with no drones - but there are other opinions). Get into the position described above.
The chanter should then be in a natural position to fit into your hands. If it does not, you should ask yourself why? Check the helpful comments in this thread. Most likely one of the points applies to your situation. To my experience there are mainly two reasons (as already mentioned): 1) The neck is too long, so that the chanter top is way to far away from your left hand, 2) the bellows-bag connectioin is too short. If this is the case, you will tend to move the bag inwards. As a consequence, the chanter will stand to steep, nearly perpendicular - rather than diagonal, as it should be.
I don’t know if this helps, but one thing is for sure: If the chanter is in a suitable position you will need much less grip to keep it there.
The reason why I suggest to forget about the drones in the first place is not because of playing issues, but only because sometimes, the drones tend to slip towards your right knee. As a beginner, you run into the risk of following that movement with your chanter bell, and this will ruin your ideal position.
P.S.: BTW, are there any suggestions concerning relaxed techniques for UP listeners?
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” (D. Adams)
I thought you carried it off very well. And, hey, at least you didn’t have to play behind chicken wire! 
Get into the position described above.