Nervous about learning...

Uilleann Pipes
1

Friends,

I am awaiting my practice set and am very nervous about the switch from whistle, different fingerings and such. Once I learn is it difficult to go back and forth? I love whistle but am so looking forward to learning the pipes. I played banjo for years then learned guitar, felt it was more difficult going from one to the other. Any thoughts?

BTW, I am clueless, what is traveller style?

Thanks

Timmy

2

traveller style is a style of playing that is associated with Johnny Doran and Paddy Keenan & others influenced by them - it’s associated with playing that’s wild, uninhibited, spontaneous etc.

  • in terms of the techniques used by players whose playing might be described as traveller-style there’s a tendency towards fluid, open,legato playing although players like Paddy Keenan utilise tight, staccato ornamentation too
3

Hey Tim-
A lot of folks find that when first switching to pipes from whistle, the tunes learnt on pipes become ‘pipe specific’ ie you have to think about it a little bit when you play the same tune on whistle. But it’s not a big deal. After a while whistle/pipe tunes become interchangeable depending on which instrument you happen to be playing at the time. Good luck and happy piping.

4

timmy,

i am at your stage- just got my first practice set (pennychanter). but before that, i was going between scottish smallpipes and whistle and not having much trouble.

what struck me about my first week with the practice set, is that compared to whistle, all progress on the pipes is in such baby steps. unlike the whistle, even one sustained note at the beginning is a big deal. holding the chanter properly without tension is a big deal- you end up practicing just holding the thing properly. proper pressure on the bag, how you move your fingers, all of a sudden everything counts. so i think it will be a while before either of us has to worry about fingering multiple tunes.

enjoy

meir

5

I play (and have played) various woodwinds with similar finger hole positions (i.e. recorder, simple system flute, penny-whistle/tin-whistle, krummhorn, and of course UP) and I didn’t have any trouble switching between the instruments after I had the basics on each.

I asked around and most of my friends who play multiple instruments agree that once you have the basic fingerings down (which doesn’t take a very long time), there’s no issue between switching instruments.

Don’t be so daunted. You’ll figure it out.

Dionys

6

I’ve heard some players of different bagpipes comment how they can always tell someone who began as a Highland piper, or someone who is traditionally an Uillean piper..etc etc. While I personally think this is not a concern, nor a big deal (then again I’m not anal-retentive about this) I do think it IS a factor. My Northumbrian smallpipe playing/style has certainly been affected by my Uillean Piping. ANd I can imagine that someone who is a long time highland player, would certainly have a UP style or NSP style that would reflect that.

Now, all that being said. I see this as a benefit, and something that adds to your dimension as a player, rather than detracts from it. If my playing reflects the fact that I am also a NSP player…grand! great! That’s fine by me, my music is an expression, an extension of my being. As a very* wise man once said “..I yam what I yam, and dat’s all dat I yam…” -Popeye (the sailor)

:slight_smile: