So…count out O’Flynn, Ennis, Clancy, Doran, Keenan, ummmm… 
…something like that. 
I teach Piano and Jazz Piano at colleges. I apply a lot of the teaching skills I have learned over the years to teaching the Uilleann Pipes.
I have to go and get on with my farting!
…light a couple of matches when you are finished, please.
Lighting farts should only be done as part of a properly devised science lesson.
Of course Health and Safety Laws require a CCE qualified Fire Fighter to be present.
David
…It would seem that piping would disguise the noise, now we have a product that will mask the odor…the ideal gift for every piper in your family!
I think the question you need to be asking is why exactly are you doing this? If your goal is to reach some specified level of proficiency, holding yourself up to some ideal measuring stick, you’re doomed to disappointment. In my experience the players I truely enjoy do it out of love of the music. They bring something special to the music independant of their level of proficiency. I’ve heard my share of hot players with no real feel for it. Give me an amateur with soul any day. If you love it your skills will follow in time.
Kevin Popejoy
Peter, sorry for not being more clear.
Perhaps a degree of hard knocks?
Seriously, My thoughts were to select someone who was organized with a series of lessons and interacting with the student(s) rather than a good performer and no agenda.
I couldn’t put it any better than that. Look Droner, if you are fishing for sympathy or an “I’m with you buddy”, I think that you already have it…however, moaning about how far along in life you are in relation to piping doesn’t help said piping one iota. If it is support or assistance you are seeking, I’ll quite happily impart what little I know on to you to help you out…as I am certain most of the people on this board will also do.
My advice, stop bemoaning your late start, and get on with the learning and the absolute joy ( ) that is part and parcel toward playing the Uilleann Pipes! You have made it this far toward your dream…continue. And do not forget to have loads of fun along your way.
…I gotta get back to adjusting the reeds for my new chanter…
You were looking for a good teacher rather than a qualified one really.
The reason I asked had to do with the push for the Comhaltas teaching cert which I don’t agree with at all, never mind that though.
I have also found the abilities and interests of starting pipers so varied that it’s very hard to stick to the one plan, I have a now 15 year old girl coming to me who is a wonderful musician but has no interest in using pipingthings like cranns or triplets (she can by now but won’t). Should I stick with the goal and force her too and probably ruin her music in the process? I also teach a young boy 13 now, after three months I had him play the fully backstiched version of the Harvest Home, he can make his fingers do anything. makes everything sound like an excercise. You need quite different approaches from the one person to the next, unless ofcourse you want to mould them and have them end up playing all the same old standardised way, which I wouldn’t think is the right approach to teaching the pipes.
(edited to tidy up a few lines)
Just to add to what Joseph says near the end of the last post, enjoy what you are doing and playing with the pipes regardless of what level you are at or where you think you ought to be in skill. If you’re not enjoying yourself playing the pipes, why bother? Enjoy what you are doing and keep working at it. The skill will come in your time, not someone elses!
Good piping to you!
Ailin
Yes. Those who stick with it, I am convinced, will find their way…their ‘interpretation’, their ‘voice’. I am of the opinion that those who teach, are really there to guide/answer questions/demonstrate their knowledge/inspire and support their stundents…but it is truly the student who will make up their mind to grow and develop as a musician, and learn/discover how to understand the value of experience.
Hi Peter,
I’ve found that most pipers who take lessons want to learn technique not music, which is handy because technique is easy to teach whilst music is not.
I’ve rationalised this dilemma (with children) by assuming they are not mature enough to make fixed decisions about their musical future and should learn as much technique and music as possible to give them the widest possible choice when the are old enough to decide.
This reminds me of my first ever piping lesson (with Billy Brown in London).
He said something like “Slow down, phrase it like this, put some music in it”
Was I interested? No, all I wanted to do was play multiple rolls on high A.
The wisdom of his words only affected me many years later and I was very glad he had said them.
Teachers, good and bad, have lasting effects on their pupils.
It’s quite a responsibility.
David
One other possibly controversial point (I must get back to my marking).
I would say that the the fully back stitched version of Harvest Home is an exercise, it has a high “crack” content but it is difficult to make musical.
David
Well, that one I gave to him as an excercise, to see how far i could strtch him at such an early stage. My point was of course he to an extend makes everything sound like an excercise while the girl I mentioned ca nturn anything into music. I must also say that all the students who come to me locally come as advanced whistleplayers, who have had a good grinding in the basics of phrasing and rhythm.
To be honest I am not overly pressed to teach all the triplets and cranns, I think they should have them and know how to use them to enhance a tune but the whole idea by the end of the day is playing nice music isn’t it?
Billy Browne was here last week by the way, there was a little very nice session with a rake of pipers out in Kilmaley.
We were fortunate to have Brian McNamara for the SWAUP ‘Tionol’ a couple of weeks ago. After seeing his name cropping up so often, it was good to have him for ‘real’. He has the knack of teaching you to look at your self expression/musicality/soul or whatever you will.
His ‘advanced’ class consisted of each player playing a tune all guns blazing to ability. He then proceeded to show how you could approach just about the first 2 bars of each tune, in great depth, and as many spontaneous variations you could shake a schtick at. It was a little like the old reggae adage of ‘it’s the gaps between the music’ or something rather zen. I doubt that this describes it adequately, but he is one of the best I’ve encountered.
Highly recommended!!
(great to to have blown a KQ set at last as well!)
Alan
…
Interesting… I remember watching Martin Hayes teaching a class using a very similar approach. I’d say that of a class of maybe 20 students, that half of them had a very puzzled look on their faces, while the other half, they seemed to have a look of “YES!” - that look one gets when the light has just been turned on. Of course, there were players of all levels in that class, so it’s only fair that some were still working on basic rudiments, while others were there to enhance their musicality.
I’ll never forget the laugh I got when I heard this conversation between two attendees at the festival where I’d seen Martin Hayes:
Person 1: “Oh, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill are playing at 1:00”.
Person 2: “Martin Hayes… oh, yes, he’s that fiddler who plays really slow.”
I’ve not seen Billy for a very long time.
How is he?
One important aspect to teaching and learning is practice. I always tell my students what practicing is and how they should go about doing the work of practice.
Often they don’t want to hear…
Yes playing is good, but to be learning and perfecting the craft of piping is very important.
I should be getting back to my farting… I have to pay for the trained fire fighter, and they’re not cheap 