Forgive me if this topic has ever been covered before here.
I was curious what resources (books, tutorials, etc.) you would recommend to someone who was not only new to the uilleann pipes, but new to learning any musical instrument at all. In other words, is there anything not specific to the pipes that you would recommend to someone learning the pipes as their first instrument ever? Is it worthwhile to study something like “music theory” independent of trying to learn the instrument?
Thanks!
Most of the books on UPiping begin with a brief description of everything you’d ever need to know about music notation to get by. The rest (theory,etc.) is up to you. It certainly can’t hurt learning all that stuff, but is a major distraction until you’ve gained a handle on wrestling the beast itself. There’s no need to try and learn everything there is to know about music all at once. Pace yourself. You have years to pick up all the rest.
djm
Seamus Ennis’s “The Master’s Touch” and H.J. Clarke’s “New Approach to Uilleann Piping” both give the basics of musical notation as well as the basics in how to hold the chanter etc.
Also the Leo Rowsome tutor and the Dennis Brooks tutor. The Rowsome tutor is in the NPU Rowsome book.
djm
contact Tim Britton. He has a collection of essential listening material which he sells as a 10 CD package.
Here’s my $ 0.02:
Most starter books/materials worth their salt for any instrument will give you what you need to know, when you need to know it. In most cases, you’ll get an introduction to the staff (the lines); clefs and key signatures; to the notes on the staff (the dots); time signatures (what makes a reel a reel, or a jig a jig); and how to interpret the duration of the notes. You might learn about tuning. You hope you learn about tuning. WE certainly hope you learn about tuning. 
You don’t need to delve into the broader subject of music theory to be successful. As stated above, it can serve to distract from the octopus-wrestling you’re already doing in learning the pipes.
After you’ve mastered the basics, and you find yourself wondering what a mode is, or why is a perfect 5th so perfect, or what the mediant of C-maj is, THEN go looking for theory books.
My inner Royal Conservatory of Music snob suggests that Elementary Rudiments of Music (Barbara/Wharram, Fredrick Harris Music) is a good start. You’ll probably find that you already know a lot of what is in the first few chapters. There are probably better books for self-education. ERM ramps up pretty quickly for self-study.
Studying music theory for the sake of it is the kind of thing that could be considered dry. It’s often better off done with a teacher, or a study group.
For some background ‘Uilleann Theory’ join Na Píobairí Uilleann and read the three volumes of Ceol na hÉireann in the library section of their website.
It’s not just about piping technique and music theory.
Mukade
Thank you all for the wonderful insight. This gives me hope 