I’m hopping over from the Whistle forum to get a little bit of advice. I’m anxiously anticipating the arrival of my first practice set (a Charles Roberts set I picked up from MikeyLikesIt), and am thinking I might get a tutor booK. Before I go on, I should mention that I have searched this topic, have read all kinds of helpful suggestions on point, and I’ve read the FAQ, FAQ, FAQ. All very useful. My question is a little more specific.
The situation is this: I’ve never played the noble Uilleann pipes. I am, however, a fairly accomplished Highland and Lowland pipe player, and I’m a competent whistle player as well. The bellows/bag issue will not be a problem. I’ve looked at fingering charts, and don’t think it will take very much time to adjust to the differences there either. Many physical aspects of the pipe (reed issues, etc.) are at least familiar, and so I’m not expecting to be too overwhelmed by them. I’m also well exposed to the music.
Several people have said that various books are helpful in different respects, and that a number of books, taken together, may be helpful to the real beginer. Perhaps I’m fooling myself (we’ll see soon), but I’m expecting to have a steeper learning curve than a lot of begniners given my background. What I don’t want is to spend money on books that cover things I don’t need to learn. I don’t need to learn how to read music, etc. I do, however, want a little structure to my practice for the first little while (and I have neither the time nor the money for lessons). So, does anyone have any suggestions about a book that might be helpful for someone in my position?
Get in touch with Debbie Quigley. She’s a great piper and and experienced teacher. djm should have her contact info and if you ask him nicely maybe he’ll PM them to you.
Also, the Chris Langan Weekend is coming up at the end of April. You should get along to that. There’ll be no shortage of piping at that event.
I can’t stress this enough, but, attending a tionol or piper’s gathering is perhaps the best thing a newbie piper could do to start off on the correct foot. Get yer tushie to the Lagan Weekend buddy!
From what I’ve seen of the various tutors (all the usual suspects), not a one would be out of place for someone who is familiar with other bellows instruments. In fact, I’d say they actually move along rather quickly. The Clarke tutor for example is going to take years to actually get through. Unless you’re some sort of piping god. And if you are, then I bow down to you o god of pipering.
So go ahead and get Clarke et al, I’m sure you’ll find plenty to learn in there.
I just checked out my school’s music library (University of Toronto) and discovered that it has not one, but two copies of Heather Clarke’s tutor! It also has a copy of the Master’s Touch. It looks like I’m set on the tutor front for a while.
During the course of my investigation, I also came across this:
The piper’s despair : a manual of reed making for the Northumbrian and Irish Union (Uilleann) bagpipes
Any thoughts? I’ve always been interested in reed making…
What edition of the Pipers’ Despair is this? (most recent is third I believe). It’s by esteemed list member and pipemaker DMQuinn and well worth a read.
It’s also less formulaic than most other reedmaking manuals; that’s both good and bad. Good since IMO you have little chance of consistent success without some understanding of the many variables that affect the reed, and cookbook approaches can be hit or miss because every piece of cane, and every chanter, is different.
I am a beginner and I’ve been going off of the Clarke tutor exclusively and the results are very good. I did have to learn to read music but you can always skip over that stuff since you know it. The whole thing is presented in a very methodical and appropriate schedule, I think it is great.
I think it’s important to get one tutor and stick to it, rather than trying to work on 3 or 4 tutors at the one time. Clarke is excellent. So is the Master’s Touch by Seamus Ennis.
There is really great instruction from the top instructors in Canada and the weekend committee is bringing over Mick O’Brien, a brilliant piper. Instruction ranges from beginner to advanced, so make sure you get involved with a couple of classes!! There is a gala concert on Saturday night as well at Hugh’s Room.
It appears that the answer is: ‘yes, I am lucky!’ I’ve already been to the website, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. It should be great! If I haven’t managed to Master the uilleann pipes by then, I may even consider enrolling in a class or two, as you suggest.
