After drooling for years I have finally made up my mind and decided to purchase a chanter plus reed from David Daye as I understand he is presently taking orders. I’ve been playing the whistle for many years so I’m not totally unfamiliar with Irish music, but I do know that the UP is not an easy instrument to learn.
I did order Heather Clarke’s “A new approach to uilleann piping” many years ago, and I also bought a DVD tutorial the last time I visited Dublin, but most tutorials seem to jump straight at playing tunes.
I guess there are two different approaches when learning a new skill: -Just plunge into deep water and swim or drown . . . or make a learning plan which means dividing the learning-process into logical steps,-mastering each step reasonably well before taking the next step.
The first skill to master I believe would be to work the bellows, filling the bag with air, applying pressure and try to keep a steady note, not even trying to cover the fingerholes (perhaps covering fingerholes with tape in order to produce an A-note). When this skill starts to sink in,-cover the back D and the three uppermost fingerholes,-then add the lower fingerholes etc.-etc.
To me this approach seems logical, since every new skill depends on mastering the previous skill.
As an example, I find it difficult to imagine that it’s possible to play a tune at all without mastering the bellows and the bag, and that the learning process will be easier if these skills are divided into logical steps as described above.
Unfortunately, most tutorials don’t spend much time on bag and bellows control which is one reason you’ll hear from everyone on this board to get yourself to an instructor and/or tionól. It’s relatively easy to play tunes on the pipes, but to play them on the pipes the way they were meant to be played - i.e. to make them piperly, that’s the magic and that’s where all the practice with cuts and rolls comes in. The Clarke tutor teaches tunes but it does so within the context of learning technique.
Most people will start plowing with through the book at lightning speed until the reach the Garret Barry’s hump. At that point you need realize you’ve missed something 'cause there ain’t no way you’re playing that like that and it’s back to page 1 you go. Again and again. Seriously, the Garret Barry’s hump can take years to overcome. Enjoy the journey.
Yes. Excellent idea. Build up your bag and bellows coordination while holding long notes. Be sure to pump the bag full before you start playing. Play using the air that’s in the bag, not the air that’s in the bellows.
When bellows and bag work become a bit easier, move on to playing a SLOW lower octave scale, stopping the chanter between each note. Try to hit the center of each pitch as accurately as you can and with the best possible tone (this may require some bag pressure adjustment for each note).
Give your bag arm plenty of rest between attempts if it hurts at first – you will build up your endurance gradually, too. (I used to play a scale, then rest for 2 or 3 minutes, then play another.)
Congratulations on being wise enough to know that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Not everyone has that wisdom!
And I second Misterpatrick’s advice. Get to a tionol, or at least meet with a nearby piper, as soon as you can.
Well, the nearest tionol or piper’s gathering would be in Ireland, since I’m located in Norway, but why not spending the summer vacation in Ireland? It’s just an hour away on a plane and doesn’t cost that much.
I have already started getting used to the back D by lifting the thumb off the back of my whistles anytime I play the second octave D. I will be making the bag and the bellows myself until the chanter arrives, so at least I can practice getting used to playing the whistle while pumping the bellows and squeezing the bag. I did have a crude homebuildt version of the Penny-Chanter once, and experienced great difficulty in fingering the chanter in the same time as pumping the bellows. My arm wanted to pump in the same rythm as the tune, and not as needed to fill the bag. Drummers are lucky who only need to learn coordination between limbs in a rythmical fashion. Pipers need to go one step further and learn the same without the aid of rythm. I gave up on the homebuildt chanter and reed. I came to the conclusion that there were too many unknown variables to deal with: A crude chanter, mis-located fingerholes, badly made upper bore, a joke of a staple, experimental plastic reed etc. -By ordering a ready buildt chanter and reed I at least don’t need to combat a monster. But, it was an important experience,-at least I know what I’m up against.
Your nearest gathering of pipers is in Sweden. There are quite a few players there now. Visit www.piping.se and browse down to the Uilleann Pipe forum. You will find quite a lot of help there.
My gut feeling is that it might be better to skip taping the holes on the chanter. Learning to cover the holes with your fingers is really fundamental, and worth thinking about from day one.
If I remember correctly, at my first lesson I learned to play a G. Then I went home and played that G to within an inch of its life. Played it long, trying to make it steady and in tune, and played it short and staccato, trying to make the note start and stop clean with the fingers, not the bag. Stopping the squeaks by adjusting my fingering, while trying to keep a relaxed grip, was as much the point of the exercise as getting the note to sound right.
Hi I have recently aquired a David Daye 1/2 set and as I beginner myself I find it great the biggest advantage for me is the stableised reed it does just what it says and doesn’t need touching I have recently dealt with David daye to buy a new chanter reed we had a few problems with Western Union but david was great to deal with and very patient
I started out with a pakastani set but what a disaster it put be behind a year just trying to get it to paly so the DDaye set has been great for me as a beginner very easy to play.
I was lucky as living in South Wales i met up with Meirion Williams who has been a great help and encouragement he has now gone on to set up the South Wales Uillian pipers club
hope you enjoy playing the daye chanter as much as i do