Wearing a kilt is not a "Journey", with "stages"

[A Lenape Scot]

After learning to play bagpipes for a year and a half and I must say that is a journey. Putting on a kilt for the first time in public did not compare to the first time I played in front of the public... At Burns Night. Very nervous. Tried not to pass out from the fear and the hyperventilation. The journey seemed to go in these stages:

1) decide to by a book, chanter and pay for lessons.

2) show up to class not even knowing how to read music and think blowing the practice chanter is going to kill me

3) Four months later playing songs with no problem.

4) get my first bagpipes and cannot blow them for two seconds and begin to think I wasted time and money

5) six months later and I could enjoy playing two to three songs solo

6) thirteen months in instructor tells me to play solo at Burns night.

7)Now attempting to play in a pipe band witch means keeping time (very hard)

8) I hope to be like this one day like I was when I first started.

That is what a journey looks like I guess.

[BBNC]

1 Didn't know the rules of wearing highland attire






2 Began to understand those rules





3 Strictly followed those rules




4 Finally realized that they weren't so much "rules" as "guidelines"




ith:

Cheers

Jamie

Amen, Jamie.

BBNC

[CMcG]

While a journey may not be an apt metaphor for everyone, it certainly has been for me. The first couple times I wore the kilt (junior high and high school graduations), everything was borrowed. I wanted my own kit, but the sticker-shock from my visit to ye old Scottish shop put me off the idea for many years.

It wasn't until I discovered Xmarks that I gathered enough knowledge and terminology to be canny about it... as a grad student, I feel like I've been in school forever so saving up for kilt stuff hasn't really been in the cards. Now I've got a pretty decent kilt wardrobe from the modern (Sportkilt, Utilikilt) to the traditional (tartan tank and Harris tweed).

The journey for me has been about figuring out the sartorial options, finding my style, and then bartering, bargaining, begging, and—when all else fails—buying the gear. Doing this on a razor thin budget has meant a lot of waiting for deals and combing eBay, so it didn't happen over night.

I'd say it took about four to five years to really get everything together to be able to kilt up in situations ranging from hiking to black tie. There are still a few accessories I'd like to acquire and, seeing as most of my kit was acquired second hand, there are things I'd love to upgrade. I've slowed down now and am enjoying the ride because I don't think there is actually a final destination!

[OC Richard]

-buy a book, chanter and pay for lessons

-four months later playing songs with no problem (on practice chanter)

-six months later and I could enjoy playing two to three songs solo (on pipes)

-thirteen months in instructor tells me to play solo at Burns night

now attempting to play in a pipe band

That's really amazing progress!

You made the right decisions from the get-go: good instruction is crucial.

Sounds like you got your pipes between four and six months in, rather more quickly that most teachers would recommend. But your success on the pipes proves that the timing was right.

My journey was much more difficult because there were no players around to get lessons from. I was on my own, me and the COP book and the Donald MacLeod instructional records (there being no internet in 1974).

After a year or so on the chanter I got my first set of pipes, new Lawries from The Scottish Shopper in Seattle. I had only the COP Book 2 to go on, as far as putting the darn things together and adjusting reeds.

The amazing thing was that by the late 1970s I was playing in a Grade 2 band, me without ever having a lesson. I tell everybody who is interested in learning the pipes to NOT do things the way I did! Two steps forward and one step back, that's how I stumbled along on my own.

All of my wrong steps and blind alleys and serendipitous "ah hah!" moments, in the long run, might have helped me, as a teacher anyhow, because I know all the struggles and frustrations and joys first-hand.

[TheOfficialBren]

Obviously you did something right, Richard.


From one musician to another, serious props, sir.

[A Lenape Scot]

That's really amazing progress!

You made the right decisions from the get-go: good instruction is crucial.

Sounds like you got your pipes between four and six months in, rather more quickly that most teachers would recommend. But your success on the pipes proves that the timing was right.

My journey was much more difficult because there were no players around to get lessons from. I was on my own, me and the COP book and the Donald MacLeod instructional records (there being no internet in 1974).

After a year or so on the chanter I got my first set of pipes, new Lawries from The Scottish Shopper in Seattle. I had only the COP Book 2 to go on, as far as putting the darn things together and adjusting reeds.

The amazing thing was that by the late 1970s I was playing in a Grade 2 band, me without ever having a lesson. I tell everybody who is interested in learning the pipes to NOT do things the way I did! Two steps forward and one step back, that's how I stumbled along on my own.

All of my wrong steps and blind alleys and serendipitous "ah hah!" moments, in the long run, might have helped me, as a teacher anyhow, because I know all the struggles and frustrations and joys first-hand.

Thank you sir. It was not easy but I put a lot of time practicing and my instructor was able to work with me one on one for an hour a week. I think that made all the difference in the world. I did get the pipes at 4 months but only worked on my stamina every few days on them. I did not get serious with them until I was on the chanter for 6 months. I has been a year and a half and I can play about 5-6 songs in a row unless I am breaking in a new reed of course. So far I can ply 9 songs competently enough to play I public and I did play for a national police week event. Right now I get overly nervous when I play in front of people but I hope that passes eventually. Oh, when playing the pipes I forget about what people think of me in a kilt because I have bigger problem to think about. LOL