Gonna learn the pipes...doin' the happy dance!

[Sherry]

Congratulations, Brian. Hope your neighbors will still like you after this class. :grin:

My 9yo DS really wants to learn pipes, but he needs to stick with violin/fiddle for a while to get a firm foundation in that. (He knows the differences, he knows how to play them properly, but he still plows through quarter notes & half notes as if they're all dotted quarters! <sigh>) At least he will know how to read the treble clef when he gets to the pipes.

[Piper]

Hi Brian,
Congratulations on starting on the pipes. When asked about how difficult it is to play the pipes I generally explain to folks that the chanter only has 9 notes, so it's fairly easy to get started on, but it takes a very long time to master.
I'll offer a different opinion on the practice chanters. I've found a standard length to be more comfortable. You generally play the PC while seated at a table, with the end resting on the table top. The long chanter might be a bit awkward. The finger holes of the longer chanter are spaced more like those on the actual pipe chanter, but regardless of which length chanter you choose, your hand and arm positions are very different when playing the practice chanter as opposed to the pipes. What I have found to be more important than the length of the chanter is having finger holes that are countersunk. This makes it easier to position your fingers, and gives an approximation of the feel of the larger holes on the actual pipe chanter.
Again, congratulations, and I hope you enjoy yourself.

[GlassMan]

Everywhere I've ever seen sells the smaller chanter and I've never seen one with countersunk holes. Do you know where I can find one?

[cavscout]

I bought my full size chanter from these guys.

http://britishshop.com/index.php?cPath=5_8_38

I don't recall the model but it was $70 (about 8 years ago). Definitely get the full size so the hole spacing will be the same when you step up to the bagpipes.

[Bob C]

Best of luck with the "misery stick." Mine has sat, unused, for years.

I get the urge to try again every once in a while. Fortunately, it passes. :-D

[Piper]

I have two practice chanters. The first one I bought is a cheap piece of pakistani junk. But, oddly enough, it has an excellent tone and tunes right in with my instructor's chanter. This falls under the heading of "Don't try this at home". My instructor tells me that this is the first decent practice chanter of middle eastern origin that he's seen in 50 years.
The second chanter is a Dunbar, african blackwood with a poly top, and countersunk holes. I purchased this one from Pipers Hut, in Ohio. I've found them the best to deal with, both in terms of price and service, as witnessed by the fact that I've also purchased my Dunbar GHB and one of my sets of smallpipes from the same dealer. You can locate Piper's Hut through a Google search, or look up Bob Dunsire's Bagpipe Web Directory and/or Bob Dunisre's Bagpipe Forums. Both the Directory and the Forums are excellent sources of piping info.

[Avonlea22]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and the pointers.

I'm leaning towards a Dunbar chanter, but now I'm questioning the whole long and extra long. Luckily my instructor will have several at the first class (that's probably where I will buy it from...he runs www.carolinacelt.com) to choose from, so I'll be able to ask questions and choose from the variety given.