self-taught pipes?

[Kiltedfirepiper]

I started with a 25$ pakistani PC and the CoP tutor#1

everytime I practiced I had a mirror set up to make sure I had my fingers right and Like has been said "went slow "

self teaching can be done, but you better have a degree of OCD and lots patience.
be a sponge and soak up anything you can pick up from pipers you meet.
it can be done.

I still have a problem with burls ....but thats because I broke my pinky finger when I ws younger and it didnt set right...they call it a boxer's fracutre....can you guess how I got it

I never wanted to compete so playing to a grade was never a concern for me.
I still feel I represent piping in a good light.
if you want to see BAD piping goto this page of Bobdunsire.com
worst piping vids on youtube

and for the best ...look at this vid
Angus MacColl

[JS Sanders]

<< I still have a problem with burls ....but thats because I broke my pinky finger when I ws younger and it didnt set right...they call it a boxer's fracutre... >>

I'm digressing this thread a bit, but perhaps it may help.

I'll presume you know to have the edge of your right thumb against the chanter, not the inner flat part. Hold it like it's a lightly varnished doggie doodie.

This birl technique has worked for people I've assisted with injured or stiff pinkies - it's generally called a Seven Sweep Birl. Hope I describe it well, it's a little like describing how to tie knots.

Execute a downward sweep of the pinky to below the chanter loA note hole. Your pinky rests gently on the chanter. Next you bring the finger back up, in a slight curling motion, almost like a flourish. Done properly, it looks like you're drawing a #7.

An old master who was invaluable to me, said find a birl that works for you and practice 500 time daily 'til you get it. Doing that cinches it. A properly performed birl is a close 2nd only to a beautifully barking leumlath.

Slainte,
steve

[Lambda]

I never wanted to compete so playing to a grade was never a concern for me.
I still feel I represent piping in a good light.
if you want to see BAD piping goto this page of Bobdunsire.com
worst piping vids on youtube

Oh goodness.... I'll never get that hour of my life back. Those videos were so bad I couldn't stop watching them until I got to the end just because I thought there had to be a good one in there somewhere!

My advice is that if, God forbid, you ever do self-teach, please NEVER get recorded until you are good and certain you don't look like those people. I have had people tell me they hate the bagpipe when I've told them I play, and it is because of people like those represented in the above videos that they felt this way. It's tragic when most people get their opinion of the pipes from the worst of the worst. The instrument is too beautiful for that bum rap.

Getting an instructor of some kind (or at least sitting down with someone who has piped before) is by far the way to go. Way too much can be learned improperly that takes longer to unlearn if you ever get serious.