self-taught pipes?

**sharpdressedscot** · 16th August 08, 02:44 PM

OK, I'm convinced, I'm getting an instructor...when I can.

**kypnkilt** · 17th August 08, 12:07 PM

John Cairns Bagpipe Solutions Vol. 1,2 and 3 (for beginners) with the CD's can help you learn to read music. There are chapters on how to understand music and read it.....then practice it. Not saying this is the route to go, but it is a start. Having an instructor is beneficial, this goes without saying, but sometimes geography, economics, and time can limit instruction. There are many "rogue" pipe players out there that are self-taught and and the untrained ear will never really distinguish the difference in most cases. But if one were to "meet" one, he or she might get an ear full. Who knows.

I know several beginning players that only have 1 hour of instruction a month because that is all they can afford, but it does help a great deal, especially in the long run. Good Luck!!

**JerseyLawyer** · 30th September 08, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by JS Sanders

"This S of a B is hard as hell! Staff notation for bagpipes is nothing but a %&#@ing suggestion! I thought this was a folk instrument!"

I'm way late on this thread, but this was just too good to pass up.

This guy is lucky he never got so far as the big music. The Kilberry Book and the PS Books (all 15 of 'em) are really just a general idea of what a tune might sound like.

Which is why the books at home are covered in red felt pen marks. Cut this, hold this, cut this a lot...

Not that the same doesn't go for light music. Sometimes, you hold the heck out of that dotted note and sometimes that dot is just a misplaced fleck of fly doodies. I, for example, probably don't have a musical bone in my body, because if I try playing a tune from the sheet music without having heard it before, my father will start making organ grinder motions to criticise my general lack of expression. :P

To bring this back to somewhere near the topic - all of this does go to show why teaching yourself is hard.

**cessna152towser** · 17th August 08, 12:20 PM

As J.S.Sanders already said, self taught is not a good idea if you want to get into piping seriously. When I was younger I went down the self taught route and could play about ten or a dozen penny whistle tunes on the pipes and one or two proper pipe tunes but with most of the grace notes omitted. There was no sense of timing and it was OK for solo playing to the tourtists from a static pitch. Later I considered taking up the pipes more seriously and went along to a tutor who said that if I ever wanted to play in a marching band I would need to forget all I knew and start again from scratch. I stopped playing for a few years then sold my pipes. Eventually I bought a new practice chanter and may yet start learning to play the pipes properly, but at the moment the local beginner's class in piping clashes with my Scottish Country Dance class.

**Jack Daw** · 18th August 08, 01:24 PM

...or, else. ;)

**haukehaien** · 18th August 08, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Jack Daw

...or, else. ;)

Shhhhhhh ... you *know* it's forbidden to mention the Secret Piping Cabal until he's actually started playing ...

**sharpdressedscot** · 19th August 08, 11:04 AM

OK, I've got the chanter and the book, I took lessons yesterday. It's basically free, I just had to pay for chanter and book. They basically gave me a trial time for week, if I like it I'll pay for it and if I don't , I can just give it back, no harm done.

It's just getting there that might be a bit of hassle.

**Jack Daw** · 19th August 08, 11:30 AM

Excellent! You'll learn faster with less frustration.

**sharpdressedscot** · 19th August 08, 02:35 PM

Yeah, right now I'm just working on fingering the dang thing. I'm used to trumpet and guitar, wear you curve the fingers!

**tomcherv** · 20th August 08, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by sharpdressedscot

Yeah, right now I'm just working on fingering the dang thing. I'm used to trumpet and guitar, wear you curve the fingers!

The straight vs curved fingers is what got me a bit as I was starting to learn. Alas, life became more hectic with a new baby boy in the house, and something had to go. Since we really wanted to keep the baby (who's now 12 and has a 7 year old brother), piping lessons had to drop by the wayside.

Like you, I also play trumpet and guitar (and piano, organ, recorder, and saxophone), so curved fingers is a normal position.

I recently pulled my chanter and instruction books out again. I did have about 6 months of lessons, so I'm not getting back into it totally blind. Pipes is really one of the next instruments I want to learn.