Bagpipe Lessons
Important: If you are interested in
learning bagpipes, please read the NOTE at the bottom of this page
before making any purchase of any item related to learning bagpipes.
I offer private lessons to anyone interested in playing the traditional
music of Scotland and Ireland on bagpipes. The goal of my instruction
is for my students become proficient in playing the traditional music
of
Scotland and Ireland in a way that does credit to the instrument and
its tradition. I view bagpipe competition as a good way to obtain
outside expert opinion on the student’s playing (and, by implication,
my teaching) but I stop short of making competition an end in itself.
My teaching enables the
student to do exceptionally well in competition, though that is neither
my goal nor my expectation.
As with any other instrument, bagpipes require a great deal of time and
effort to master. Since bagpipes lack dynamics (they’re always loud) as
well as any ability to interrupt the flow of sound with pauses, there
are some elements of musical instrument playing with which the bagpipe
student need not concern him/herself. That said, there’s still plenty
to learn, and the difficulty of learning it must not be underestimated.
For example:
- Since the bagpipe chanter (the part on which the hands play the
melody) has a conical bore, the note that sounds is affected not only
by the highest finger raised, but also by the combination of raised or
lowered fingers
below that finger. There is no system of keys
on the bagpipe chanter (such as the Boehm system employed on other
woodwinds). So the student must master what is referred to as
“fork fingering”, in which a seemingly random pattern of raised and
lowered fingers is used for some notes.
- There is a rich vocabulary of embellishments associated with
bagpipe music. They have been developed and refined over
many years, and they require a very high level of dexterity and control
in the
fingers.
- The student must cope with the fact that Scottish and Irish
traditional music is somewhat different from other types with which he
or she might be familiar. Though not a major hurdle, it does introduce
its own challenges.
- Then there’s the playing of the instrument itself… Although it
doesn’t require great strength, stamina, or lung power, it does require
a great deal of control in maintaining the constant pressure needed to
keep the instrument playing in tune.
- And speaking of keeping the instrument in tune… probably as much
effort goes into learning how to set up the instrument as goes into
learning what to do with it once drones are put to shoulder and air is
put to bag. There are
four reeds, each of which displays an amazing propensity (and great
willingness!) to go out of
tune in its own unique direction.
All of this adds up to a daunting
task. That said, it is achievable - not necessarily by everyone who
tries, but by many. I say all this not to discourage, but to forewarn.
Much depends upon level of dedication – an ability
and willingness to devote the necessary time to practice – and innate
musical ability. The importance of that second item must not be
underestimated; after all, the goal is to produce music on the bagpipes. Dealing with
limited musical ability has
frustrated many a music student, regardless of the instrument being
studied.
NOTE
One of the most frustrating of
experiences is getting a call from a prospective student who “bought a
practice chanter and instruction book from <name your favorite
bagpipe supply vendor> and would like to start taking lessons”. An
even worse case is the one in which “set of bagpipes” is substituted
for or added to the list of purchased items. First, an uninformed
bagpipe purchase is practically guaranteed to be a costly mistake.
Second, every instructor has his/her preferred type of practice chanter
to recommend to prospective students, as well as his/her preferred
learning materials. Buy nothing until you have talked with and decided
upon an instructor!