Yup, another “wannabe” U-piper. I have been piping, Highland, for many years and stay busy almost all year doing so, but decided I needed a new challenge (as suggessted by my wife, a Duffin, Irish as they come…).
I am looking forward to learning LOTS from all you experts. Thanks for allowing me to look in and read your advice, ideas and suggestions!
The U-pipes should offer you a lifetime of satisfaction, ie, if you are looking for a challange. Do you have a set yet, or have one spotted?
Enjoy your time on C&F. Lots of new members lately!
Lorenzo, thanks for the welcome. yes, I’m up for the challenge. I have not got a set spotted yet, but was the losing bidder on that DuVe 1/2 set on Ebay last week. Oh, well!
Maybe next time. Until then, I have a starter set coming from Lark In the Morning. I know, they are Paki’s…but I have had pretty good luck making Paki GHBs work for students and hope for the same success with this one. I have read this forum and note the general disdain for Paki sets, perhaps with good reason, but if everyone had to wait 2-5 years for “real” pipes, the art would face extinction again. I’ll let you know if and how my starter set works. I have had considerable experience making reeds work dependably and tune properly, even if they were GHB reeds, and wonder if some of that might owrk for UPs. Time will tell. At any rate, the time sepnt piping is more valuable than the time spent flipping between channels!
You may want to seriously consider running out of money before you complete the transaction for the Pakistani pipes. Use “search” above and look for certain terms pertaining to your acquistion, like “Lark”. (you’re welcome!)
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/search.php?mode=results
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=6071&highlight=paki+pakistani
Sorry if the term Paki offended anyone. I meant no harm, just too D****d lazy or busy to type out Pakistani several times…I promise I won’t refer to the Irish in America as Micks ! 
Don’t waste your time/money on a paki set…
There ARE good makers out there that don’t have a 3 year waiting list you know..
You just have to look/call/mail around..
I know Marc van Daal has about 3 months waiting time for a practise set and he can probably have a full set ready in a year..
Sorry to get off the subject, but I am investigating the U pipes. I play the GHB and have for a couple of years. Does this hurt or help in playing? Is Blackwood used as the main source of wood for “quality” sets? 
Thanks in advance for the advice.
Woods: no, as moisture is less of a concern, a much wider variety of wood is used, blackwood being just one. Many makers actually shy away from blackwood purely on cost grounds. Any decent hardwood will do, from holly to ebony.
As for playing, there are advantages and disadvantages. You will have control of your fingers and the ability to analyse what you’re doing. OTOH, depending on how you’ve been taught, you may find the Uilleann (and folk in general) mentality difficult to get used to. There is no one true way (not that there is on the GHB either), and no set ways to play a tune. Not even the embellishments are set in stone.
If you’ve only played GHB, probably the hardest thing to learn to do is to control the bellows and simultaneously control bag pressure. Getting hold of a set of SSP is a clever move. In fact, go the whole hog - learn the whistle as well. That’s the situation I was in when I first picked up a set of Uilleann pipes, and I actually picked up the basics very quickly.
Cheers,
Calum
Very well put Calum!
Islandpiper, You might do well to pick up the Heather Clarke(sp?) tutor.
It has the gracenotes nicely charted and a lot of alternate fingerings, The CD is helpful too.
Marc
I knew there was something I’d forgotten to say!
Getting a tutor will answer all (well, most of) your questions and give you a better window on what’s involved than all the waffle we can write. The only frustrating thing is reading it, wanting to try it out and not yet having anything to do it with! Although you can apply a lot of it to whistle (hint hint).
Cheers,
Calum
Instead of any of the uilleann pipes mfg in Pakistan, get one made by a person rather than by “Mid East Manufacturing”. Unless you live near a uilleann pipemaker willing to re-ream/make reeds for it, you will be throwing your money away. The uillean pipe is a different animal than any other bagpipe.
Waiting lists are getting shorter and some makers actually have sets in some stores, occasionally. Used sets are becoming more available as others give up on them.
It’s been mentioned recently that Brad Angus has no waiting list.
Hey,
Sorry for just throwing in my comments here. Anybody out of the 2,648 members on this site know of anyone in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area that plays and preferably teaches? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.