New guy here. I’m 49, been playing GHB for 35 years. Hands are still pretty good, but with minor pangs of arthritis. I have a David Daye half set on order and expect to get them Augustish. In the mean time, I’ve been working on penny whistle for the past few months, trying to get some non GHB tunes down. I recently got a low D whistle on the recommendation of a friend, so that I can get used to finger holes farther apart than the GHB.
I’m in the Kansas City area. I’m looking for someone in the area for lessons. Kirk Lynch in not far from me, but was not sure if he gave lessons. I guess I can give him a jingle.
I’ve been reading about the crossover from GHB players to Uilleann pipes. I understand that the transition is not easy. So I’m approaching this as a true beginner, and not someone that already knows how to play a bagpipe.
Welcome new guy! You would indeed do well to contact Kirk Lynch. He is a fantastic piper, as well as one of the very best pipe makers in the US. The time you might spend with him would be invaluable - to say the least.
The switch from Highland to Uilleann pipes isn’t as difficult as some may have you believe. Time, patience and practice is the name of the game… and help from an experienced tutor.
Thanks everyone! I’ll shoot Kirk a note and see if he gives lessons. Does anyone know of anyone else within 100 miles of Kansas City, that plays or gives lessons?
I think what helped me in the transition was the advice to work on scales, arpeggio, the basic ornaments and not to attempt to play dance tunes , except perhaps very slowly, for the first 6 months at very least.
Hello Kevin,
Don’t belive them. Irish piping is far the most finicky and impossible to learn instrument ever invented.
First, you must learn making reeds, otherwise you are just struggling unless you have an in-house reedmaker.
All the Best!
Now, now… no need to give the poor fella a coronary…
While learning how to make reeds will be the best favor you can do for yourself as an uilleann piper, it is best to learn how to play these pipes first… how else would one know what to feel or listen for in a reed?
Highland piping has its difficulties also, just ask anyone who plays, or has played them.
I too have played highland pipes and now love the challange of playing uilleann pipes. Have a postive attitude , a good teacher, and read the articles David Daye wrote on his web-site. I believe he is dead on.
In the mean time - listen, listen, listen to TRAD music to feel the beat and tempo.
Ok. I have contacted Kirk Lynch and have arranged to take lessons from him when my Daye pipes arrive. This is all good, because I will likely buy a set of Kirk’s pipes should it turn out that I have an apptitude for the Uilleann pipes, somewhere down the road.
By they way, thank you all for your suggestions. I look forward to learning from all of you and hope to have a chance to meet you all at some point.
There was some interesting discussion on the topic of crossing from Highland pipes to Irish pipes at the Great Northern Irish Pipers Club this weekend. I enjoyed the insight particularly of Ivan Goff, because it was very informative to hear just what an uilleann-from-the-cradle sort of player focusses in on as compared to what an Highland piper convert thinks or hears in the music and style of Irish piping.
I would definitely be interested in hearing your take on the insight. I do not want my highland piping to affect my Irish piping. I do play or have been train in other instruments, so I’m not purely a highland piper, as far as my background in music. Not sure if that will help much. And I do seem to be picking up the whistle at what I would call a reasonable pace. I have purposely not even tried to play a highland tune on the whistle. Trying to keep everything where it belongs.
One thing Goff picked up on, and it took a bit to figure out what he meant, is the use of the redundant G gracenote. He was hearing it as a back D cut or something, or just the notion that cuts were coming from fingers way higher than they should be. He pointed even to Jerry O’Sullivan as a player he could pick this sound up on. Of course in Highland playing you do use this G gracenote on almost every other note, and it sets up a cadence, like a ticking or chirping clock throughout play. Also, the Highland piper would cut all the way up the scale, particularly the back D cut onto C# or Cnat because it eliminates the crossfingering slop and keeps up that chirp, chirp, chirp cadence on notes above the C (Highland G) finger.
Goff was saying back D cut but in truth the first time I ever heard of cutting with back
D on any other note than C, as in the Highland style of going to high A gracenotes when you run above the G gracenote, was at another GNIPC tionol but I can’t remember the piper who was teaching it. He was talking about back D cutting on notes all down the chanter, and this is an absurd notion to a Highland piper because you would in fact pop octaves on a Highland chanter half the time or better. A Highland chanter would also sound swawky cutting with the thumb grace even if it didn’t go entirely off on a harmonic pop. But regardless of the technique or cut used to get it, Ivan was picking up on something I wouldn’t have seen as a huge Highland giveaway, but something he heard as a very easily identifieable Highland style.
I don’t know if he and Skip Cleavinger are on here but Skip also had some interesting things to say as a former Highland piper.
