So I got my pratice set yesterday (made by Bob May bought from another board member) and I have a couple questions. First off, where should the bellows strap be loctaed on my body? I have had it just below my rib cage and that seems comfortable to me. Should the bag be pressed by my elbow and lower arm as opposed to being stuck in my armpit like GHBs? Since I have played whistle for 3+ years and other pipes for 2+ years (ex-GHBer and I play the Gaita every now and then) I can play easy tunes on the chanter, is it ok if I play easy tunes that take little concentraration instead of playing long notes and scales to get proper bellows technique? Is it normal to feel like I am wrestling an Octupus? The C# on my chanter is more intune with thumb OOX XXXX than thumb OXX XXXX like I have seen on fingering charts, should I use the alternate fingering or should I use the normal one and push it up to pitch?
They are different than I expected, playing the chanter is easier than I thought it would be, but getting used to the bellows will take a while.
I have the Mad for Trad Sean Potts tutor, but it doesn’t seem to like my computer (IBM Lenovo Thinkpad). Although, I would like to find another palyer in the area. Are there any Southeast NY or Southwest MA Pipers that wouldn’t mind helping out a newbie? I will probably have a car next semester (starting Jan. 22 right on my birthday) and wouldn’t mind driving.
Styles vary, but I personally think a high bag is good, it gives you better leverage (and someday, may make it easier to reach the regulators).
Since I have played whistle for 3+ years and other pipes for 2+ years (ex-GHBer and I play the Gaita every now and then) I can play easy tunes on the chanter, is it ok if I play easy tunes that take little concentraration instead of playing long notes and scales to get proper bellows technique? Is it normal to feel like I am wrestling an Octupus?
The answer to your second question is ‘yes’, which means the answer to your first question is ‘no’. especially avoid playing or doing anything with “little concentration” as you will just reinforce bad habits. Beginners often play with improper bag/bellows technique, wrong fingering, poor hand position, etc. etc. and as long as this is true, little real progress can be hoped for.
Sorry, no shortcuts! It’s almost easier if you’ve never played any sort of instrument before.
The C# on my chanter is more intune with thumb OOX XXXX than thumb OXX XXXX like I have seen on fingering charts, should I use the alternate fingering or should I use the normal one and push it up to pitch?
The C# fingering is one that’s “set in stone”. X OXX XXXX - make it work, or seek help with your reed
They are different than I expected, playing the chanter is easier than I thought it would be, but getting used to the bellows will take a while.
I have the Mad for Trad Sean Potts tutor, but it doesn’t seem to like my computer (IBM Lenovo Thinkpad). Although, I would like to find another palyer in the area. Are there any Southeast NY or Southwest MA Pipers that wouldn’t mind helping out a newbie? I will probably have a car next semester (starting Jan. 22 right on my birthday) and wouldn’t mind driving.
Getting together with one or more experienced pipers at the start is really important, and I’d strongly encourage it.
Answered pretty much the way I thought it would be. To clarify something, I mean little concentrartion on the notes so I can concentrate more on bag/bellowstechnique. I will still have to force myslef to play the scales and boring stuff I assume. I will work on keeping my C# in tune and will probably practice against some drone (I have a tuner which will keep a constant pitch) to keep everything in tune, the same thing I did for Flute. Thanks for the help.
More questions, I can get up to the high A and B sometimes, but I can’t keep them for any long amount of time. Are there any tricks of the trade or should I just keep practicing them and holding them out for as long as possible? Also, the same notes will drop an octave if I use any ornament with them, is this supposed to happen or is it a newbie thing and will go away with practice?
I think it best to concentrate on the chanter and its tone/sound alone, unaccompanied by any kind of other noise, aka, a drone. There will be plenty of time to drone later as your playing develops, don’t pollute your ‘ear’ with needless sound. Focus on the chanter and only the chanter… and the bag/bellows of course.
Understood, about ‘concentration’. It’s probably best to do some almost meditative exercises on the bag/bellows control, though, and concentrate on making individual notes as clear and unwavering as possible. Since you’re ready for scales, apparently, concentrate on the transitions, making them closed (with clear separations), then again legato. These are the little things that really distinguish good piping.
As for high A and B - I would usually advise learners to stay in the first octave for weeks at least. With your gaita background perhaps that’s too long, but I still am actually alarmed at the thought of anyone attempting to play second octave A and B on the first day! Stick to the D and G scales for now, and focus on those note transitions and steady, slow bellows pumping, is my advice.
All the notes above second octave G take special handling. The basic rule is that no note above second octave G can/should be played without leading into it from another second octave note (this lead-in may be almost inaudibly brief, as played by an experienced piper, but it needs to be there). Chanter closures above G will cause the octave to drop for the same reason.
As Joseph says, really you should avoid all ornament at this stage - in fact avoid ornament for weeks or months, until you are 100% correct in your fingering and can consciously choose between “stacatto” (in the sense of separated, with chanter closures between notes - not true stacatto) and legato phrasing.
Also bear in mind that the techniques that are considered standard on GHB (and presumably on gaita) are not standard on the U.P, and may in fact sound strange. I’ve had some students who were former GHB players and it can take quite awhile for their playing to begin to sound like uilleann/union piping - so careful listening and attention to phrasing and articulation is key. You’ve got a great head start, but you’ve got a lot to un-learn, too…
