Asking Questions

[vcolby]

Big George,

A few things you can do to speed up the learning curve:

a) Sit in front of a mirror and ensure you hold the pipe in a similar fashion to one of the masters; Liam O'Flynn, Seamus Ennis, Paddy Maloney, Paddy Keanan (noting his is unorthadox).

b) Cut your wife's broom handle 1 1/2 feet short and make an exact replica of your chanter with respect to hole size and positioning. While you are out and about, practice. You will be surprise at how much you learn. People may look at you funny, but all the people on my bus now know me as "the guy with the stick." This helps your fingers learn to move alone and memorize the detailed moves and timings for basic scales and subsequent ornamentation.

c) Don't get a 1/2 set. Numerous established pipers have told me that rushing to a set with drones can realy slow down mastering of the chanter. Liam O'Flynn played a chanter alone for 5 years before he got drones.

d) Practice without blowing the reed. Each morning from 6:00 to 6:45, I sit and go through a list of ornaments with just a whisper of air going through the pipe -- that is all you need to know that you fingers are landing/lifting at the right time. This helps a lot.

e) Know when to put the pipes down. It is better not to touch them on an off day (and there will be off days) than it is to have a terrible practice and be discouraged.

f) Establish three pipers you can call for advice, encouragement when you need it. Count me in. Email me privately and I will send you my number. I wasted a lot of time that I could probably save you.

g) Understand that it is an obsession, meaning that you will be passionate about it and the people around you will not. The cadre of people that appreciate them are few and far between (that is until someone that has never heard them hears you play [well]).

Cheers,

Virgil
Toronto

ps. Mark -- how is that Kennedy reed blowing?

[Uilliam]

[quote]
On 2003-02-27 21:24, vcolby wrote:
Big George,



"c) Don't get a 1/2 set. Numerous established pipers have told me that rushing to a set with drones can realy slow down mastering of the chanter. Liam O'Flynn played a chanter alone for 5 years before he got drones."

I fundamentaly disagree with this.The drones will give you an accurate indication if you are using the bag/ bellows correctly.If you get a wavering on the drones/drone then you are not.You don't need to have all drones on plug one or two if you wish but the sooner you are familiar with them the better.That way you will avoid bad habits.

Liam OgFlynn probably couldn't afford the drones when he first started thats why he waited 5 years.
Slan go foill
Liam

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Uilliam on 2003-02-28 03:21 ]</font>

[boyd]

I'm pretty sure Liam O'Flynn started at late primary school age [under 12] so both his physical size and the money would have come into the "drones or not" decision.

It does help to have your tunes flowing on "automatic" on the chanter before taking them to a half or full set, but slow airs can be a good way into the drones if you get them early.

Right....I'm off for a wee tune!!

Boyd
http://www.strathspeyinmay.com

[Big George]

Thanks guys for all the help. I have very kindly been oferred the chance within the next week or so to try both a practice set and a half set.

Perhaps when I have a go on these I will get scared right off the things!!

Anyhow I'll see what developes and get back for some ideas as to where I start. Should also be getting a tutor book of some kind...so really cannot wait to get trying my hand at playing!!

Thanks again.

[vcolby]

Uilliam,

Good point on using the drones to ensure proper pressure control.

The alternative is that to get a sense of your pressure control from the back D. If you can hold your back D smooth without wavering, then your pressure control is fine.

Buying drones as a beginner just to ensure your pressure control is not reasonable considering the cost and the frequency of "drop outs" from the piping community (people that give up for the difficulty of the instrument.) It is reasonable if your disposable income is such that you can afford it. You will also have to wait longer for a 1/2 set than a beginner set.

Thanks for that point Uilliam. Off to practice ornamentation for the afternoon.

Cheers,

Virgil

[brendan ring]

I wonder, (but I don't know),if the practice set, half set thing isn't a relatively modern phenomenon. I've never heard of for example a Coyne or Kenna practice set. You tend to hear of individual chanters or sets. Bear in mind I'm only thinking out loud here. Also, I remember seeing a video of Felix Doran and one of his sons. He was very young and playing away on the full set. I don't think that it was that the child was necessarily prodigious, just that he was taught in a different manner than is conventional today. I remember talking to Kevin Rowsome about this years ago and he also felt that the practice set thing wasn't ideal. Perhaps with concert pîtch pipes there is an advantage, but with properly working flat pipes I can't really see much advantage in starting with anything less than a half set, except for economic reasons.

[MacEachain]

Hi Brendan,
Could it be that in the past most if not all learners were taught by an experienced piper and only had access to a full set, only getting a set of their own if they decided to continue with pipes. Now with so many people taking up the pipes and having to learn from books etc, not knowing a piper or being able to try a set, the cheaper initial outlay of a practice set is more likley to encourage them to give it a go. As far as Uilliam's theory about starting on a 1/2 set, seems like a good idea to get used to the feel and weight of drones, as he said,you can stop all or some of them. The only consideration is price. That said, I've only get a practice set (which I can't use right now as the wean's sleeping)

Cheers, Mac

PS Uilliam, no Renia Syntic yet but I'm working on it.

[Mypipes]

I have been at it for ten months now and after five months the half set arrive...it was a minimal set back but well worth it...I dont use the drones all the time but there nice to have just to tinker with. Paddy Kennan said to me " get the regs so youll have them to play around with...." I can afford them but havnt taken the plunge yet. Sometimes less is better to a beginner less to trouble with but the way I see it you can shut the drones off and you need not play the regs....so I guess Kennan is right on reccomending early start with the big octopus to get use to the feel etc...

[Patrick D'Arcy]

[Thread revival. - Mod]

I believe the collective term is a "depression" of pipers (esp. after a sharp change in humidity)

Larry Dunn

I woke this morning with this gem from on high....

A Purgatory of Pipers

Patrick