As if I didn't already play enough instruments poorly....

CHCBrown · Post by **CHCBrown** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:08 am

...my lovely sister has given me a practice chanter for Christmas. Any advice from the gallery on learning the Highland pipes?

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:43 am

CHCBrown wrote:Any advice from the gallery on learning the Highland pipes?

Don't.

(:lol:)

Whitmores75087 · Post by **Whitmores75087** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 12:08 pm

They are very different instruments. You don't cross one skill easily over to the other.

Also, the GHB is more limited in its use. YOu can play out in the woods (desert) or you can dress up in full uniform and march with a band, but you can't play in a session in a pub.
You know all that.
I got good advice when I started. "Unless you are gifted, stick to one instrument".

BigDavy · Post by **BigDavy** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 4:54 pm

HI CHCBrown

Try here for information

http://www.anapba.org/

If you want to play in sessions then there are the smallpipes or the border pipes.

Try here for infomation on the scottish bellows pipes.

http://www.lbps.net/

Then join we surlies in the Uilleann pipes forum.

Enjoy your piping.

David

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 1:23 am

Get a teacher.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 1:29 am

Whitmores75087 wrote: I got good advice when I started. "Unless you are gifted, stick to one instrument".

Wise indeed if you want to be really good at your chosen instrument. I wish someone had told ME this a long time ago. NOW I stick to whistles and flutes.

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:09 am

What Avery said.

If you intend to play in a band or in competitions, a teacher is an absolute necessity. Why? playing GHB is very different from pub-style Irish trad. This is because, in a band, the ideal is for everyone to play in absolute unison. This means no "variations" - even complex articulations are memorized as part of the tune. GHB music is in this sense very conservative - the "canonical" version of a tune will be known and played by nearly all pipers. GHB players also rely on sheet notation a lot more for this reason - easier to convey articulations precisely. A teacher will help you internalize the proper, canonical way to play everything.

Physically, the biggest switch between whistle and pipes is breathing, which takes years to master on pipes. Steady air pressure is an absolute necessity in order to keep your drones in tune. The fingering is different in its particulars but uses the same mechanisms of cuts & taps - you just add them together in different ways.

Hope this helps.

viejomc · Post by **viejomc** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 12:16 pm

Never listen to advice. The forums at bobdunsire.com nearly convinced me that I could not learn the GHB without a teacher. Then I found the "Universe of Bagpipes" at http://www.hotpipes.com , Oliver Seeler is the proprietor. I had no desire to play competetively, just love the sound of the pipes and wanted to learn. He suggested the first three volumes of John Cairn's tutorials. They are geared for self learning. I also purchaed Jim McGillvary's videos, "Pipes Ready" & "Pipes Up" which teaches how to set up, tune, and maintain a set of GHBs.

I started with a practice chanter, three months later my set of Dunbar poly pipes arrived. A month later I was hit with a sciatic nerve problem and could not stand up to play the pipes. After surgery and rehab I'm just now ready to start back on the pipes. This was recorded right before I quit playing back in June of this year. It's the only recording that I've made on GHB. http://www.silbealabanza.com/audio96k/G ... gGrace.mp3

I am grateful to Oliver Seeler for his encouragement and direction. His website has a wealth of information, and he's a great fellow to do business with.

Oh, here's my advice: Play all the instruments you can get your hands on. I can't never did nothin'

Feadin · Post by **Feadin** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 2:16 pm

I agree with viejomc in that you should play all the instruments you can, it won't ever hurt, the least it can do is make you richer. Life is not only day, we have the night too, and music is not only whistles, we have lots of other instruments and sounds. Of course they all share one thing, that thing is the real meaning of music, but the only way to get to know that thing is understanding what all the instruments, all the sounds and styles have in common. If you wish to play only whistles then you'll have only one little, very restricted point of view. I'm starting with whistles myself, but this is only the beggining (everything will always be)

So, good luck with the pipes!!!

Chiff and Fipple Forums

As if I didn't already play enough instruments poorly....

As if I didn't already play enough instruments poorly....

Re: As if I didn't already play enough instruments poorly...