So I'm finally taking the plunge...(please help)

[Hummingbird]

...and ordering a practice set of Uilleann Pipes. After a lot of lurking here, reading varu=ious faq's on various webpages, etc. I've decided to go ahead and get a David Daye practice set. Had a couple of questions before I did though:

What I was wondering is, what else should I know in ordering a set that might not be obvious to a beginner? For instance, I play GHB, and I know that with those, bag size makes a huge difference, but you almost never see it mentioned, even in all the posts on the bobdunsire forum. Are there different sizes of UP bags, and if so what do you recommend for someone 5'10" 140lbs?

Also on the subject of bags, Daye offers an upgrade to a leather bag from vinyl, I was planning on doing this, again based on GHB experience; any reason why not?

Should I get a key for c natural? I figured it would be good to have for later, although I prob. won't need it much to start, but any reason not to?

Should I get an extra reed? Anything else that I should know? As i say, there's a ton of things I would tell a beginner on GHB that I rarely see mentioned online, want to avoid mistakes by taking advantage of the collected wisdom of C&F if possible

Oh, and I'll be taking lessons, prob. only every other week or once a month, but better than nothing, and plan on ordering the mad-for-trad dvd.

[Scotch-Irish89]

these are some great questions , I've been wondering some of the same things , I too am about to order a practice set however I'm the other extreme .. Im 6 5' , 260 pounds haha , and Im interested to see what others say about the bag size , good post though I'm glad someone threw it out there

[billh]

I don't think the bag size is so important; but the neck length and blowpipe/bellows setup is very important.

To answer a previous question: IMO Daye leather bags are likely to last longer than the vinyl ones. I wouldn't bother with a Cnat key on a penny chanter, but an extra reed is a good idea.

[BigDavy]

Hi Bill

Would it not be better to go with the vinyl bag and put the money saved to another reed, 2 extra are better than one.

David

[Hummingbird]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies so far, keep 'em coming! Bill, what guidelines should I follow to determine neck length, and bellows/blowpipe setup?

I'm planning to buy them already tied in, not put the kit together myself, so if there's anything I can tell the maker in advance that would make life easier later, that would be great. I know from other instruments, often even the best makers will use a "default" setup unless given details otherwise.

David, if you feel two spare reeds would be signifigantly better than one, I might go ahead and just order one more...an extra reed isn't that signifigant, and if I end up not getting the key, it almost evens out.

ScotchIrish, where in NJ are you? Maybe after we both get our sets, we can get together and compare notes (no pun intended) some time. You would have done great with the 12.5 inch monstrosity of a ghb bag I started out on

[Scotch-Irish89]

hahaha ... Im over in morris county , someone just told me theres a guy that teaches in boonton or parsipanny so I'm looking into that , really excited to start learning , my whole family (mom excluded) play the highland pipes so Im takin a different path and heading towards the Irish pipes , they just sound so great... and from what I hear and see they are worth every penny

[billh]

Hi Bill

Would it not be better to go with the vinyl bag and put the money saved to another reed, 2 extra are better than one.

David

Well, it's a temporary savings. If all goes well, you might not need that extra reed, or at least the third one. I've known people to play the same Daye reed for a good few years.

As to the bag neck length, etc., it really depends on your girth, height, and length of your arms. Unless your arms are unusually long or short for your height, height and girth should be enough to give a reasonable guess at neck length.

Also, it's not difficult to shorten the neck later on, if it's really required. A neck slightly too long is probably better than a neck slightly too short. The blowpipe length can be adjusted by replacing the tubing portion - usually not difficult. Best thing is to check a mirror and compare your posture with that of other experienced pipers (bearing in mind that a few fine pipers have postures that wouldn't be considered "ideal").

Bill

[Dukkha]

Also on the subject of bags, Daye offers an upgrade to a leather bag from vinyl, I was planning on doing this, again based on GHB experience; any reason why not?

Daye recommends on his site that if you are eventually planning on getting drones, you'll want the leather bag.

[chanterdan]

you guys arent far from seth gallagher,real pipes!just a thought.

[mayo_piper]

Congrats ! Let the madness begin!

I am in the same boat as you - played GHB for 15 years and made the switch. I too started with Daye pipes. He is a good man and has a wealth of knowedge.

Big differencees are "changing" thoughts about playing. First habit to break is playing everything as leggto - you'll be able to use stacatto !!! very cool - you'll enjoy it.

Secondly is bag pressure. Remember getting you're knuckles cracked by a ruler when ever the bag pressure varied up and down....well to get higher notes you'll have to slightly squeeze the bag to get there.

As long as you have an instructor - I'm sure you'll do fine.

Don't worry about destination as much as enjoying the journey!

Slan!

[Hummingbird]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the advice! Although Seth Gallagher is close geographically, he's pretty far financially, alas. Not to mention the wait time. Once I have a set going, I might think about it if it becomes financially viable, and place an order for a half set. But I've heard enough favorable comments on the Daye set from enough pipers to feel that it will serve perfectly well to get me started, and sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the comments about enjoying the journey...that is definitely my plan. I'm not giving up highland pipes, so I'll always have another bagpipe to play on those days when the stars are not in alignment for elbow piping. I know I'll probably never be that accomplished, but just being able to do some different things, like play with a bellows, or play stacatto, or hit that second octave will be a lot of fun for me. It was when I got to try a set of UP and I hit a couple of notes above back d that I knew this was something I was going to do...If anyone has any other tips, by all means let me know; otherwise, I'll post after I get the set! Thanks!

[CHasR]

It'll be SOOOO tempting, once you get some facility on Uilleann, & having played GHB for a while, (and honestly its quite natural) to apply some GHB tricks to your UP.
Be extremely cautious +judicious... they really are two completely seperate; independent things...old habits die hard, blah, blah, blah, , unlearning is much more difficult than learning, etc, etc, etc...

But congratulations! (betcha cant wait...) Failte!

[mayo_piper]

Hey Hummingbird!

Have you talked to anyone in the Long Island Uilleann Pipe Club? I believe they are called Inis Fada ( Gaelic for Long Island !) and they meet in Mannhasett I believe.

Check 'em out !