practise chanter?

LiztheLounger · Post by **LiztheLounger** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 1:37 pm

It's me, the dutch newbie again...!

Does anyone have any good tips regarding practise chanters?

I'm having a heck of a time getting used to the fingering which isn't anything like the Highland pipes!!! I'd like to be able to practise the fingering on its own - getting the air to regulate smoothly takes all my concentration as it is!

Thanks!!

- Liz

danny · Post by **danny** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 2:20 pm

hey liz the lounger! theres no easy way of doing it,u just have to keep practising.on the airflow,keep trying a scale up and down or even two or three notes and keep them going.your arms,hands probably are getting sore.keep picking them and play a couple times aday.and if you get trouble with neibours at night time !just take the chanter of and keep doing scales without using the bag or bellows.infront of the t.v. or whatever.

Uilliam · Post by **Uilliam** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 2:03 am

Liz,keep it simple.
Forget comparisons with Highland Pipes.You are learning a completely different instrument
Practice about 10minutes at a time to start off then increase with confidence after a time.
Buy the beginners video from Na Piobairi Uilleann 15 Henrietta St Dublin (about 20 euros)
Get in touch with your fellow pipers in the Nederlands you will find their assistance invaluable and one to one teaching will be available to you there.They will be worth their weight in gold and I hope you remeber me when you give your 1st concert ie a free ticket
Slan go foill
Liam

LiztheLounger · Post by **LiztheLounger** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 4:54 am

Thanks, both of you, for your advice!

I've played wind instruments all my life and am also a singer, so playing an instrument without using the air in my chest is quite an experience!

Clearly, I have to give myself the time to get to know my pipes...this is the beginning of a long and fruitful friendship!

And Liam, you are more than welcome to come to my first gig!! I'll even put you on the guest list.

- Liz

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 9:10 am

Hi Liz,

Just thought I'd chime in with what the others here have said. The NPU videos are a great resource, as where I live, the nearest piper worth anything at all lives over 350 miles away. For you though, I would imagine it'd be a bit easier to find decent players who can share their experience with you face to face. THATS the way to go if you can pull it off.

I've been playing avidly since March, and whictle for just over two years before that...and I am STILL a rank beginner. There is SO much to learn, and once you have it down, pick up someone elses set, and have a go - you'll likely find many of the things you learned on your set don't apply to the new one...such as reed strength, loudness, tuneability, etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, stick with it, and do let us know how you're preogressing OK?

Sláinte chugat!

Brian~

P.S. I have friends in Heeswijk-Dinther, are you at all close to there??

anima · Post by **anima** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 9:18 am

I think you make a very important point Liz, I too found it difficult at first becasue I was so used to playing instruments by mouth, phrasing and flow all felt wrong. It takes a while to get used to.

Jeff

LiztheLounger · Post by **LiztheLounger** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 3:10 pm

Brian,

I've been told the NPU videos are excellent, as well as the CDrom from http://www.madfortrad.com, which is what I ended up going for. It's all down to what works best for the individual I guess, and seeing as I'm a computer nut I figured the CD Rom was right up my alley!

I'm stuck in a wheelchair now but as soon as I am mobile again, I'm off to make new friends via the Dutch Uilleann pipe society I found on the net! The Uilleann pipes is such a social instrument, I really want to get out and be with others who play!

In the meantime, I intend to make the most of my time 'sitting around' by doing something I've dreamt of doing since I was a kid, which is learning to play this incredible instrument.

I don't know where Heeswijk-Dinther is, but I live down near Rotterdam, towards the Hook of Holland. Is that close?

Thx again!

- Liz

[ This Message was edited by: LiztheLounger on 2002-11-23 16:11 ]

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 3:19 pm

Liz, are these guys anywhere near you?
http://www.flingmusic.com/
Contact Evertjan 't Hart for piping info.

LiztheLounger · Post by **LiztheLounger** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 4:21 pm

Tony,

they're not really near to me, but then again, everything is near to everything in Holland. You can cross the entire country in 3 hours!

Thanks so much for the link - i'll be checking these folks out!

-Liz

Roger O'Keeffe · Post by **Roger O'Keeffe** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 11:36 am

Liz,

The Dutch uilleann pipers' association has members pretty much spread throughout NL, they're a very helpful bunch, and some of them could have a look at your pipes and let you know what they think of them.

Evertjan is an excellent reedmaker, but he's in Groningen. At the other end of the country, close to the Belgian border, there's Marc van Daal, who is a pipemaker. If you ask Marc for a reed, specify that you don't want one that's too strong, he makes fine reeds but tends to make them hard to blow if you haven't specified otherwise. If your existing chanter is unworkable, you could order one from him.

I'm just down the road in Brussels, and we have a fair amount of contact between the pipers in NL and Belgium. You'd be welcome to our tionol (gathering) in the Ardennes next May, but you should try to get sorted out before then anyhow!

(Edited after I realised that you'd already dealt with several points in a previous post which I hadn't read carefully enough!)
_________________
An Pluiméir<marquee>Ceolmhar</marquee> 

[ This Message was edited by: Roger O'Keeffe on 2002-11-27 12:40 ]

LiztheLounger · Post by **LiztheLounger** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 2:19 pm

Hi there Roger,

Good to know Evertjan is a reed maker! I had no idea reeds were so sensitive to climate and we've got a wet, rainy and moist one here.

I would love to attend the tionol in May - I've never been to the Ardenne but can imagine it's the perfect place for a pipers' gathering!! I'll certainly be keeping an eye on the dutch UP site for dates.

Thanks!

- Liz

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Sat Mar 01, 2003 1:53 am

Hi Liz,

I live in Amsterdam..
If you like we could get together sometime with the pipes.
If you have any questions i'd be happy to answer them.
I find watching other pipers helps more than getting pointers on a forum and i'm sure most pipers here will agree..

/me waves to Roger..

Big Mick · Post by **Big Mick** » Sat Mar 01, 2003 11:00 am

Hi Liz,

I am also a long time musician who has taken the pipes up recently. I played whistles so I had some advantage. I am also known as being a lunatic for taking them up when I was 50. I am told I don't have enough time left before I die. I intend to prove them all wrong........hahhahaha.

From my perspective, I wouldn't bother with a practice chanter as it concentrates mainly on fingering. But I find that one of the most important parts of early learning is the bellows and bag technique. I would even rate that higher than fingering initially. I think that is why it is hard for long time musicians to learn these pipes. They want to get musical so quickly that they never really get the bag and bellows into their subconscious where it belongs. I am selling a halfset of Sloans right now that came from a great whistle player who didn't think he would have to invest the time in these two skills. I would say that you would be better off sticking with a practice set and a good reed until you have that down and then move on to the halfset.