 |
 |
|---|---|
Bagpipes Rule.
|
|
|
Bagpipe FAQIs it hard to play the bagpipes? Is it hard to play the bagpipes? In a word, yes. In more than a word, it's like anything else worth doing: it's not easy, but with practice and the right mindset, anyone can do it. Back to top The piper blows into a mouthpiece, and the air inflates the bag. The bag acts as a reservoir of air, which is then forced over four reeds. The three pipes that stick up on the piper's shoulder are called drones and produce a constant hum (or drone). The piper then moves his or her fingers to cover holes on the chanter, and it's this pipe that makes the tune. The pipes have a very limited range (9 notes) and no volume control, so adding gracenotes and embellishments is the way to make tunes more interesting, both to play and to hear. Back to top The minimum age for a person to start learning is about eight years; by that time the hands are usually big enough to reach all the holes on the chanter. Players who start young have a definite advantage and often progress faster than adult learners, but people of any age can learn the pipes. Back to top Do I have to be Scottish to play? Heck no! I'm not. You only have to be human, but I guess that isn't even a requirement if you are able to make the pipes do what they need to do. Not if you want to play correctly. Technique is extremely important to the pipes, and it is very easy to develop bad habits without realizing it. An experienced teacher can correct and prevent those bad habits, and shares years of experience as a teacher and piper. Find an instructor who knows what he or she is talking about and learn from an experienced ear. Back to top Where can I find an instructor? Wherever you left him! No, seriously, they are out there. Try an internet search for "bagpipe teachers" and your home town. Check with funeral directors and wedding planners, as they often have cards of local pipers on file. Check with restaurants and bars that have live entertainment, Irish pubs, arts councils, folk musicians, and your friends and coworkers. Keep your eyes and ears open for pipe bands at parades and walk up and talk to them. They don't usually bite, and many bands teach as well. Be wary of finding just any piper to teach you though; see the next question. Back to top How do I find a good instructor? A good instructor is the key to learning the pipes properly. It's not necessary to start with the best piper money can buy, but your instructor should have been taught properly him/herself. Once you've located a piper as a potential teacher, start asking questions. "Do you compete, and if so in what grade?" is a good one. Not all good teachers play in solo competitions, but most do and they should all at least know about competitions. When it comes to amateur piping, the lower the number of the grade, the higher the quality of playing; Grade 1 is the highest and Grade 4 is the lowest. If your potential instructor responds with a grade of "professional," "open," or "judge," that person has progressed through the ranks of amateur piping and will be a great teacher. Go for Grade 3 or better if you can; it shows your potential instructor has some idea of what's going on. If someone responds to questions about competitions with a blank stare or doesn't know about grading, do not take lessons from that person. "How many students do you have right now?" is another good one to ask, though many potentially great teachers may not have many students or much experience teaching; don't hold that against them. "Are there any bands to play with nearby?" A decent instructor will at least know of the local bands, probably knows a few members, and may even play with one of them. This crazy invention called the internet has opened a new possibility of piping lessons from a distance, and many top instructors use video chat programs like Skype to conduct lessons with students from around the globe. Isolated pipers (like me!) can get instruction from the greats for the same price as a normal lesson. This is great for an intermediate player, but you should start with face to face lessons until you consider yourself a piper. Back to top Many bands teach beginning pipers, and learning with a band can be a great way to get started and be welcomed into a community from the beginning. Tread carefully though, because many so-called "street bands" are not known for high quality playing or instruction. There are exceptions, of course, but a competition band will generally take the music more seriously than a show band. An internet search should turn up local bands, so send emails to the pipe majors. I wouldn't recommend taking lessons from a band that does not compete for the above-mentioned reason, so ask what grade they are in and when was their last competition. The grade doesn't matter, it just shows the band competes, and the second question is to find out how recently. If a band hasn't competed in recent memory, do they still count as a competition band? You decide. Back to top It's possible to spend a lot of money ($5000 and up) on a set of bagpipes. It's not necessary though, and you can get a very good set, certainly adequate for a beginner, for $1000 - $1500, including accessories and setup. However you will start your lessons on a practice chanter, so you won't need bagpipes for a while (six months or so usually). Because of this, you can buy the necessary equipment and start taking lessons for less than $150. Piping can be an expensive hobby, but you can get started without sacrificing food or cashing in the retirement fund. If you start saving for a set of pipes when you take your first lesson, you'll be in good shape when your instructor decides you're ready to move to the big instrument. Back to top From bagpipe shops. You probably don't have one in your neighborhood, but in the age of online shopping and mail order, it doesn't matter. I buy most of my supplies from a guy named Chris Hamilton who runs a shop out of his basement. He has more than 30 years of experience as a piper, great customer service, and reasonable prices as far as bagpipe things go. Tell him I sent you. You can also find piping shops at many highland games, and they are a good place to pick up reeds and supplies. DO NOT, under any circumstances, order a set of pipes or any supplies from a mainstream music store, nor any set of bagpipes made in Pakistan. Your instructor might have connections to people selling pipes, and you can do a private party sale. There's no stigma against buying used bagpipes, and many top players have pipes approaching 100 years old. Back to top How many songs can you play on bagpipes? Zero. The pipes play tunes, not songs. Songs have words and are written about something, while a tune is just a melody and usually written to commemorate a specific event or person. However, there are thousands of tunes one can play, and the tunes of a number of traditional songs have been adapted to the pipes. The repertoire is limited, however, by the instrument itself. The bagpipes have a range of only one octave (plus a note) of one scale, and many tunes that aren't quite in the right key may sound a bit off. Auld Lang Syne and Morning Has Broken are examples; a piper playing Auld Lang Syne has to jump an octave above the usual singing pitch, and Morning Has Broken is all in the wrong key and doesn't sound very good on pipes. Back to top Approximately B-flat. There's a lot of discussion about this and some pipers may give you different answers. The pipes are unlike most instruments in that they don't tune to a specific concert pitch. The tuning note on the bagpipes is the piper's low A, which these days tunes between about 474 Hz and 486 Hz (depending on things like temperature, humidity, and trends in tuning). Those who know music will notice that these frequencies are between B flat (466 Hz) and B natural (494 Hz), so I like to say they tune to "B flat plus a little." Possibly of further interest, the pipes play a mixolydian scale (flat 7th), and as mentioned above the range is limited to one octave of one scale. Do I have to (or get to) wear a skirt? No. A kilt is a different story though; you may have the opportunity to wear one of those. This heavy wool garment is nice to have in winter, can be quite unpleasant in summer, and is a staple of the industry. If you play with other pipers (like in a band), wearing a kilt will be required. When playing solo it's up to you, but it's usually expected. It's a good conversation starter too, and will certainly get you noticed by the casual observer. Back to top What will I wear under my kilt? I'm not going to answer this. Back to top When can I learn Amazing Grace? As soon as your instructor decides you're ready. It's not a difficult tune, so certainly within your first year of piping. It's a tune that is often despised by pipers because it's so overplayed, but I like it a lot. Back to top |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Website and all content copyright 2008, Keydet Websites. |
 |
|
