Jan 28, 2019
Over the years, there have been groups that have formed on Facebook looking for free bagpipe sheet music. Most people wouldn’t think anything of that. It’s free so it can’t be bad, right? Not necessarily! I’d like to take a moment to explain to you why those groups...
Dec 5, 2018
A lot of people think they want to play the bagpipe. How about you? How long have you been thinking about playing this instrument? Are you concerned that you won’t have time to devote to instruction? Are you worried about commitment? Indeed, the biggest concern for a...
Nov 30, 2018
I find that in teaching bagpipers how to play the bagpipe, I need to remind them of what a bagpiper is. “A bagpiper is person who can play a list of bagpipe tunes on the bagpipe by memory, who can develop their own music, and who can maintain their own bagpipe,” I...
Nov 25, 2018
Today while perusing the “Old Geezer’s Bagpipe Page” someone mentioned “Orange and Blue” played as a 6/8 march. Funny thing the tune in 6/8 that they were talking about was “Hot Punch”. I’ve played both of the tunes for...
Nov 21, 2018
One of the goals of being a music teacher is getting students to become musicians. At 54, I am a “Professional Musician”. I am a musician first and make money second. The question is: what is a musician? In my mind a “musician” is a person who has dedicated a portion...
Nov 1, 2018
What are your dreams concerning your bagpipe project for this coming year? Do you want to be a better bagpiper? Would you like to be able to play more and different music? After 21 years spent teaching bagpipers via private lessons, I have found a direct correlation...
Sep 18, 2018
In our era where everyone gets a trophy for not doing anything amazing, I still find it refreshing that that attitude hasn’t trickled down into the bagpipe world. In teaching people I find myself saying to them: “Your attitude will determine your altitude...
Jul 30, 2018
As a bagpiper for more than 45 years, I have learned one thing that I deem the most important: “A bagpiper is a person who can play a list of tunes on the bagpipe by memory”. It’s just that simple. The first question that I ask you as a bagpiper: Do you have a list of...
Jun 12, 2018
Practicing, as I’ve said before, isn’t just about playing through the tunes. You need to have a goal and purpose in mind when you practice. For instance: The first goal that I think you should have with any tune is to know the rhythm. Take out your pencil...
Jun 7, 2018
Having taught bagpipes for a number of years, I see the same problem happening over and over. A person spends 8 to 12 months developing their bagpipe skills on the practice chanter and then make a substantial investment in a set of bagpipes. In most cases these...
