Jun 29, 2020
Get Started Fast With Our "Getting Started Package" Taking the first step What is a Bagpiper? A person who can play a list of tunes on the bagpipe. Can develop their own music Can set up and maintain a set of bagpipes. You don’t need a set of...
Jun 6, 2020
In the 30 years since I began teaching, I have seen one of two things happen to most students. Initially, they are excited to learn to play the bagpipes. They come to lessons weekly, practice daily, and progress to the point where they are ready to buy pipes. At that...
Jun 6, 2020
I hear a lot of funny stories from my students about practicing. Here’s one of them. One of the hardest parts of learning to play the pipes is getting the hand position “right”. The hands need to be flat and straight and slightly angled downward almost at a...
Jun 6, 2020
In the past I’ve written about the importance of a tune list and the dangers of “plate spinning”. Here’s a little more on that topic. Bagpipers are always excited about new tunes and different music. That’s great! However, there are some hard and...
Jun 6, 2020
In addition to being musical, playing the bagpipe is all about precision. There’s no denying that our instrument is very loud. Because of that, it not only needs to be tuned to precision, but it needs to be played to precision. In most cases, we memorize all...
Jun 6, 2020
Are you ready to “gig”? I mean, are you really READY to gig? I have taught many students during these last few decades. A lot of those students have been intrigued by the thought of playing for money. I don’t discourage them, for sure, but I do want to make sure...
Jun 6, 2020
Throughout the last month, I have found myself sitting on my studio floor on numerous occasions, re-hemping pipes for my students. I hope they were watching. The Great Highland Bagpipe is almost a living, breathing life form! It needs care to work properly. Often, my...
Jun 6, 2020
A while ago, I wrote an article called “Are You a Bagpiper or a Wannabe?”. At the time I wrote this piece, the main component of the article was focused on making the decision to “do it”. I had recently turned 55 and in doing that I realized that even...
Jun 6, 2020
I tell my students that they need to practice every day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. The purpose of that statement is to simply get them to practice every day. As they become more experienced, they will have more to practice and the time will automatically...
Jun 6, 2020
In teaching people to play this great instrument, I deal with a lot of “perfectionists”. I used to be one myself, but it made my stomach hurt, messed up my digestion and gave me a headache. I decided a while back that I would do the best I could. I tell...
