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The Great Highland Bagpipe is possibly one of the most beautiful and nuanced instruments to learn. I am approached by many prospective students who have dreamed of learning the bagpipes since their youth, yet they have not had the opportunity to pursue it. If you are interested in learning the bagpipes, do not hesitate any longer. Fulfill your dream of becoming a Scottish Highland Bagpiper and call or email to schedule your first lesson.
BAGPIPE LESSONS: THE BASICS
Beginning the Bagpipes
All you need to begin learning the bagpipes is a teacher, a practice chanter, an instruction book, a tune book, and one hour a week. The practice chanter can be purchased from virtually any Scottish shop. I recommend a few below. I have created and compiled my own instruction booklet based on my own distinctive method of teaching. It can be supplied to the student for a fee of $12.00 which merely covers my cost of printing and binding. In addition to the instruction booklet, I have also created a tune book that contains most the tunes I believe are required of a piper in his early stages of piping. Such tunes are appropriate for performing at weddings and funerals and other special occasions as well as supplying the piper with a proper competition repertoire. It, too, can be supplied to the student for a fee of $10.00 which again covers my cost of printing and binding.
Scheduling Lessons
I schedule bagpipe lessons for each student one hour a week. I am currently teaching Monday through Thursday and Saturday generally between the hours of 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. I typically reserve Saturday time slots for those students that cannot schedule during the week due to rigid work schedules.
Schedule of Lesson Prices
Bagpipe lessons are held at my studio for $20.00 per lesson (per hour). I am generally available on a limited basis for on-site or home lessons for $30.00 per lesson (per hour). However, due to other obligations, I am not currently available for on-site or home lessons.
Bagpipe Studio Location
My bagpipe studio for teaching the bagpipes is located in Birmingham, Alabama. For information about location, please call or email to make an appointment and schedule your fist lesson.
A Warning About Self-tuition
I cannot stress to any prospective student of the Great Highland Bagpipe the dire importance of having a bagpipe instructor. The Great Highland Bagpipe is a very nuanced instrument and is not easy to just pick up, even for someone with musical experience. Please do yourself a favor and avoid self-tuition methods for learning the pipes and avoid much frustration by pursuing formal instruction with a bagpipe instructor. I am speaking from my own personal experience.
THE PRACTICE CHANTER
Introduction to the Practice Chanter
The Great Highland Bagpipe is one of the only instruments that is initially learned on a practice instrument. That instrument is the practice chanter. It is commonly constructed of African Blackwood or Polypenco plastic and is usually a foot to a foot and a half in length. It is a reeded instrument but is held and played much like a recorder. Practice chanters often come in two sizes: a short or half-size chanter and a long or full-length chanter. The preferred chanter is a full length chanter for it is scaled to the size of the actual bagpipe chanter. Short chanters are shorter than the bagpipe chanter and are usually only preferable for children. Some practice chanters are made of rose or cocus wood and are sold very inexpensively. Buyer please beware as they are usually of poor quality. Remember, with piping as with everything else, you get what you pay for! The average cost of a full-sized chanter is $150.00 for African Blackwood and $80 for Polypenco. Below is a small list of my favorite recommended dealers:
J. Higgins, Ltd. (Highly recommended!)
Henderson Imports, Ltd.
Learning on the Practice Chanter
The logic of the practice chanter is that of an instructional division of labor. Much must be learned with the bagpipes--how to play the notes, read the music, play the embellishments, hold the instrument, breathe properly, maintain proper posture, musical notation and rhythm--that the student would get easily overwhelmed if he or she were expected to begin with the pipes. Thus, the students begins with the practice chanter, learning how to play the notes, learn the embellishments, read the music, and play the music before concerning him or herself with blowing the pipes, which can be extremely difficult without proper instruction.
THE GREAT HIGHLAND BAGPIPE
Difficulty of the Great Highland Bagpipe
"Piping, learned properly, is relatively quite easy. The correct way to do finger movements is the simplest, for only that way can the fast reels and jigs be physically possible. Only those who are taught badly or are not taught at all find difficulty in learning the pipes. And yet, with all its simplicity, the bagpipe is capable of the highest musical expression, being the vehicle of a classical music."
-- Seumas MacNeill and Thomas Pearston
Beginning the Great Highland Bagpipe
The student is generally ready for the bagpipes after anywhere from four to six months on the practice chanter. By this time, they have learned all of the scale, the embellishments, and possibly one or two tunes. At this points, they may purchase their pipes and begin learning how to play the tunes they learn on the practice chanter on the bagpipes. Please note that the practice chanter does not become obsolete at this point. The student will learn every new tune on his or her practice chanter before playing it on the pipes.
Purchasing the Great Highland Bagpipe
Many of my students look to me to assist them in buying a good set of bagpipes. Thus, to assist the student, I have compiled the following information regarding where to purchase your pipes, including the cost. This information includes what I, as a bagpipe instructor, believe to be the optimal bagpipe set-up at the minimal price. Please note that the pipes are only Scottish made and of the highest quality. Click here to review information.
Length of Time Spent in Tuition for the Great Highland Bagpipe
The most commonly asked question I am asked regarding bagpipe lessons, besides the question of difficulty, is the question of how long it takes to learn. How much time must the student invest before he can be playing his pipes confidently? Though legend claims "seven years to the making of a piper," the fact of the matter is that any student with regular, frequent practice can become a fairly competent piper in a year. There are no short-cuts or rapid-tuition methods, and beware if you are told otherwise. But, piping is not a mysterious art and it can be learned relatively quickly, with proper instruction and a dedicated student.
TO SCHEDULE YOUR FIRST BAGPIPE LESSON, CLICK HERE TO EMAIL ME!
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