Bagpipes

[Macman]

May I ask which regiment you have joined? I was with C Scot R for a short time many years ago (non-pipes/drums).

[Maritimer Gaen Awa]

May I ask which regiment you have joined? I was with C Scot R for a short time many years ago (non-pipes/drums).

Victoria. Very good. I love the island. In the day I tried hard to get posted west. I asked for Victoria, Nanaimo, Comox.....they sent me to....Halifax...that's the Army for you. Anyway I have some friends in the band and they encouraged me to come out. so I joined the Princes of Wales Own Regt Pipes and Drums. I am not interested in the competition side. The PWOR Pipes and Drums just do local stuff for the Militia unit and the Legion.

[Jimmy the Celt]

I have wanted to learn the GHB since I was quite young but have always been intimidated by the prospect, especially when it comes to reading music. I play guitar by ear and have attempted to learn to read music but end up frustrated and unable to apply it at all; my gift is in my ear and anything technical just confuses me.

I understand that with bagpipes it is nearly impossible to learn to play by ear or on one's own. Is that strictly true? I know of at least one piper (Charlie Allan of Saor Patrol) who claims to have taught himself by ear. Granted, his is a very freestyle way of playing and not traditional, but the concept is there.

I do not have direct access to a teacher but have come across programs like Dojo University/Piper's Dojo. Does anyone have any experience with them or know anything about them? Also, might it be possible to teach oneself with a curriculum like Bagpipe Solutions?

Would appreciate any feedback.

[Maritimer Gaen Awa]

I have wanted to learn the GHB since I was quite young but have always been intimidated by the prospect, especially when it comes to reading music. I play guitar by ear and have attempted to learn to read music but end up frustrated and unable to apply it at all; my gift is in my ear and anything technical just confuses me.

I understand that with bagpipes it is nearly impossible to learn to play by ear or on one's own. Is that strictly true? I know of at least one piper (Charlie Allan of Saor Patrol) who claims to have taught himself by ear. Granted, his is a very freestyle way of playing and not traditional, but the concept is there.

I do not have direct access to a teacher but have come across programs like Dojo University/Piper's Dojo. Does anyone have any experience with them or know anything about them? Also, might it be possible to teach oneself with a curriculum like Bagpipe Solutions?

Would appreciate any feedback.

I found that learning to read music comes with learning the instrument. I played the guitar for years self taught/buddy taught but no music theory to speak of, Just written lyrics and cords on top, memorizing cord patterns someone showed me, but it wasnt until I took some trumpet lessons and got proper music theory was I able to crack the code. Wasn't hard,just was a natural progression as I learned the instrument. Made for whole new dimension on music. It is a nice feeling when you can pick up some sheet music of an unknown tune and a few minutes humming it out the melody lifts of the page. Whole new world. Having an instructor is important especially with the bagpipes. Lots of subttle techniques to learn and I have already been corrected on some creeping bad habits. This is one instrument where a close relationship with one's instructor is very important. There are some resources mentioned in the first part of the thread to getting an online instructor if you cant find someone local. virtual is better than non at all. I hope someone can elaborate further with their online experiences with the sites you mentioned.

[jumary]

I have wanted to learn the GHB since I was quite young but have always been intimidated by the prospect, especially when it comes to reading music. I play guitar by ear and have attempted to learn to read music but end up frustrated and unable to apply it at all; my gift is in my ear and anything technical just confuses me.

I understand that with bagpipes it is nearly impossible to learn to play by ear or on one's own. Is that strictly true? I know of at least one piper (Charlie Allan of Saor Patrol) who claims to have taught himself by ear. Granted, his is a very freestyle way of playing and not traditional, but the concept is there.

I do not have direct access to a teacher but have come across programs like Dojo University/Piper's Dojo. Does anyone have any experience with them or know anything about them? Also, might it be possible to teach oneself with a curriculum like Bagpipe Solutions?

Would appreciate any feedback.

I would recommend you get an instructor who can give you one-on-one attention. Some people may have learned to play by ear, but I think it would be too difficult. You will see that many tunes are not played exactly as they appear on the sheet music, and that is one place where an instructor is a big help. Many tunes also equipped subtle differences in timing of notes, and again, an instructor is indispensable in these cases.

I do think it helps to listen to bagpipes. YouTube and Spotify offer thousands of great examples from the best pipers n the world, and it helps to get used to their sound. You can also learn tunes you like and want to learn to play

Rather than retyping my thoughts from last week, I am copying my earlier response on this thread:

"Welcome to the bagpipes! Be patient and practice and you will steadily improve. It takes time to build stamina.
It s very smart that you have an instructor. That is very important.
Online, check out the Bob Dunsire forums:http://forums.bobdunsire.com/forums/index.php
A great online community that has lots of help. Another good sire is Pipers Dojo. They offer classes and sell supplies. If you desire another instructor, many good ones teach via Skype. I strongly recommend Neil Clarke at Grean Glen Piping. A great instructor and all around great guy. http://www.greatglenpiping.com/
I have been taking lessons with Neil for over four years and he has really helped me. You can also check out his videos on YouTube. He plays many tunes at a slow, instructional pace.
Send me a message any time you want to talk about bagpipes!'

[OC Richard]

I understand that with bagpipes it is nearly impossible to learn to play by ear

That's not the case, for example we have an excellent piper here who is totally blind.

Here he is. Anyone tells you that you need to read sheet music to learn pipes, tell them to listen to Austin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUSmYKKLGAQ

It's odd, the relationship between sheet music and Highland piping.

Very few pipers actually know how to read music, in the usual sense of being able to sightread a piece of music they have never seen or heard, cold, at first sight.

Likewise few pipers have developed their ear well enough to be able to play a tune upon first hearing it.

Most pipers exist in a strange place between ear-learning and eye-learning: to learn a tune they need to hear it AND have the sheet music in front of them, each being a crutch for the other.

Due to my playing Irish Traditional Music, which is learned by ear, I've developed the ability to quickly pick up tunes on the fly by ear. In our pipe band I'm the only one who doesn't want to look at the sheet music. The benefit of ear-learning is that I have the tunes mostly memorized by the end of the first rehearsal, while some of the pipers take weeks or months.

I do not have direct access to a teacher

Skype is an excellent way to go! I second the recommendation of Neil Clark.

A good teacher is tremendously helpful. For one thing you learn much faster due to focusing on the important things and avoiding getting bogged down in the unimportant ones.

Another thing is that self-learners usually waste huge amounts of time practicing their mistakes. The danger is having these mistakes becoming so ingrained that proper technique can never be acquired.

[KD Burke]

I'll second Richard's thoughts. I'm by no means a great piper. I started too late in life to ever become anything more than competent.

I absolutely HAVE TO hear a tune a few times before the funny little squiggles on the page make any sense at all to me. Once I have the melody fixed in my mind, I can start to use the sheet music to puzzle out where my fingers need to go. In truth, I learn the melody mostly by ear, and then use the sheet music to make sure I'm playing the same embellishments as the rest of the band.

Also, I'd suggest that no matter how good a teacher is, not every teacher can work with every student. If you find yourself truly bogged down, frustrated for an extended time, it may be that a change of instructor will do you some good.

[Profane James]

Thanks for mentioning Neil Clark - circular breathing never ceases to amaze me!

[Jimmy the Celt]

Thank you for your comments gentlemen.

I also play a lot of Irish traditional music and Scottish folk. Once I hear a tune, I can jump in with little to no trouble. Perhaps taking up a new instrument will put a different face on things, allowing me to get some degree of reading proficiency while training my ear. I am blessed with a pretty sharp ear already, so I imagine if a blind person can become a piper, there is some hope for me yet!

The North Texas Caledonian Pipes and Drums offers lessons with the view of making performing members. Practices are held about 40 minutes away from me, so that might be a doable option as well.