The Bagpipes and the Recorder!!

[porrick]

Love the pipes, but I'm too old to start and too musically illiterate to play, I'll stick to my drums.

Eh....
I'm four years your senior, and the bagpipes are my first musical instrument

I don't quite know how to take your comment

But I know how to respond... (moderators: can I use the word "rubbish" used to show my positive view/support?)

[auld argonian]

As to it being "too late"...hell, I've got two guitars (acoustic and electric), a mandolin, a (an?) euphonium, two flutes (Boehm and my fantastic plastic Irish flute), a fife, several tin whistles, an accordian (I confess...it's mine!), a viola and a piano...I started on piano when I was five, got into the flute when I was about twenty-two, got the guitar when I was about twenty-five, the accordian when I was about forty, the viola when I was about forty-seven, the mando a year after that and the euphonium when I was fifty-two. Now I'm no virtuoso on any of these instruments but I can play all of them and they all inter-relate inside my head. It's all for fun and there's nothing wrong with being an amateur. If you have the desire, get a chanter and find a pipe band that gives lessons or an instructor...what can it hurt?

I have to admit that when I see a pipe band going by, I wonder which pipers are capable musicians and which are kind of just hanging on. Don't dump on me, pipe band types, but it has to be like any musical organization: some players are great, some are good and some are adequate...and maybe a couple are not so good but make up for it with enthusiasm...or they just show up...who knows.

Best

AA

[highlander_Daz]

Some pipe majors are guilty of getting fledgling pipers playing in the band far too early, pipers, let alone good pipers are hard to come by, young people dont seem as interested, its very tempting to get pipers playing with the band too early the crushed doublings etc dont stand out as much, many bands sometimes lets learners march with the band "dummying" ie dromes and chanter corked (mimeing if you want to put it that way) this gets learners used to marching out and feeling "part" of the band. and make the band turnout much better, its better doing it that way than having a learner piper blundering through the tunes.

[PiobBear]

I have to admit that when I see a pipe band going by, I wonder which pipers are capable musicians and which are kind of just hanging on...it has to be like any musical organization: some players are great, some are good and some are adequate...and maybe a couple are not so good but make up for it with enthusiasm...or they just show up...who knows.

pipers, let alone good pipers are hard to come by...

True enough; even very good competition bands do this for parades and massed bands. Sometimes the best you can do is make sure the weaker ones are in towards the middle, and as much as possible surrounded by stronger players closer to the audience. Somtimes it's a strong incentive to show up at a band gig, knowing that they really need me to help carry some of the weaker players.

bands sometimes lets learners march with the band "dummying" ie dromes and chanter corked (mimeing if you want to put it that way) this gets learners used to marching out and feeling "part" of the band.

I've heard that referred to a "playing a Wilson reed."

Wilson reed

[MadBagpiper]

haha wilson reed. I like that!

NO ONE IS TO OLD TO START LEARNING!!
If you have the will power, good fingers and lungs and no arthritis then your ready!

[wgority]

Ok...I want to learn the pipes. I really do. I can't really put in the money for lessons until next year because of other obligations, but I will take lessons from an instructor here. I want to go downtown buy a chanter from the local Scottish Store and start tooting, but I've held firm. I've heard enough from experienced pipers not to do that.

Jim,

Usually a pipe band will offer free instruction for beginners with the expectation that the student will join the band for performances when he/she is proficient on the instrument. I note that you are in Salt Lake City. I've found these contact for pipe bands in Utah. You may want to try contacting them and see what their policies are.

Ben Lomond High School Bagpipe Corps J Ogden UT maxsonc@m.ogden.k12.ut.us
Galloway Highlanders 4 Clearfield UT rrowe@eagleut.com
J.T. Dunnie Pipe Band 4 Salt Lake City UT
Payson High School Pipe Band J Payson UT DouglasWelton@msn.com
Utah Pipe Band 4 Salt Lake City UT pipesanddrums@utahpipeband.org
Wasatch & District Pipe Band 4 Bountiful UT executive.director@wdpb.org
White Peak Centennial Pipe Band 4 Payson UT piperatlarge@netzero.net

Hope that helps.

[drobin]

Another word (and question) on Pipes vs Recorders,
The two instruments belong to two different woodwind families. The recorder is "basically” in the flute family; as the tone is made by the air column hitting a strike plate. From my very limited experience with the Pipes (which I’m looking to rectifying soon) I know they are reed instruments (a reed vibrates to produce the tone). To guess to what branch of the family I would need to know about the reeds being used. Are they single reeds (i.e. Clarinet or Sax) or double reeds (Oboe or Bassoon)? Off the cuff I’d possibly relate them to the Shawm?

[Tattoo Bradley]

Another word (and question) on Pipes vs Recorders,
The two instruments belong to two different woodwind families. The recorder is "basically” in the flute family; as the tone is made by the air column hitting a strike plate. From my very limited experience with the Pipes (which I’m looking to rectifying soon) I know they are reed instruments (a reed vibrates to produce the tone). To guess to what branch of the family I would need to know about the reeds being used. Are they single reeds (i.e. Clarinet or Sax) or double reeds (Oboe or Bassoon)? Off the cuff I’d possibly relate them to the Shawm?

Double reed (chanter)

[wgority]

Another word (and question) on Pipes vs Recorders,
......... Are they single reeds (i.e. Clarinet or Sax) or double reeds (Oboe or Bassoon)? Off the cuff I’d possibly relate them to the Shawm?

In Highland Pipes the chanters are a double reed and the drones are single tongued reeds. This is the case in most (but not all) Western European varieties of bagpipe. There are notable exceptions such as the musette du cour (which has double toungued reeds in both chanters and in all 5 drones)and boha (which has single tongued reeds in chanter and drone) of France. Many (but not all) Eastern European varieties of bagpipes have single tongued reeds in both chanter and drones, most especially those of the Balkans, Greece, Macedonia and Balearic Isles.

Bill

[cwr89]

Darn, you know I am starting to think about getting a practice chanter, (I don't know anything about them though) and I was forced as a smaller child to learn the recorder in school.

questions as follows:
I know there is no bag, do you just blow on a chanter or is there a reed?
(take in mind that I am currently a brass and strings player in my highschool.)

I am in highschool, where might I be able to get a practice Chanter that I can afford? (doesn't have to be wood, I am not a huge stickler on sound quality in a practice instrument.)

What Cleff of music does the bagpipe use? I am fluent in Bass Cleff, can get by in Treble Cleff and absolutely hate Tenor Cleff, (but can manage)

Thanks
~Casey