The Bagpipes and the Recorder!!

[MadBagpiper]

that's me talking up there, the computer hates me.
however i would look around more first before making a purchase, you can find better deals for the same pipes.
but you must be careful and watch out for what are now deemed, "****-Pipes" these pipes are made in Pakistan from P.O.S wood and materials (i.e the bag sometimes consists of a plastic grocery bag)
sites like this one, http://store.harp-bagpipe.com/bagpipes1.html should be avoided.
I recomened this guy: http://www.hotpipes.com/ this is the guy i order mine from and he's great with any questions that you might have. he will take care of you and your piping needs.

[MadBagpiper]

To answer your questions:
1) There's no embouchure as such, although getting your lips into condition to maintain a good seal around the blowpipe can take a bit of time.
2) Dunbar makes good bagpipes. The P-1 model is fine, and not just as a student model. If you intend to play in a band, you may want to look into the P-2 or P-3 models, which have more traditional styling. The Pipers' Choice pipes aren't bad for practicing.
3) DO NOT buy a set of bagpipes now. If you must buy something, buy a practice chanter. You will use the PC your whole piping career - it's what you learn tunes on, even after you've graduated to pipes.
4) I would say, don't even buy a PC until you've found a teacher. Some teachers are picky about what PCs their students have. Some don't care.
5) If you're interested in learning a lot more about piping, I would suggest joining the Bob Dunsire forums at http://www.bobdunsire.com. You'll find a lot of pipers there and practically any question you have has probably been covered.

Good luck! It's a long journey, but well worth it.

Yes, wait until you feel comfortable with the scales and movments and what not before you move on to the real thing and even there i would recomened corking all your drones except for maybe one tenor so you can build up stamina. Now if you already play an instrument then your set and your breathing probably won't be an issue. It wasn't for me, but then again i play trombone in my school marching band, so i have a fair amount of lung power.

if you have any questions, concerns, or toils and snares feel free to PM me.

[wgority]

Eh, I've been on the pc for a little over a year, and am finally breaking in the chanter reed of my first set of pipes... Would you be kind enough to explain the pc being harder to blow than the pipes? There must be something that I have missed along the way, and am very eager to learn

You'll find, ultimately, that it takes much more energy to play 90 minutes on a PC than it does on the pipes.

There is sound reasoning behind this. During the practice session, you need to blow continuously with the PC for sound to occur. With the pipes, you get brief breaks while playing. I can practice 2 solid hours on pipes and just have a little upper arm tension, but with PC after 90 minutes I'm competely knackered. Also, if I'm practicing strictly on PC of an evening there's a mental exhaustion too, as I'm working with music in front of me to learn or perfect a tune.

It's an experiential thing. Trust me, you'll figure this one out.

[highlander_Daz]

I wish people would see the "practice" chanter as an instrument in itself rather than as a stepping stone to the GHB, its a fantastic little instrument, if you forget about the pipes for a while and hammer the PC you will be a much more accurate piper in the long run, many people can make the PC sound fantastic, the "high drive" by Gordon Duncan is played all on the PC and it sounds great ! dont just see the pC as a barrier its an instrument all of its own !

[drobin]

Now if you already play an instrument then your set and your breathing probably won't be an issue. It wasn't for me, but then again i play trombone in my school marching band, so i have a fair amount of lung power.

Not to be a commercial; but if you intrested in exercises focusing on breathing I would suggest "the Breathing Gym" by Patrick Sheridan and Sam Pilafian. I use it a lot with my students, and of course myself.

http://www.breathinggym.com

[MadBagpiper]

I wish people would see the "practice" chanter as an instrument in itself rather than as a stepping stone to the GHB, its a fantastic little instrument, if you forget about the pipes for a while and hammer the PC you will be a much more accurate piper in the long run, many people can make the PC sound fantastic, the "high drive" by Gordon Duncan is played all on the PC and it sounds great ! dont just see the pC as a barrier its an instrument all of its own !

it is, your right. it is also a wonderful little instrument becuase you can hear every note, and more importantly, all the gracenotes and other movements such as Tarluaths and Doublings.

[Barclay]

I wish people would see the "practice" chanter as an instrument in itself rather than as a stepping stone to the GHB, ...

MadBagPiper helped me pick out a chanter this past weekend and gave me the first lesson on it, and while I was listening to him play that exactly what I thought too. It has a great sound unto itself, especially in the hands of a skilled artist. Me? Well, I made it sound like a bag of burning cats, but he made music!

[auld argonian]

My wife was once again complaining about riding the commuter train home sitting next to a loudmouth on their cell phone...

...I had suggested that she keep a harmonica in her purse and when the loudmouth started yakking, whip it out and start "practicing"...but today I suggested that a practice chanter might be a MUCH better option than a harmonica...

Best

AA

[drobin]

So a general question to the pipers out there. I just started on the PC, and was a bit suprised by the back pressure From reading the other post I gather that the Pipes have less resistance?

[highlander_Daz]

When I started learning i used to practice till my lips couldnt seal around the PC any longer -it soon gets easier, on the GHB if you time the breating correctly then its possible to play continually for very long periods, I like a fairly strog reed as it gives good tone and a significant difference in pressure between the drones and chanter reeds makes for nice clean striking in, I use a Colin Winstanley universal blowpipe which gives very good airflow and very comfortable, I find that my pipes are not hard to blow but to a non piper would find them almost impossible to blow as its down to the timing, I use Cleartone Drone reeds from Ireland and David Chesney chanter reeds and my pipes have great tone, Ive compared tham to many others and they are monsters they are Colin Winstanley handmades.

Just hammer the PC, and a I used to get the logan tutor book and read and play every tune in it even if you dont know the tune just to practice your reading and get a metranome, I developed a Killer GDE using a metranome for Banjo Breakdown
Heres my beloved pipes !!
Colin Winstanley handmades with an early 80s Warmac Chanter and Ross goretex bag


the ends are all cork no hemp!!