self-taught pipes?

[Lambda]

I never wanted to compete so playing to a grade was never a concern for me.
I still feel I represent piping in a good light.
if you want to see BAD piping goto this page of Bobdunsire.com
worst piping vids on youtube

Oh goodness.... I'll never get that hour of my life back. Those videos were so bad I couldn't stop watching them until I got to the end just because I thought there had to be a good one in there somewhere!

My advice is that if, God forbid, you ever do self-teach, please NEVER get recorded until you are good and certain you don't look like those people. I have had people tell me they hate the bagpipe when I've told them I play, and it is because of people like those represented in the above videos that they felt this way. It's tragic when most people get their opinion of the pipes from the worst of the worst. The instrument is too beautiful for that bum rap.

Getting an instructor of some kind (or at least sitting down with someone who has piped before) is by far the way to go. Way too much can be learned improperly that takes longer to unlearn if you ever get serious.