I'm not really interested in being actively involved with a committee, but here is something yall may choose to use in whole or part, or disregard altogether.

I receive a few inquiries annually for piping instruction. To separate the wheat from the chaff, I composed this blurb that I e-mail to those asking. Some have rebuked me for being too harsh, others thanked me for the information.



Learning the Pipes…
Yes - the pipes are a difficult instrument to learn to play and mastering them is arduous. I’m asked that most every time I perform publicly. If they weren’t, many people would be playing them and playing them quite well. There's no single difficult thing to learn - you must master many small skills.

There exists a very high attrition rate among beginners. Perhaps 10% of those who start learning the pipes ever become full-fledged pipers. And that may be a generous estimate. Once realized it isn't all adoration and kilts, but a lot of tedious work, most chuck the idea.

It usually takes 1-2 years from a student's first lesson to his first public performance on the pipes. And it takes a reasonable amount of daily practice (4-6 hours/week). It's not just learning techniques, but you must build strength of specific muscles and practice things until they become automatic.

A student with prior musical experience has a decided advantage. Why? Discipline. Already knowing that practice produces results makes a huge difference in the student's attitude toward the pipes. Realizing beforehand that 'This ain’t gonna be simple' actually makes the student’s progression easier. Discipline guarantees the student will practice and excel faster than the student who practices sporadically.

The Great Highland Bagpipe is probably the only instrument that you learn by learning how to play another instrument first. One begins with a ‘practice chanter’ in order to learn the scale and embellishments, as well as initial tunes. The practice chanter is mouth blown and similar to a recorder. It costs $85-$150. Practice chanters are used by every level of piper and are not considered “training wheels”. The advantage of a practice chanter is that the investment is small and the student can simply walk away if he finds the regimen not to his liking.

After 6-12 months on the practice chanter and a few specific tunes are properly memorized, the student may be ready to order a set of bagpipes – at his instructor’s discretion. A new set of reasonable quality bagpipes starts at about $800 and from there the price is almost unlimited. Pipes in the $150-400 range are almost certainly Pakistani made and unusable other than wall hangings or kindling. Buying used pipes present their own hazards to the uninformed and even experienced pipers can be fleeced.

You must be taught this instrument – it is not self-instructed. Being “self-taught” before seeking out a teacher leads to poor playing skills that may be all but impossible to unlearn. The instrument is complicated enough without compounding matters. Only an experienced instructor can guide you. It does not matter how accomplished or classically trained a musician you are already.

Once you acquire a set of pipes, it may take another couple of months to build up stamina, ability, and technique to play the pipes for 20 minutes non-stop.

Not everyone is destined to be a musician, or a piper. Desire to succeed at any endeavor will help compensate a lack of talent, but can't make up for it entirely. There are levels of competency that can be achieved, but without some innate musical talent, there’s little chance to reach even the 'middle ranks.' The last thing I want to do is discourage, but there is a boundary some students can't overcome.

One last item to consider… No other musical instrument has a built-in uniform. That is to say, people expect you to don a kilt while performing. Playing public in ordinary clothing will gain you negative comments – that’s a promise. Kilts are made to order and cost as much as a new business suit. Accoutrements bring the cost to $1,000-1,200. This is exclusive of the pipes’ purchase price.