Geriatric Newbie......

[Okinell]

Hi all........ I have been taking piping lessons with a local band in the Houston/Galveston area, the Clear Lake Caledonia Pipe Band. They give group lessons and I started last Nov. 2008 and now have my first set of pipes. This past Friday my Nail DN2 pipes arrived from Celtic Fire Ltd. They were wonderfully set up for me by the owner, Dave Keenan, i.e., re-hemped, McPhee easy reed adjusted for my beginning stature, etc.

He and our pipe major, Brian Berlin, had strongly warned all of us acquiring our first set of pipes that we would all have severe "buyer's remorse".....LOL. Well, I definitely can understand their point and what they certainly meant.

So far things seem to be coming along nicely, but it is really frustrating getting somewhat of a repertoire on the practice chanter and feeling farther behind than when I tried blowing my practice chanter for the first time. I can maintain all the drones now and start and hold a low A consistently on the chanter. I can go up the scale fairly well too, but when I get to a high G and the a high A is when things "go south". I really have to struggle blowing and with my left arm in order to even hit those notes let alone try and maintain them. Dave told me that this is not much different than learning to ride a bike. You struggle, wobble around, fall down, get up and then one day you head off down the street and your finally up and riding.

I was just curious if anyone could give me any tips or pointers at this frustrating juncture? Is this more a matter of muscle tone and development, embouchure, breathing and blowing or what? Thanks for your help and patience. :confused:

Harold

P.S. I read online some guy mentioned that he was a "late starter" that he began when he was 31.......LOL. I might as well cash it in I guess....I'll be 56 this September. Not really.......... :D

[Bagpiper]

The transition from the practice chanter to the bagpipes is definitely not easy. With proper maintenance, good reeds and lots of practice you make the transition a bit easier.

I can outline a few pointers on how to improve you chances on getting to the point that you can play the pipes.

Bagpipe Maintenance
New or old pipes need to be carefully maintained. The hemp on the drones, chanter and blow stick will get wet and swell when they are played and then dry out and become loose. This constant back and forth can lead to unstable seal for your pipes.

Your new pipes might have had nicely wound hemp, but remember they were completely dry. Now that you are playing your new pipes, they are having moisture introduced to the pipes. Moisture will constantly make the hemp wet and swell, and then dry and constrict. This constant action will make the hemp unsteady. Check the drones, chanter, and blow stick daily to make sure that the hemp is still providing a tight seal.

Be careful when adding hemp. You can add a small string (3-4 inches) to any joint to tighten up the stock. Make sure that you do not add to much hemp, because when it gets wet, it will swell and prevent you from separating the drones, chanter, blow stick from the bag.

Chanter Reed Maintenance
There are several opinions on how to care for your reed, so I will just give you mine and take it for what it’s worth.

For normal play (20-40 minutes) I will usually remove my chanter from the pipes after playing and place a reed protector cap on it (with a hole for air) and leave it. After heavy playing (an hour or more) I will remove the chanter from the pipes and leave the chanter uncapped to air dry overnight.

Chanter Reed Warm Up
Before I start to play the bagpipes, I like to warm up the chanter reed. With the chanter removed from the pipes, play the scale a few times with your mouth before placing the chanter back into pipes.

I find that the chanter really settles in a great deal faster this way without destroying the reed with excess moisture. The slight introduction of warm air and slight moisture is great for the reed. It makes the reed a bit easier to blow and sound better (IMHO). This warmup really helps steady the high hand.

I have test both ways, warm up vs non warm up and there always has been a big difference in the sound and ease of playing in my opinion.

If you have a good reed, you will not need to anything else with the reed. I usually see weak pipers completely douse the reed with water, squeeze it like a lemon in order for the reed to become easier. Don’t to it !

Body Mechanics
Something that is harder to teach, is body mechanics. You will need to log in many hours of practice to learn how to control your breathing and bag pressure with your arm. This subtle skill can only be accomplished only after you have an air tight set of bagpipes, properly functioning drone reeds, and a chanter reed matched to your playing ability.

A way to monitor if you are a steady blower is to use a bagpipe tuner (ie: Korg CA-30). You will watch the needle and make sure it stays on “0” mark the whole time you play. It the needle wavers that probably means that you are not blowing steady.

Watch yourself in the mirror when playing. Check to see if your body is straight, both shoulders are even, the pipes are at a nice angle to your body, your neck and head is straight.

Good Luck