Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jeffklein on July 31, 2007 at 5:14pm

Learning the pipes....that's a good place to start.

Your captain is right. practice practice practice. That is the only way. I think it took me about a month, and one day everything just fell in place. With a little more work, a month latter I was playing Amazing Grace, Minstrel Boy and Going Home (good basic songs to start with).

Once you get your pipes, get someone to set them up. If they aren't right, you WILL bang your head against the wall.

It's good that you have someone to help. Also get involved with a group to get differing views.

Stick with it! It's is one of the best things I have ever done I love it! When you go to conferences like FDIC in Indianapolis or Firehouse in Baltimore, take your pipes. In Indy they have mass bands and is truely an unbelievable experience. And once the world hears you play, you will be in demand.

Let me know what I can do to help.

Jeff

Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on August 22, 2007 at 12:14pm

To start with, Your captain plays, But is he well enough versed to teach you the pipes? what tutor are you using? learning 9 notes on a single octive is pretty easy how abt the various hundreds of grace note combinations... Its not an easy feat, Nor will it happen in a week.. for some potential insightand to help get yourself pumped up, I suggest you immerge yourself in it, get some band Cd's and try get pumped over the whole process... with time it will come... Buy FDNY's latest CD or Bergan County NJ or Mesa Az etc etc.. most bands have recorded a CD...or two.. If you need to talk have any questions, seek guidance, there is a Fire Pipe band Forum, out there which was begun January '07 located at http://www.phpbbserver.com/smokenpipes we have nearly 1000 topic posts from to playing colorado springs
to how to do your band bilaws... and LODD events.. hope youwill check us out,...I started piping in 1990 the age of 30, no musical ability and co founded my states 1st service related pipe band which debuted officially in November 1992..... It can be done... :) jim


http://www.phpbbserver.com/smokenpipes

Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on August 22, 2007 at 11:07pm

Ironz if your able to totally immerse yourself in "things piping" its good, are there any bands around your area?
just going to a practice or two and spending the couple hours to get Into it is good , listening to pipe music at this moment mightor mightnot be that helpful... after all it will take yousome time beforeyoucanbegin to feel like you are ever going to soundlike FDNY or anyone..lol yet getting familiar with tunes like going home, AG, Minstral Boy as was mentioned is also important... You need to begin with an instructor because learning Good habits is way more important then trying to unlearn bad ones ... Logans Tutor is good But is complex to a beginner , and College of Piping 1 is great because it breaks some things down and forces you to learn with the book and CD but sorta leaves a LOT and leaves you hanging in some ways, together with a bit of support you could make it.. Then comes the difficult part of the pipes (set up and maintaining set up, the physical aspects of relearning chanter to chanter as well as building up your diaphram to push all that lumber around, even if your playing plastic reeds..lol there are ups and downs as with anything Just bear in mind WHY your trying to do it !!!

Permalink Reply by Mick Mayers on September 18, 2007 at 7:49pm

My wife bought me a great chanter over 15 years ago and I have still not figured it out. I suck. But every now and then I pick it up and try, then realize, I still suck. I just need to work at it for a few months in a row before I totally give up. But now that there are others, maybe I'll try again.

Permalink Reply by Joel C Kelley on September 21, 2007 at 5:21pm

When yo0u hit the "break-it-over-my wife's-head" point, take a break, and come back later. Unfortunately, the chanter is the most tiring, because you have to blow for every note. You might think about getting a bag called a goose for the chanter, it takes up some of the slack, but you will still want to keep up on straight chanter, especially important when you're playing with a band, because much of the real woodshed practice is on the chanter. Have you gotten copies of any of the pipers instruction books? Ask your Captain to recommend one or two. This advice comes from ny father, former Pipe Segeant of the Order of the Thistle Pipe Band in Santa Fe New Mexico.

By the way, I LOVE some of the musics you chose for your page! Looks like I'm gonna be on Itunes soon!

Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on September 24, 2007 at 5:35pm

While the goose is Good, as a beginner one needs to learn using the chanter its part of the way one perfects his skills both in fingering as well as steady blowing, Its WORK.. and that work allows you to easily take on the actual pipes when the time comes , One person with no instruction will getout what he puts in..with the right Tutor and CD that acts as a knowledge base , one will goa lot further, One with a Tutor and Cd and a live instructor will go yet further and some one with all those things and a "peer" who is "just as bad" will give you some ideas, and something to strive to do better then, and so on... Having a chanter that ahs lived in a closet , isnt going to do much for you..:)

Permalink Reply by Captain Hook? on October 15, 2007 at 4:31pm

No advice from be but i'll take yours, The chanter drives me nuts and thats just getting the fingers right putting it down and picking up later sounds solid.

Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on October 16, 2007 at 8:11am

I dont think anyone will disagree, But the chanter trains you to blow, The better your able to make it sound the more steady your Blowing is the better it sounds sortofadog chasing its tail sorta thing...If youcant play music on the chanter, cleanlyimagine what a mess youwould have trying to wrestle the octopus..............