Bagpipes For Beginners Program
Copywrite 2010 by Symphony Studios, Inc Holland, PA USA
215-968-9542
215-968-9542
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The greatest thing about learning to play the bagpipes is the cost. Learning to play the bagpipes is relatively inexpensive in comparison to playing other instruments. The only things needed in learning to play the bagpipes is a Practice Chanter, a Method and a Teacher. You don't need to buy a set of pipes to start. Please don't. Most prospective bagpipers with no experience, make bad purchases and regret them later on. We will guide you through the process.
Practice Chanters are made of various kinds of wood and plastic and most can be purchased for less than $100.00. I personally use and recommend the Gibson R101 Practice Chanter. This Chanter is made of a poly plenco resin and is tonally correct. You can buy a practice chanter for as little as $30.00, however most of those are made of Rosewood, Sheeshamwood or Cocuswood which are all porous woods. The problem with that is that you are blowing hot wet air into it. These woods soak up the moisture and expand or contract with the temperature and moisture causing the tuning to be unstable. The Gibson R101 being made of plastic does not change pitch while playing. Because it is tonally correct, you the student will learn what the bagpipe scale sounds like to that you will be successful in tuning your pipes at some point. When playing the practice chanter, you should be seated at a table. The practice chanter should be long enough to go from your mouth to the top of the table. If the R101 Regular is too short and you have to hold it in the air, then you should consider a long chanter like the R101L. If you want a fancier chanter, you might consider an African Blackwood Chanter. I would recommend the Dunfion African Blackwood Chanter that is carved. It is a beautiful instrument that you'll have forever.
I think that the right Method is very important. When I started teaching, I found that a lot of methods lacked motivation. Most of the students that call me about bagpipe lessons are curious not committed to playing the bagpipes. My job is to take that curious person and convert them to being a committed student. I think a lot of that has to do with the Method. Not finding the right Method for my students motivated me to develop my own program called “Bagpipes For Beginners”. The program comes in 2 versions: The Scottish Version or the Irish Version. The goal is to play tunes. In this program I have incorporated the technique needed to play each tune with in the lessons. In the program we will teach you how to read music and rhythm and develop the needed technique to play the Scottish Highland Bagpipe. The goal at some point is for you the student to be able to read and play any tune that your Pipe Major puts in front of you. It has always been the tunes that kept me motivated to play this instrument
Both the Scottish and the Irish workbooks sell for $19.99 each. The accompanying Cd's sell for $15.00 each. The DVD Video Teaching Program sells for $69.99 only accompanies the Scottish Program. If you buy the complete program, the book, a Practice Chanter, the CD and the DVD program you will save 10% off of the retail prices of these items and only pay $171.00. Shipping not included in any of these items.
The last product on this page is our "Big, Slow & Open" CD. On this CD, we have recorded 33 bagpipe tunes played at slow and easy pace so that a new student can play along. Click here for the tune list of this CD.
Again these are our tools to get started. Probably the greatest thing about this instrument is the amount of music written for it. You can go to our book page to see the variety of books.
Practice Chanters are made of various kinds of wood and plastic and most can be purchased for less than $100.00. I personally use and recommend the Gibson R101 Practice Chanter. This Chanter is made of a poly plenco resin and is tonally correct. You can buy a practice chanter for as little as $30.00, however most of those are made of Rosewood, Sheeshamwood or Cocuswood which are all porous woods. The problem with that is that you are blowing hot wet air into it. These woods soak up the moisture and expand or contract with the temperature and moisture causing the tuning to be unstable. The Gibson R101 being made of plastic does not change pitch while playing. Because it is tonally correct, you the student will learn what the bagpipe scale sounds like to that you will be successful in tuning your pipes at some point. When playing the practice chanter, you should be seated at a table. The practice chanter should be long enough to go from your mouth to the top of the table. If the R101 Regular is too short and you have to hold it in the air, then you should consider a long chanter like the R101L. If you want a fancier chanter, you might consider an African Blackwood Chanter. I would recommend the Dunfion African Blackwood Chanter that is carved. It is a beautiful instrument that you'll have forever.
I think that the right Method is very important. When I started teaching, I found that a lot of methods lacked motivation. Most of the students that call me about bagpipe lessons are curious not committed to playing the bagpipes. My job is to take that curious person and convert them to being a committed student. I think a lot of that has to do with the Method. Not finding the right Method for my students motivated me to develop my own program called “Bagpipes For Beginners”. The program comes in 2 versions: The Scottish Version or the Irish Version. The goal is to play tunes. In this program I have incorporated the technique needed to play each tune with in the lessons. In the program we will teach you how to read music and rhythm and develop the needed technique to play the Scottish Highland Bagpipe. The goal at some point is for you the student to be able to read and play any tune that your Pipe Major puts in front of you. It has always been the tunes that kept me motivated to play this instrument
Both the Scottish and the Irish workbooks sell for $19.99 each. The accompanying Cd's sell for $15.00 each. The DVD Video Teaching Program sells for $69.99 only accompanies the Scottish Program. If you buy the complete program, the book, a Practice Chanter, the CD and the DVD program you will save 10% off of the retail prices of these items and only pay $171.00. Shipping not included in any of these items.
The last product on this page is our "Big, Slow & Open" CD. On this CD, we have recorded 33 bagpipe tunes played at slow and easy pace so that a new student can play along. Click here for the tune list of this CD.
Again these are our tools to get started. Probably the greatest thing about this instrument is the amount of music written for it. You can go to our book page to see the variety of books.
