The 'Trails' of a New Piper!

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 12:09 pm

I've had my Davy Stephenson practice set (Holly chanter) since 23rd December,so I thought it might be of some passing interest to other posters (especially fellows 'Newbies') to make some comment on my progress (or lack of) since then.
Firstly,I am guilty of not practicing enough,mainly due to the 'season of goodwill'etc,etc - yes,I CAN hear you all shouting "so get off the 'Net' and get practicing!"

I am using the NPU video vol. 1,H. Clarke's book,Sean Pott's 'MadforTrad' c.d. ROM,and Seamus Ennis's 'The Master's Touch' as guides.Also,I am once again reading ALL relevent posts on this board (again)starting from page one-thanks guys-there's a LOT of good practical information there (in between the hockum,'horseplay'and sometimes 'bloodymindedness'- question-is this a pre-requisite of becoming a Piper,or does it develop naturally over the required '21 years training period'?

Please let me know what you think about my approach,but I have decided that 'slow and steady' is the best way to go about this.I think that I need to get the very basics 'Rock solid' as a firm foundation first of all.
Thus,I am concentrating on posture,Bag/bellows co-ordination,proper sealing of the chanter holes (low whistle helped a lot here),long notes,scales and intervals.I have so far managed to hit 2nd octave 'B' o.k.
Also-most importantly,I think-I have tried to retain my sense of humour ("What sense of humour?")
I realise that learning the Pipes without a Teacher is a challenge,and is bound to be a rocky road,but hey,on the whole it's great fun (set backs I'll class under 'Character-building'

).
I try to practice as soon as I come home from work,as I live in an apartment,with neighbours on all sides (apart from above),so try not to disturb them too much.I aim to try and get an hour a day in,though up to now this has been more like 40 mins weekdays,and making time up at the week end.
What do you think of this practice regime? Any advice greatly appreciated!

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:00 pm

FWIW, I would suggest you take one of those sources and get through it before picking up another one. Each one includes elements that the others lack, but jumping back and forth will probably prove distracting. Only my opinion, of course, but I would suggest getting through the NPU video, as this is intentionally designed to get you to learn by ear (very important in piping). Then pick up Heather Clarke and learn to read music (if you can't already), then Mad4Trad for the speed, and finally Ennis to give you a new appreciation and better understanding of what you thought you had already learned.

djm

MacEachain · Post by **MacEachain** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:01 pm

Hi Kevin,
I understand what you're going through, IMO, don't set yourself too strict a regime, it's supposed to be enjoyable, you can't force it. The 1st 3 things I was taught were 1. to be able to hold a steady note. 2. to play a 1st octave scale closing the chanter between notes, untill I could play it up and down without faults every time, 3. Play the same scale but cutting every note, still closing the chanter between notes. It took me ages. If you record yourself every week or so you can see how you're progressing, that's important I think as sometimes you feel as if you aren't making any progress at all. Good luck anyway, it will get easier.

Cheers, Mac

elbogo · Post by **elbogo** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:06 pm

That's about all you can do Kevin, just keep at it, and abolish all thoughts of how bad you think you're doing. Listen to the music, keep listening, and keep practicing. Eventually you'll be playing tunes.

Even with a teacher, you're on your own, unless you get a lesson everyday. Most important is practice, and coordinating the bellows, so it becomes second nature, otherwise you'll be working even harder.

You should make the effort to someday soon getting to a Tionol, so you can interact with some of the "Masters" on this list, simply to get some important pointers on how you're doing and how you can either improve or change anything.

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:10 pm

Cheers for your advice DJM. I thought that that was probably the order to place them in as a newbie.
I think that the NPU video and the Clarke book very much complement each other.The 'madfortrad' c.d. rom seems to be aimed at people who have already got some one to one lessons under their belt.
The Ennis book is very 'individualistic' shall we say (not the word I'm looking for,but it's the best I can come up with just now),and I think that I will gain much more insight from it as I,hopefully,progress.
Hope I can Pipe quicker than I can type,Mac and Elbogo just saw your replies!

I have been practicing cuts and 'closed' piping(I won't be trying to do a 'Johnny Doran' just yet!)
I think that I'll keep a weekly recorded log-sounds like an aural 'candid camera'

piperben · Post by **piperben** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 4:05 pm

Listen to as many great pipers as you can and use what ever methods work for you. Play as much as you can and most of all HAVE FUN!

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 4:56 pm

Cheers Ben-I think that you definately learn quicker if you are having 'fun',and lets face it,you've got to have a sense of humour to attempt to play such a perverse,sorry SPLENDID instrument as the pipes!

Big Mick · Post by **Big Mick** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 7:56 am

And hang out here, my friend. I am so proud of this place. You ask for help and no one gets smart, rather they just help. Thanks to all for being so forthcoming with help for those of us who are learning.

Jim McGuire · Post by **Jim McGuire** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 12:51 pm

Happy Trails to you...until we meet again!

billh · Post by **billh** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 4:20 pm

seconding Kevin and piperben; do what keeps you motivated and playing!
but within reason, don't try and overreach; just getting the hand of bag and bellows takes a lot of time, and forms the foundation for everything else.
One point I always make with new pipers is, make sure you are relaxed, which may seem like an impossibility at first. But always start a practice session with a mental "am I relaxed, is my posture OK, etc."

The two most boring exercises are the ones that bring the fastest results:
* playing a really long note steadily (helps learn bellows technique and pressure regulation) - start with 'a' in the first octave.
* playing 'silence' with the bag at full pressure and fingers covering all holes. (you know you're at 'full pressure' if lifting the 'A' finger plays the A note in pitch). Then, keeping the pressure up, see how loosely you can grip the chanter before leaks begin. This helps you learn not to grip the chanter too hard, and helps you get used to the finger positions.

Note that your wrists should not be appreciably bent, there should be a gentle, sweeping curve from your fingertips to your elbow.

Otherwise you may experience pain or even injury, and even if you don't hurt yourself, you'll never develop any speed with a hard grip on the chanter.

(took me years to learn/unlearn that!)

Good luck!

- Bill