Posts

The Average Piper - Breaking things down!

Often times I hear pipers crashing through a phrase not able to put specific notes where they belong relative to “the beat”. They start out OK but get tangled up inside the measure or phrase, primarily due to something that is challenging.…

The Average Piper - Note Errors Pt II

Dan Bell hit the nail on the head by summing up note errors to "lack of preparedness" and "lack of focus". We talked about preparedness yesterday so let’s talk about focus. Research tells us that the human brain processes 400 billion bits…

The Average Piper - Note Errors!

I received a call one day from someone looking for a piper. He was a classical musician from LA and had already received a recording from another piper in town. We talked for a minute and then he asked the most peculiar question. “Are note…

The Average Piper - Protect Your Tone!

In the old days, I both loved and hated practice. I always made certain that my bagpipe was ready to go and after about ten minutes of playing it was tuned and completely settled. Others would arrive having not touched their pipes since the…

The Average Piper - Pipe Bags #2

All pipe bags require understanding and management in order to achieve and maintain the right sound. Each type of bag has its advantages, limitations, and maintenance requirements. It is critical that the piper understand his or her pipe bag…

The Average Piper...The Bag #1

Let’s move beyond 'who the Average Piper is' and talk about the 'end goal' and that is to play music. The most basic element of the music is the sound that your instrument produces. The sound is a product of many factors. The bag, your choice…

The Average Piper Continued...

The Average Piper probably started as an adult. They probably were taught in a traditional manner and may have spent one or more years just on the practice chanter learning embellishments. Their first tunes were probably Scots Wa Hae, High Road…