Posts

The Average Piper - Tying it all together

I had a break-through lesson last night with an adult student who is dealing with a number of issues. He’s been playing for a couple of years. Issues are “baked-in” which comes with its own set of challenges. (unlearning is a whole lot…

The Average Piper - All about Technique!

We last talked about “Timing” and its importance in music. Without proper timing one cannot represent the tune as the composer intended nor can he or she play in unison with other pipers. What is intended as “music’ becomes “noise”. Equally…

The Average Piper - Timing, Technique, & The Bagpipe

If I boil everything down, these are the three primary areas of focus for Average Pipers; timing, technique, and bagpipe issues. It can sometimes appear overwhelming however when you break things down and focus on fundamentals, it’s really…

The Average Piper - Crossing Noises!

Crossing noises are those unwanted little “blips” that you hear when transitioning from one note to another. They are most common when moving from one hand to the other however they can also occur within one hand. They are the result of…

The Average Piper - St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish culture and music. There will be parades followed by music and dance in just about every pub around the world. 13 million pints of Guinness will be downed that day. Are you ready? Check your bagpipe…

The Average Piper - The Right Instructor

Having taught bagpipes for almost 50 years, there’s not a lot that I haven’t seen. People are drawn to the instrument for their own reasons and eagerly embark on learning. Expectations range from “I want to play Amazing Grace” to “I…

The Average Piper - A Remarkable Story

Mr. Fred Sandeman made bagpipes in Rhodesia in the 1970's on an old treadle lathe. It's not known how many bagpipes he made, however among them were four hand-carved thistle-mount bagpipes. Two owners, one in the UK and the other in Western…

The Average Piper - Hurry along slowly

Sometimes people perpetuate issues because of a lack of understanding or a lack of proper instruction. You can imagine their frustration when I bring these issues to their attention and further when they try to fix them only to discover that…

The Average Piper - The Power of Perseverance!

I spent many years in management and have always been intrigued with human behavior. People tend to look at the end result and assume that someone was blessed with superior intellect, talent, or circumstances that enabled their success. In my…

The Average Piper - F r u s t r a t i o n !

Dealing with frustration can be...frustrating. Some tunes and some tempos are simply beyond our abilities. Let’s take Scotland the Brave. Despite being perhaps the most widely recognized melody worldwide associated with Scotland and the…