Got Pipes?
 

Have "Scotland the Brave" stuck in my head, think I am going to get me a set of bag pipes.... Been trying to learn guitar since I was 8 to no avail.... The only thing that worries me is that as far as I know the pipes have no volume control, and the learning curve may find me ticketed or in jail for disturbing the peace.....

A friend of mine had the same wacky idea...

Turns out a real set of hand made pipes can run a few thousand bucks.

Having said that I did later see some in a catalog for a few hundred... but I don't remember where.

Get yourself a practice chanter and learn to play on that before you tackle the whole bag.

Yeah, I figured a good set would be pricey, and have found some on the bay in the $200. price range. Have not heard of this practice devise you speak of but may give it a look.

I sorta like the idea of an instrument that will play both a low tone and a high pitched melody at the same time.... lol

A practice chanter is like a long thin recorder but I believe it is double reeded like a bagpipe. It will even sould like a bagpipe, just at a much much lower volume level. For about $80 you could certainly scratch your "Scotland the Brave" itch and then decide if you want to spend a grand or more on the pipes.

I went to college with a guy that played the pipes. He used a chanter often, but every once in a while, he'd crank up the pipes in the dorms. Even going through several solid wood doors, they were still REALLY loud.

Love the pipes! I'm from Scottish decent, but not very musical.

Are they difficult to play?

Playing isn't the hard part.... Breathing and tuning are an art form!
Being of Scottish descent, and participating in a local re-enactment since I was 10 (wow, now that I think about it that's been a while :( ) Anyway, I too had the itch. The best thing to do is buy a chanter and get good with that. That will teach you the fingering technique. Next you can get a "practice bag" which has 2 drones made of brass tube that can be lengthened for tuning. A practice bag will run about $75-$90. That will then teach you how to tune and breath properly WITHOUT passing out! Once you have mastered the practice bags you can step up to a set of wood/ivory/silver pipes for anywhere from $1200-$4000.

As a side note, if anyone needs a good piper for a wedding or the sort, I highly recommend this woman: http://www.sormusic.com/contact.htm.
The photo on her main page is actually from my wedding. I'm Scottish, my wife is Irish... It was a necessity :)

Good luck!
-Nick

I took lessons on them when I was in high school. You start out on a practice chanter. It will make your jaws ache!! After 6 months to 1 year you will be ready to try a full set of pipes.
It takes a bit of coordination to play. You have to blow in a tube to fill the bag with air. Then you have to squeeze the bag with your elbow to force air through the chanter, and drones, which makes sound. Before the bag is empty, you have to blow it full of air again, or the sound stops. All the while, you are trying to play a tune with your fingers on the chanter.
Scotland The Brave is usually played on Highland Bagpipes which are the louder ones. There are also parlor pipes which are for indoor use, and aren't as loud.

My son played them when he was 10 and in some competition, I wish he never gave it up, could have listened all day..

I'm currently at the Fire Instructors Conference and show in Indianapolis and yesterday at the opening of the show they had the annual march around the show with about 50+ bagpipers. Quite a sight and the sound in the RCA Dome was quite a thing to hear. This is the last time in the RCA Dome as the new Lucas Oil Facility will be finished and the RCA dome will be imploded.

This afternoon during the show several pipers were playing for about an hour. We all know how a trade show can be when it slows down, people try to fill some time during the lull in the croud

Very Good advice guys.... I will go ahead and start with the practice chanter.... I am more unsure of my heritage than I have ever been since my wife has gotten more into our geneology. The more I think about it I am just a heinz 57 of european decent, but I have always had a fondness for the sound of the pipes..... sorta regal and I always get chills when I hear them..... almost like a war march..... My favorite scene is either in the longest day or a bridge too far can't remeber off hand, but when the reinforcements come in under fire playing the pipes..... I consider that scene one of the classics..... I also like the sounds of the pipes in Braveheart, I thought they were pretty good also....

Electric!

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Had a piper at my wedding..awesome
saw the 'Black Watch Regiment' at Wolftrap farm VA. years ago..
you could hear them long before they came over the hill.

the Irish invented the pipes ,
Scott's haven't figured out the joke.
Rika