I CANT play, inflate, and press at the same time... does my arm always need to be pressing the bag even when inhaling? i cant do that multitasking right now.. any suggestions?
@d1v4dPwnz That's because you only press when you are taking a breath. That sort of coordination takes time to develop. My suggestion would be to start taking lessons, stay on the practice chanter a little longer, and then when you do get up on pipes, plug up the drones at first so you can focus on coordinating blowing and squeezing.
@d1v4dPwnz First make sure that all the joints on the drones are snug with hemp, but not so tight that you can't slide them up and down. Second, adjust the drone reeds by moving the bridles down bit by bit. Third, when did you start playing? It might just be that you need to plug the drones up as you get used to the bag.
@d1v4dPwnz If recently means six months ago or less, then you should stay on the practice chanter for a little longer.
Otherwise, do you know who made your set? if not, then your pipes may have been made in Pakistan, and are therefore worth less than firewood :P After a few more months on the practice chanter, invest in a set of McCallums. They are one of the best instruments out there for their value.
@bagpipeplayer Iv been on the practice chanter and I understand it very well. I did buy my first set of "paki pipes" but then I bought a gannaway bag, MG reeds, Warnock Reeds, and really top of the line stuff. The only thing i kept from the pakistan pipes was the drones, everything else, literally everything else was really expensive... maybe i just need practise
@d1v4dPwnz Practice is good, but you will only find frustration from those Pakistani drones. Trust me, go for a set of McCallums. You won't regret it.
@d1v4dPwnz Sorry to say this, but yes. The Pakistani drones are not going to serve you well. A set of pipes is only as good as the weakest component, so it is best to have a set made by someone who treats every component as it is the most important piece. By buying Paki pipes, you will spend more money trying to get them to work than you ever would have if you bought a set of McCallums of Naill's in the first place.
@d1v4dPwnz For the simple reason that you'll never get a set of Pakistani drones to tune properly. If you can't keep your instrument in tune, you may spend more time trying to get them to work right than you spend actually playing. Either that, or you'll get so frustrated that you begin to find excuses to not practice.
@bagpipeplayer hmm... they sound fine to me, I have MG Drone Reeds and my drones sound great. I know what you mean though, I want McCallum drones but I don't have $830 right now...
@d1v4dPwnz Go find a bagpipe teacher that lives close by you and talk to them about your drones. If they know their stuff, then they'll be able to tell you more than I can. Unless you post a video of yourself playing, I can't give you a lot of help.
MG reeds can be host to any number of problems. Use EZEE drones, they don't last long but they have the least problems..
Get rid of the paki drones as soon as you can. Trust me, even if they sound good now, they will crap out.
@bagpipeplayer yeah I wish. Iv checked for instructors.... none around me, they are atleast 3 hour drive which is really dumb. If I get poly pipes, Dunbar drones, will I be fine?
@d1v4dPwnz You can do webcam lessons with a fellow named Jori Chisolm. Google him.
Dunbar poly pipes aren't really the best thing for serious pipers. They sound well enough, but you'll have rivers of water coming out of them after just ten minutes of playing even with a water trap. The best thing you can do is to just save up and get a decent set of blackwood pipes.
If you look closely at the video, you will notice that all the students are already blowing into their chanters the correct way. They already knew how to do that, what I was trying to help them do was improve on their finger technique.
It's tough because it's a different scale than the classical western scale. Research the mixolydian scale and you'll get an idea, other than that it all comes with practice and lots of it.
Look buddy, these were beginners and we were working with what we had. Cut them some slack. Yes, practice chanters can be tuned, but like I said, these were beginners. I was focusing on teaching them how to play things correctly rather than focusing on tuning their instruments.
I CANT play, inflate, and press at the same time... does my arm always need to be pressing the bag even when inhaling? i cant do that multitasking right now.. any suggestions?
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz That's because you only press when you are taking a breath. That sort of coordination takes time to develop. My suggestion would be to start taking lessons, stay on the practice chanter a little longer, and then when you do get up on pipes, plug up the drones at first so you can focus on coordinating blowing and squeezing.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
Okay I have bagpipes and when i blow it up to get them going, air comes from the drones THEN they start making the sound... is this normal?
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz First make sure that all the joints on the drones are snug with hemp, but not so tight that you can't slide them up and down. Second, adjust the drone reeds by moving the bridles down bit by bit. Third, when did you start playing? It might just be that you need to plug the drones up as you get used to the bag.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
@bagpipeplayer i started playing recently.. i just need tips
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz If recently means six months ago or less, then you should stay on the practice chanter for a little longer.
Otherwise, do you know who made your set? if not, then your pipes may have been made in Pakistan, and are therefore worth less than firewood :P After a few more months on the practice chanter, invest in a set of McCallums. They are one of the best instruments out there for their value.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
@bagpipeplayer Iv been on the practice chanter and I understand it very well. I did buy my first set of "paki pipes" but then I bought a gannaway bag, MG reeds, Warnock Reeds, and really top of the line stuff. The only thing i kept from the pakistan pipes was the drones, everything else, literally everything else was really expensive... maybe i just need practise
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz Practice is good, but you will only find frustration from those Pakistani drones. Trust me, go for a set of McCallums. You won't regret it.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
@bagpipeplayer I just blew all my money on these new ones, so your saying the drones are screwing me up? even though all my other stuff is good?
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz Sorry to say this, but yes. The Pakistani drones are not going to serve you well. A set of pipes is only as good as the weakest component, so it is best to have a set made by someone who treats every component as it is the most important piece. By buying Paki pipes, you will spend more money trying to get them to work than you ever would have if you bought a set of McCallums of Naill's in the first place.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
@bagpipeplayer how exactly will the drones mess up my bagpipe playing?
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz For the simple reason that you'll never get a set of Pakistani drones to tune properly. If you can't keep your instrument in tune, you may spend more time trying to get them to work right than you spend actually playing. Either that, or you'll get so frustrated that you begin to find excuses to not practice.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
@bagpipeplayer hmm... they sound fine to me, I have MG Drone Reeds and my drones sound great. I know what you mean though, I want McCallum drones but I don't have $830 right now...
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz Go find a bagpipe teacher that lives close by you and talk to them about your drones. If they know their stuff, then they'll be able to tell you more than I can. Unless you post a video of yourself playing, I can't give you a lot of help.
MG reeds can be host to any number of problems. Use EZEE drones, they don't last long but they have the least problems..
Get rid of the paki drones as soon as you can. Trust me, even if they sound good now, they will crap out.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
@bagpipeplayer yeah I wish. Iv checked for instructors.... none around me, they are atleast 3 hour drive which is really dumb. If I get poly pipes, Dunbar drones, will I be fine?
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
@d1v4dPwnz You can do webcam lessons with a fellow named Jori Chisolm. Google him.
Dunbar poly pipes aren't really the best thing for serious pipers. They sound well enough, but you'll have rivers of water coming out of them after just ten minutes of playing even with a water trap. The best thing you can do is to just save up and get a decent set of blackwood pipes.
bagpipeplayer 1 year ago
@bagpipeplayer alright well i guess bagpiping is gonna wait then, ill just use these pipes with the paki drones right now, they seem fine to me
d1v4dPwnz 1 year ago
You shouldn't be showing them that blowing out of the right side of your mouth is acceptable. It'll be a bad habit to break in the future.
canqpiper 2 years ago
If you look closely at the video, you will notice that all the students are already blowing into their chanters the correct way. They already knew how to do that, what I was trying to help them do was improve on their finger technique.
bagpipeplayer 2 years ago
Don't worry, I noticed that they were doing it correctly. However, I have NEVER seen a pipe major blow out of the right side of their mouth!!!!!!
canqpiper 2 years ago
It's not something I do often either. I'm not a pipe major either, wasn't then, am not now. I was just an instructor.
bagpipeplayer 2 years ago
im thinkin about takin bagpipes in school but idk how to read the notes
Foxpink31993 2 years ago
It's tough because it's a different scale than the classical western scale. Research the mixolydian scale and you'll get an idea, other than that it all comes with practice and lots of it.
bagpipeplayer 2 years ago
Have you ever heard about to tune the practice chanters? Can be done, you know.....
hfranke07 2 years ago
Look buddy, these were beginners and we were working with what we had. Cut them some slack. Yes, practice chanters can be tuned, but like I said, these were beginners. I was focusing on teaching them how to play things correctly rather than focusing on tuning their instruments.
bagpipeplayer 2 years ago