Finding a good bagpipe teacher is sometimes like trying to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! For some of us, finding a bagpipe teacher was easy. We had family connections to a band and they recommended a teacher, or maybe you saw a highland band in a parade, got their information, and started taking lessons from a recommendation. Hopefully your experience has been easy, but unfortunately there are a lot of people who fall in love with the deep, unique sound of the Great Highland Bagpipes and are just left dreaming of what it would be like to play the bagpipes. Some people even buy a set of pipes that they never get to play. This article is hopefully a helpful way to help you select the right way to learn the bagpipes.
If you're reading this article, hopefully you have already seen the light and realize that you NEED a bagpipe teacher to make your dream a reality. While Moana is a cute Disney princess who claims she is “self taught” on how to sail, she very quickly realizes that she needs Maui's help to become a better sailor. So while I believe in the mindset that we all take different roads to get to the same destination, I do believe that you need a teacher! Being “self taught” at learning to play the bagpipes is not an effective means of learning to play. Information out there on playing the bagpipes is not as easily or readily available as you would like it to be, and also at some point you are going to get bad information that will slow you down and make you have to undo bad habits.
In today's world of ever-growing technology, you have so many options for learning to play the bagpipes. You could choose to learn online or learn in person. Learning online is broken down three different groups You could take prerecorded lessons that use more of a learn-as-you-go method, private instruction or a hybrid of these two. Some people take group lessons and some take one-on-one private lessons. When you can find an instructor where you can take in-person lessons, I highly recommend it. The conversations that you can have in person and listening to the sound and style of bagpipe music played in person are invaluable! While I believe that learning to play the notes, rhythms, and grace notes is super important, I also believe understanding the history, the uniform or clothing, and the style of the music is something that is hard to be bought or taught from a book or a screen. It is also nice to play with another person. Bagpiping is like cooking: sure, you can read a recipe from a book and make a wonderful cake, but going to your grandmom's kitchen and understanding why a 12-egg chiffon cake really only gets 8 eggs nowadays is a totally different experience.
A smart person once told me that when you interview for a job, the interview should focus on you showing the group who you are, but also you are interviewing them to see if this job is a good fit for you. I believe this is totally true for finding a bagpipe teacher! As a bagpipe teacher, I have a list of questions that I ask every player before they start to play. My favorite and most important is: why do you want to play the bagpipes? If I am going to invest my time, energy, and effort into making you good, I want to know that you are also invested and are doing this for the right reasons. Playing the bagpipes is not like owning a magical unicorn. While some may think the bagpipes are a magical instrument worshiped for their magical powers of being played for centuries and a memorizing, I'm sorry to say that you are wrong! The next question I have is: what skills do you already have? All this information helps me better tailor and create a game plan for how to help you become a better musician. Things like: Can you read the notes in treble clef? Can you read rhythms? Do you know any grace notes? Do you own bagpipes? Do you own a chanter? Do you need recommendations on what to buy? Where would you like to be in a year? Do you want to play in a band? Is your goal to be a competitive or noncompetitive piper? What is your goal in learning to play the instrument? All of this gathered information helps me create a map of where you are, what I can teach you, and where to start. As your teacher, I should not just be giving cookie-cutter lessons.
So on the flip side of asking questions, this is what I would ask a potential teacher. My favorite question applies here also: Why did you want to play the bagpipes? Who did you take lessons from? Do you play in a band? Is that band a competitive or non-competitive band? What nationality is your band? Do you only play Scottish or Irish music, or does the band play a little bit of everything? Do you have female and male pipers? What is the age range of the band? Does the band drink during performances? Would you teach me if I wasn't in the band? When are you able to give lessons? Where do you give lessons? How much do you charge, and how long are the lessons? What do you do if I have to cancel a lesson? How much time do I need to give you to cancel a lesson? Do we do lessons every week or every other week?
Everyone is different and learns differently, and a good bagpipe teacher knows this and knows how to teach according to this. My teaching style does change based on your age. What I use as a reference has to be effective and meaningful to the student. I also find that students come to me with different styles. The first, and most popular, is: I wanted to be able to play the bagpipes yesterday, and what is the fastest and easiest way to get on the street and playing with a band. I call these students the fast and the furious, which is great, but if you want to learn fast and furious, I'm gonna put it out there that you need to practice fast and furious! The second kind of student is more of a slow and steady approach. This student comes every week asking new questions; they take their time to master the grace notes and are methodical about learning to play the notes, rhythms, and grace notes with accuracy. Neither of these styles is right or wrong. However, understanding which style you fall into will better help you find a teacher that will work for you. I like to teach both kinds of students, but not everyone does. Make sure your teacher is on board with your teaching style. Also, as a precaution, if you are a fast and furious learner, make sure that your bagpipe teacher is not missing anything. I am more than happy to help you learn any tune you want, but realize that when I see you struggling to play a high A doubling, at some point in your lesson I am going to make you play an exercise or tune that focuses on high A doublings, and I will recommend that this also be your homework.
Many bagpipe bands offer free lessons for an hour before band rehearsal. It can be a great way to learn for free. One side note of caution if you are taking lessons from a band is to make sure they are teaching you everything and not rushing you to the pipes. You don't want to be the girl or guy in the street band who only ever plays a bunch of grace notes instead of all of the grace notes as written in the music. A good piper can sit next to someone else and know when the person next to them isn't playing the correct grace notes! When I write music, I methodically think and craft each grace note to the phrase, so don't cheat yourself by leaving them out. Also, don't drive yourself crazy if you forget one grace note. It will be okay. As a wise woman once told me, if a man on a galloping horse can't see the mistakes, don't sweat it. Find the rhythm, style, and soul of the music.
Bands also have two different styles of how to get pipers to play. I believe in starting a piper on the chanter, learning notes and grace notes simultaneously, playing songs, learning to play songs on the pipes, and then learning how to march, and then putting it all together. It is so rewarding being able to play a tune in the parade! The other method is kind of the opposite! You learn to play on a chanter while learning how to march, play in a parade on just your drones, and play tunes in a parade. Again, we all take different roads; however, I want you to feel good and successful in playing.
Next, your bagpipe teacher should be well trained. They themselves should have taken lessons from someone who was well trained and reads music well. A bagpipe teacher should be able to answer all your many questions without hesitation—not only about the notes, rhythms, and grace notes, but also teaching you style, form, how to memorize your music, and Scottish history. The history of why we do things a certain way is so important. I think it is also important to have a book or books to learn from. While I have not found the beginner's guide to playing the bagpipes that I 100% love, there are many great books out on the market. It is important to have a book that you can refer back to and read through to remind yourself: how do I play an F doubling when I come from high A?
I recommend taking lessons from one person. Sometimes bands offer free lessons and they have a rotating door of people teaching you. This is a challenge to how quickly you will make progress. Unless these people communicate clearly on the goals for next week, then it is not always effective teaching. It would be like if you had 5 different substitute teachers in one week while trying to learn AP physics. It might work, but it probably has some gaping holes!
Your lesson should be well balanced! Yes, I want to work on all your favorite songs. However, each lesson should have three components. The beginning of the lesson is a perfect time to ask questions. I also like to take a few minutes to see how your week is going and learn a little bit about you and your family, or hear from you about how your practicing is going. After questions, we jump right into some kind of warm-up or exercise that has a specific focus. We could be working on playing a birl on several different notes, learning and decoding a new set of rhythms, or practicing reading note names by step or with leaps. Next, we would work on whatever song you would like to learn that is appropriate for your skill level. Lastly, I like to introduce a new tune or new skill, like grace notes, and give you something to work on for homework to push you toward becoming a better musician. At the end of the lesson, I like to write down and review what you need to work on for the next lessons.
If you decide to do online lessons, try to find someone who doesn't sell you every one of their bagpipe products. If your teacher makes their own products, good for them, but you shouldn't feel pressured to buy every gizmo and gadget. I have many cool musical gizmos, but I don't ask my students to buy them. Being low tech is just as good as being high tech! Everyone should drink a little Kool-Aid in their life. However, it is important to not drink all the Kool-Aid. You don't have to have every new bagpipe gizmo. Do what works for you. Remember, if it's not broke, why are we fixing it?!?
The last and most important part of finding a bagpipe teacher is that you should like the instructor, and they should always encourage you to become not only a better bagpiper but a better musician. I have two degrees in music and have had several different oboe instructors over the years. They would move, retire, or I would just realize that this person was not a good fit for me! It is okay to have this feeling and move on to finding someone else. You should be excited about going to lessons and enjoy playing. If you don't feel like you are learning something new, are being challenged, and are also being encouraged by the instructor, then I encourage you to find a new instructor. It is okay! I also think it is important to not only find someone who will make you a better bagpiper, but also a better musician! People who are good musicians apply their skills to any instrument and have a love for learning. Becoming a better musician is always a good quality that will lead you down a long and happy lifestyle. Becoming just a better bagpiper can be a tricky path that narrows your focus and doesn't set you up on a positive road.
I wish you the best of luck finding a bagpipe teacher! There are good teachers out there. Be patient, do your homework, and find the right one for you. Don't forget to ask questions, check for training, and find someone who you work well with and respect! Find the right path and learning style that works for you.
I only ever had one bagpipe teacher. He was amazing! He helped me rekindle my love for playing music again! He taught me not to focus on the small stuff, but to feel the music and emotion that it was trying to emulate. Every lesson was filled with a little history, and his basement, where I took lessons, was like a tiny Scottish museum filled with the coolest gizmos and gadgets! He could always fix my pipes to work well, even when I seriously lost hope. Most importantly, he was someone I could talk to like a grandparent, who would give me words of encouragement when I needed them but also a shuffle in the right direction when I needed that too. Best of luck! I hope you find the right teacher for you. Happy Piping!