We are not here to teach you to play. We are here to help you figure out whether you actually want to learn, what to expect when you start, and where to go for real lessons. Read in order, or skip to whatever question is keeping you up at night.
If you are trying to figure out whether bagpipes are something you actually want to commit to, start here. These four pieces are the conversations every prospective piper has with themselves at some point. Read them in order, or skip to whichever question is keeping you up at night.
The practice chanter is where every piper actually starts. Quieter than the bagpipe, easier on your household, and the foundation for everything that comes later. Three articles on what to buy, how to hold it, and what your first sound should feel like, plus a fourth (coming) on the nine notes that run the whole bagpipe scale.
We are not going to teach you to play the bagpipes. What we can do is help you figure out where to go next and what to look for when you get there. There are four real options for actual instruction: a teacher in person, a teacher online, a pipe band that takes beginners, or going it alone. Here's our honest read on each.
Once you've worked through the orientation, our Resources section has the actual destinations: schools and academies, pipe bands by region, recommended books, podcasts worth your time. Stories has the cultural side, the people, the history.
Browse Resources →