If you are trying to learn to play bagpipes, then this is the article for you!
Learning any new art or skill requires a set of traditional and standard tools.
Without these resources, you can’t reach the level of mastery in any form of creative work.
So, to make things easier, I have compiled a list of bagpipe resources that might help you learn this musical instrument.
Contents:
Learn To Play Bagpipes
The bagpipe is a unique wooden instrument that uses a combination of air and reeds to produce music.
When the player blows, air goes to the bag, which serves as a reservoir for the received air.
To produce different notes and sounds, one must use the chanter.
The chanter is played with two hands and has at least one reed attached to it.
As you will see, learning to play the chanter successfully is one of the first steps if you want to learn to play bagpipes.
With a history beginning in Western Europe, the popularity of this instrument spread when it was mentioned in the popular literature The Canterbury Tales, written approximately in 1380.
Even though original bagpipes are not there, the pictures and sculptures have helped reconstruct how they initially looked.
What most people think of when they hear the word bagpipe is the Scottish culture.
It was actually in French writing where it was first pointed out that the Scottish used the bagpipe rather than a trumpet while in battle.
This writing was referencing The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, which occurred in 1547.
In the Irish culture, the bagpipe made its first known appearance in 1581 in The Image of Irelande by a famous artist John Derrick.
Following these occasions, the presence of the bagpipe can be seen in literature, artwork, and even within sheet music.
Following its initial popularity, which we can see through its presence in different aspects of culture, the bagpipe’s popularity declined in the 20th century.
Other instruments were found to be more versatile and flexible than the bagpipe.
However, popularity for the bagpipe started once again to grow in World War I and World War II.
Many of the members of the armed services were actually trained to play the bagpipe.
With the surge of popularity in modern times, the bagpipe began to evolve as most instruments do to meet more modern tastes.
Through this evolution, a variety of different types of bagpipes were developed.
The most recognizable one is the Great Highland Bagpipe, which we can play as a solo instrument or as part of a group.
The electronic bagpipe, a modern version of the traditional instrument created in 1963, added a new sound and versatility.
Bagpipes can now be heard in rock, jazz, hip-hop, and punk music, with popular bands such as AC/DC incorporating its sound into their music.
Now, knowing a little bit more about the basics of the bagpipe’s structure and the history, you are ready to learn how to play bagpipes.
Below is a list of 7 practice chanters, bagpipes, and books that will help you learn to play bagpipes.
1. RG Hardie Bagpipe Practice Chanter Kit
The RG Hardie Practice Chanter comes complete with the practice chanter, two reeds, a tutor book, and a carry case.
You can easily find this beginner bagpiper kit on Amazon.
The chanter comes with O-rings, which provide great protection from mold.
The exercises within the included book address important fundamental lessons in bagpipe playing, such as the correct placement of fingers.
Overall, it is one of the best Practice chanter kits available on the market.
It is truly a value for money product, and I’m sure you’d fall in love with this kit.
In the end, what matters is what you are looking for, how much you would like to spend, and the overall musical experience of the person who is going to learn from it.
For beginners, this kit is likely to be just too good.
And the price is just fine, too.
So, go for it!
2. Gibson Practice Chanter Kit
Step one is to get familiar with the different parts of a bagpipe, which can be achieved using the Gibson Practice Chanter Kit.
The bagpipe parts include the:
- Gibson Long Practice Chanter
- Padded Chanter Sleeve
- One Gibson Reed
- College of Piping Vol. 1 Bagpipe Book
- College of Piping Vol- 1 CD
Utilization of these bagpipe parts allows a beginner piper to familiarize itself with the different parts of the bagpipe and how they work.
For anyone with no clue where to begin, this kit also comes complete with College of Piping Vol. 1 Book and College of Piping Vol- 1 CD.
The users have praised this kit as the best kit for anyone seeking to start learning the bagpipe.
Not only has it been commended by those using it to learn but also instructors who use it to teach.
Specifically, the Book and the corresponding CD are some of the most popular teaching tools for beginners.
These instructions and being able to utilize a practice chanter are sure to leave any beginner confident that they will be able to master the art of playing the bagpipe.
3. College of Piping Highland Bagpipe Tutor Part 1 Book and CD (Green Book)
Remember above when the Highland Bagpipe was credited with being the most popular?
Well, this bagpipe book is sure to help you better understand this type of bagpipe and how to play it.
Consisting of 64 pages, 26 lessons, and 14 tunes, the College of Piping Highland Bagpipe Tutor Part 1 can be found for a very affordable price on Amazon.
The accolades received by this book are being acknowledged as one of the most used books to help beginners learn the bagpipe.
The creators of this book, Seumas Macneill and Thomas Pearson, set up this book so that the learner first starts by using a practice chanter and then slowly builds up until the learner is playing an actual bagpipe.
One lesson slowly builds upon the next allowing the novice musician to advance as quickly as possible.
Starting with the fundamentals of the bagpipe, this book and CD walk the beginner through each of the nine notes, ensuring a basic understanding and comprehension before moving onto the next.
This is the perfect beginner’s book to incorporate into the learning process, which is sure to leave the beginner not only with the better ability to play but also better equipped with fundamental knowledge.
4. Frazer Warnock Standard Bagpipe Practice Chanter
Another great option for any beginner aspiring bagpipe player!
The kit includes following items:
- Frazer Warnock Standard Bagpipe Chanter
- Two quality reeds
- Reed tube bundle
- Breathable case
The advantage of this chanter kit over the Gibson Practice Chanter Kit is obviously its price with savings of almost $70.00.
And despite the savings, you get the quality instrument to learn.
The company sources these bagpipe chanters from one of the finest makers in Ireland.
So, you don’t have to worry about the quality at all.
For every new beginner who wants to learn how to play bagpipes, this bagpipe starter kit is probably adequate, and the price for the beginners is absolutely suitable.
The only downside of this kit is you don’t get the tutor book and CD with it.
You will have to get these resource separately if you are keen to learn this musical instrument.
Alternatively, you can also go for the RG Hardie Practice Chanter kit as mentioned above.
5. Rosewood Practice Chanter with Free Reeds
The Rosewood Practice Chanter with Free Reeds contains just the practice chanter and free reeds.
It does not come with any instructional books or a CD, as most kits do.
This is a great option for someone who just needs the practice chanter but already owns the books or has a specific book in mind that they would like to use.
For this price, this beginner’s kit comes with an assurance that the reeds come ready to play, tested and balanced.
Some reviews state that it is a good purchase because the reeds do not last that long, for the price, this is certainly a good deal.
The reeds have been noted for their good tone producing a decent sound, especially for the price.
Again, this is an excellent bagpipe starter kit for a novice and less experienced musician.
This kit allows for the opportunity to try out playing the bagpipe before completely committing and investing a lot of money.
The reeds are quite good at producing a decent sound, specifically for the price.
Again, this is an excellent bagpipe starter kit for a novice and less experienced musician.
This kit allows for the opportunity to try out playing the bagpipe before completely committing and investing a lot of money.
Again, this is an excellent bagpipe starter kit for a novice and less experienced musician.
This kit allows you to learn to play bagpipes before completely committing and investing a lot of money in a more advanced bagpipe.
6. Roosebeck Sheesham Practice Chanter Book and CD
The Roosebeck BAGL Sheesham Practice Chanter with Book and CD includes:
- Practice chanter
- Reed
- Instructional book and
- CD
This particular beginner chanter and reed come tuned to the key of B-flat.
With pretty good reviews, this beginner bagpipe kit has been applauded for the sound of the reed, as well as the ease of use of the instructional book.
Once again, this kit is great for a true beginner at this bargain price but may not meet the needs of someone more advanced.
However, it should leave the aspiring bagpipe player with a basic knowledge of the fundamentals, including the notes, the position of fingers, and how to read the music notes.
By the end of the lessons, the bagpiper should be able to play some simple melodies.
This alone makes this kit worth the money even if you don’t intend to use it for an extended period.
Remember, such kits are generally just for beginners.
7. Full-Size Scottish Great Highland Rosewood Bagpipe Complete Wooden Set (Beginners Starter Package)
Finally, the last product being reviewed is the Full-Size Scottish Great Highland Rosewood Bagpipe Complete Wooden Set (Beginners Starter Package) is more of an investment than the other products reviewed above.
This set comes complete with:
- Highland bagpipe
- Seven different reeds
- Practice chanter
- Instructional book
- Carrying case
- Airbag
This is the ultimate bagpipe starter kit and is likely more suitable than those discussed above for someone who has musical experience but is still a beginner at learning to play bagpipes.
While some reviews have indicated problems such as cheaply made reeds and leaks in the airbag, the overall score is good, a reasonably priced starter kit.
With three synthetic drone reeds, two pipe chanter reeds, and two additional practice chanter reeds, the variety will allow the beginner player to learn and understand the different types and what works best for the bagpiper.
While this kit may not be completely perfect or considered the best, it has many positive features that make it certainly worth the investment for any beginner.
It is good for the buyer to remember that this is not a long-term investment; this is a starting bagpipe kit.
When you are looking for any beginner bagpipe product, the buyer must realize that if he/she successfully starts to learn the instrument and chooses to continue, then a bigger investment of a high-quality bagpipe will be required in the future.
Now, let’s have a look at some of the most frequently asked questions by the readers.
FAQs
Yes, the bagpipes are relatively hard to play as compared to other musical instruments.
But you can still learn the art of playing this instrument with the available resources shared in this guide.
And as for learning, you can learn it from a dedicated bagpipe master or YouTube videos.
I’m sure you will find great tutorials on the Internet too.
Technically, you can surely learn this art form by yourself.
But as they say, you should always have a formal training to learn the intricacies of any art or skill.
Otherwise, you might end up in making more mistakes as compared to other master bagpipers.
So, it’s always recommended to get a systematic training from a music school or similar institutes.
It really depends on the individual’s capacity to learn this instrument.
If you are good at absorbing new skills and patterns, you can learn to play the bagpipes in 12 months.
Still, if you want to master this instrument, I think it’d probably take a lifetime of practice to reach the highest level.
Well, it can cost you up to $200-$250/hr depending on the location and several other factors.
But that’s a fair price to pay for the bagpiping service, as it’s one of the most difficult instruments to learn in this field.
Meanwhile, if you want to know the bagpipe costs, check out this guide.
There are many ways through which you can acquire basic knowledge of playing the bagpipes.
For eg.,
You can watch videos on YouTube to learn how this instrument really sounds and what type tunes you can creates with it.
The second option is to read the tutor books available on the Internet.
These books are good enough to get you started with this instrument.
And finally, I’d suggest you learn it from a master or music school, where they provide formal education about the bagpipes and its rich history.
Summary
The seven bagpipe product reviews above can definitely help a beginner bagpipe player to begin learning this incredibly traditional but interesting and unique instrument.
While many people are very interested in learning to play the bagpipes, only a few have the resources, such as a local instructor, to help them start.
The chanters, CDs, books, and the learning tools above will help you with the first crucial steps in learning to play bagpipes.
Remember, the best way to learn any instrument is through patience, perseverance, and determination.
Be patient with the process of learning to play the bagpipes, and you will have to see the progress from a beginner bagpiper to being a master!
