Doctor Bagpipe is a service dedicated to helping educate bagpipers about music and musicians about bagpipes. Doctor Bagpipe aims to balance the traditional history and practice of the instrument with a newer vision and broader framework of pursuing musical growth and entrepreneurial individualism. In the past, pipers have usually been taught to conform. At Doctor Bagpipe, I want you to thrive and foster your own thing!
Tired of the monotony of piping contests? Tired of only being taught musically what is needed to compete well? Tired of being forced to play impossible music arrangements and pipe set-ups? Tired of being told you’re wrong all the time? Still searching for a creative fulfillment through bagpipe music? Looking to de-mystify music theory and apply to your playing? Looking to unlock the secrets to playing with other musicians?
Looking for some advice on how I do all of these things myself? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND BE IN TOUCH!
I am going to Troon tomorrow to collect a set ofABC ACE 03 , I think the Drones have a nice tone to them. Looking forward to get them now after watching your video of them play.
Dear Mr Welch, first of all congratulations for your work. Have you recorded the pieces of music which are included in your book? Is there any digital album with your compositions? On your website it is not clear if any digital album is included if I buy the ebook. Many thanks for your attention. Marcio
Hi Matthew. I'm an Argentine piper and also teach pipes in a primary school in Buenos aires. The other day i taught the additive scale exercise to a group of 5th and 6th graders and they liked it. Also helped me to push them to improve their scale skills. Thank's a lot. I thought you would like to know this.
All of the information in your book and channel is incredible. Music theory is sadly ignored with pipers and I applaud you for explaining what we are never taught. We should at the very least know how we relate with music theory in order to be able to properly talk with other musicians.
THANK YOU for this! My friends & I play the fiddle. We LOVE bagpipe music, but even with learning about pipe tuning & transposed instruments - it's been hard to interpret notation from sites like Ceol Sean. Is it really as simple as transcribing it all up a half step, for some of us who don't learn by ear? 💖💖💖💖💖
Yes it sounds a half-step higher than written - that simple! I think of it as a transposing instrument, but pipers mostly use the transposed note names.
Sooooo would I do well to purchase a Jr-sized practice chanter? I've bought some for my kids, but never thought to use one for my own practice... would that potentially be of some benefit, to practice with a little chanter?
@@DukeOfDidge of course! Dunbar has the chanter and custom settings - just note the non-countersunk holes - they have assured me that one can order the retro style that way - good luck!
nice find! Guessing late 70s/early 80s maybe. Does the cassette tape have a date on the recording? I bought a late 50s set of Glens in Cocus wood including cocuswood chanter from an old firefighter friend who hasn't played since the late 70s for $600. He was never too serious about playing so they had low mileage. As I was leaving he said "oh yeah, here's the practice chanter that came with them. Both are in near mint condition. To top the deal off, they are in the old-fashioned wood carry case. Love them.
I have no idea why RU-vid recommended this video to me (I do occasionally play bagpipe related videos to annoy my husband because I love the sound and he doesn’t), but I enjoyed it 😊
I like your new post apocalyptic bagpipe set up, perfect for the change, alas, in climate. And I like your idea of creative decoration with colored tape, etc. Hope yr Piping Live performance went well. Good to see you back and posting.
Thanks for sharing… We would appreciate a longer video with the B-flat set up when you have a moment 😀. Thoughts on the “low” or “long” Ezeedrone reeds… are they working well for you? Photos of the chanter tuning (466?) and the position of your drones on the pins would very helpful. I just purchased an RJM B-flat chanter and it’s on its way over and I’m playing a set of the Naill vintage pipes… So you’re set up as a perfect test case for where I’d like to end up! (Ps… make/details on the sheep skin bag?) Thanks!
Ive special ordered the hybrid blue bag without collars so I could tie them in, I like the setup in that its no maintenance and feels like a hide bag for the most part
Check out the Lindsay System Smallpipes for chanters with an “extended range.” What the term “additive” refers to is more the rhythm and scale segments - a specialty of East Indian rhythm and 20th century minimalist music. Have fun! They really help map the chanter and loosen each finger.
Coming soon! First I’m getting as much feedback from this as possible then likely another book. Feel free to reach out for some direct input until then
Cheers, Matthew ! I was intrigued by your comments about vintage Lawrie practice chanters, and Michael Grey's advocacy of them as a means for developing technique. Within the last few years, I have acquired three vintage Lawrie practice chanters for purposes of accurately reenacting Scottish Regimental pipers from the late 19th Century, through WW1 and WW2. If I was going to portray piper's chanter practice in periods past, I needed vintage practice chanters. I quickly found that I preferred the vintage chanters for my own practice outside of reenacting. I did not have the vocabulary, or necessarily the knowledge, to understand why everything felt and sounded better, and executing embellishments improved upon using the vintage practice chanters, but that has been my experience. Until very recently, I hesitated to bring them to pipe band practice, on the idea that the vintage practice chanters were somehow not "legit". However, our band has resumed Zoom chanter practice, and last week I broke out a vintage Lawrie chanter, and got good comments on my playing from our Pipe Major. With your timely endorsement, I am likely to continue to use them !
WOW! I'm so glad this resonated with you! I know, we all want to get the latest gear and share at band, and yes the primary word on long practice chanters is that they ease the spacing transition. true! but I dislike countersunk holes primarily, and secondly the smaller scaling lets one focus on nimble dexterity all around. I often do not place the PC on the table, so a lighter one helps this routine. I will throw the long PC in the rotation, but perhaps only if it has been a week or more not moving to the pipes to help stretch my bottom hand. but for many many years I always carried my short PC with small not-countersunk holes around for teaching and started to play better on it! i'm excited to spend more time on my mint-vintage lawrie this winter! MW
@@hjk9166 thanks so much for your compliments and tuning in! I did all the traditional music along with my own, so i got far and have been having fun!! No pipe band needed either!
These videos are as interesting as they are impressive and beneficial. Please continue to promote this instrument in such a refreshing way....there is certainly no content like this on this platform.
