Bagpipe Lesson 1: Starting with the Practice Chanter (4K) 

So glad you are enjoying the lessons! As for not charging, I remember being 6 years old and wanting to learn the pipes, but there was no internet, no pipers nearby, nothing... If a young Matt came to this channel but had to pay to get the materials, well, young Matt wouldn't have been able to learn. With everything being free (I don't even ask for an email!), I hope those that otherwise wouldn't have access to learning can have a real chance at becoming pipers.

@@MattWillisBagpiperwhat a great attitude! I’m 61 and just came home from Scotland with a set of pipes. It’s been a lifelong dream. I am a musician, so some parts come a bit easy for me but it’s of course unlike any instrument I’ve ever played ❤🎉

I'm 33 too and I finally get a practice chanter. Good luck in this trip.

I'm 31 and mine came in the mail today. We got this, boys

40 yr Old here and same thing. Hoping to take a year to practice and if I can handle it, order a set of pipes. Good luck everyone!

36 and my brother just gave me a chanter. My uncle is a bagpiper and ive always dreamed of marching in parades like him. Journey starts today

@@GeneralTinMan4 lovely dream!

So, how is the journey one year in?

Welcome aboard!

Me too! I'd love to volunteer for things if I ever get good at them!

I've got over 25 videos up now in this Basics Series, and more are on the way! ru-vid.com/group/PLc21D3cFD-pgCpSIsdk4bTK9K_iiHoJ94

Oh wow! I'm glad you didn't get sick too!

Great to hear! Plenty of videos after this one in the Basics Series to keep you learning: bit.ly/BasicsPipes

Don't buy a cheap one from eBay, I made that mistake, waste of money. Then bought a 'shepherd' from Scotland. I think it's shepherd and co, you'll have to Google it. It was about £50 but a whole different thing to the £18 one from eBay.

Hello! Unfortunately, the problems you’re describing sound far beyond what I can fix with a text description alone… We could schedule some lesson time, if you think that would help. If interested, email me at matt.willis.bagpiper@gmail.com

Rock on!

I thought I was crazy at 52 picking these up but your video answered all my questions. Can’t wait to keep watching

Thank you for your comment with your age, I will be 60 this October and decided learning the chanter and eventually playing bagpipes is something I've always wanted to do so pleased I'm not the only 60 year old goal getter!

@@bethannehertweck1925 Hope your practice is going well Bethanne. At 64 I'm now on the same journey to learn the pipes too. Starting off with the Glenco electronic Chanter to get me on the path, and if all goes well I will invest in a proper chanter. Happy playing! Regards, Andy

That’s great to hear!! I appreciate you sharing and so glad the videos and materials helped.

One trick that has worked for many with the bottom hand is using bandaids over the last pad of the finger for the index, middle, and ring fingers, you won't want to cover the holes with the bandaid part... You got this!

I was just thinking the same thing, very engaging instruction..

I'd get a long practice chanter from any of the major makers (Hardie, McCallum, Gibson, Wallace, Dunbar, Naill...), And best to buy through a bagpipe retailer, and not Amazon (you can type in bagpipe retailer and your country to find a supplier near you).

@@MattWillisBagpiper Thank you so much for the response. I'll look into those brands Any tips for learning how to read the music? I haven't scoured your youtube page completely.

If you go through my Basics Series, I cover reading music too. Full playlist here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes

@@MattWillisBagpiper thank you! I will be buying a Gibson practice chanter on Friday! Excited to learn

Glad you found the channel!

The right base of the thumb cramping isn’t unusual, but do make sure you aren’t squeezing the practice chanter too hard (which is tough to do when starting). I appreciate the kind words here and am glad you found the channel!

@@MattWillisBagpiper thanks for the reply and thanks again for the videos! Haha I’ve been trying to share my new enthusiasm for the pipes with friends and family without finding much interest but if I find anyone else who wants to learn the first place i’ll send them is to your channel

@@MattWillisBagpiper So glad this issue was brought up, though my own issue is a bit different. I'm on day one with my practice chanter and the inner side of my right thumb (where it touches the underside of the chanter) is sore and reddened. I can tell I'm gripping the chanter quite tightly, but if I don't, I can't get the low G note properly. Also, I can't physically rotate my thumb so the pad is against the chanter... it's the inner side of my thumb that makes contact. Even without the chanter in my hands, when I touch my thumb to my middle finger, it's the inner side of my thumb that makes contact. Is this unusual? Thanks, Matt, for the videos! As Jim said, they demystified the bagpipes and the learning process, and caused me to decide to give a long-held dream a try.

Welcome aboard!

I’d start with a long polypenco from a major manufacturer. Gibson makes some wonderful practice chanters.

A small leak along with a bit of overblowing can cause a squeak in that case, Or the reed might not be a good fit for the chanter...

No need to set the reed if it’s plastic (and there’s like a 99+% chance it’s a plastic reed). Best of luck!

Hello! You can email me here for lesson info: matt@mattpiper.com

The Hardie twist trap long practice chanter is a solid choice. A bit on the quiet side, but tends to have a more accurate scale (as this chanter is also used on their twist trap pipes).

@@MattWillisBagpiper Thanks for the reply! I actually ended up getting the McCallum long polypenco practice chanter. It's working quite well for me.

Sounds like you might be overblowing the chanter. Try a bit less pressure.

Yeah, that can take a bit to unlearn. Try putting band aids around the middle pads of the offending fingers. You won't want to put the band-aided pad on the holes, forcing you to use the last pad. Best of luck!

Practice chanters are generally closer to B-flat than A, but I'd have to hear what's going on here to know for certain...

Is it a medical condition? Too much caffeine?

What brand pipes did you get? In any case, I got a very similar question earlier today, and this was my reply: Step 1: Make sure the bag is airtight. Take out the chanter and drones, cork it up, and see if it’s airtight. You shouldn’t be able to blow any additional air into the bag after 15-20 seconds. If you can, you’ll need to re-season a hide bag or possibly replace a synthetic bag (not many ways to fix leaky synth bag). Step 2: Play the pipe chanter by mouth. You should be able to play for about 10 seconds (or about the first line of Scotland the Brave) without having to stop for a breath. If you can’t make it that far, you’ll need to weaken the chanter reed until you can play for long. I’d start with my non-destructive methods for weakening a reed before moving onto the more destructive scraping methods. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A6PyHUbs5Ls.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DO28sseMuAY.html Step 3: Mouth blow your drones. You should be able to turn the drones off by overpressuring them with your breath when you blow through them at a very high pressure. If you cannot, you’ll need to move the bridle down so less of the tongue is vibrating. Move it *very* little, as even a fraction of a millimeter can have a drastic effect on the amount of air they take. Mouthblowing the bass can prove challenging depending on the reed length, so you might need to try that in the bag. But in any case, you need to have the drones be able to be shut down by overpressuring them or they’re taking too much air. Once all this is done, you should be able to play for 5 minutes. Make sure while playing the pipes yyourru arm is constantly and firmly squeezing on the bag, even when blowing into the bag. Yes, you’ll need to increase your pressure on the arm when you inhale, but for steady pressure, you arm should be constantly and firmly engaged. Your shoulder should be as tired as your lips when you’re done (unless you’re a body builder or triathlete!). Hope this helps and best of luck!

The elastics will make it cut out more. And shutting down is nearly universally overblowing the reed, but not all reeds are made equally. I'd try an Abbott (either the black original or the blue traditional).

Can't really answer without being able to play on it myself, but many folks without prior woodwind/brass experience tend to under blow their practice chanters at first.

Great question! I don't really have an opinion on the matter. Most practice chanters don't weight enough to really affect the fingerwork even if not resting on a table. So I guess I'm a "do what works for you" kind of guy here.

Any practice chanter from any of the major brands, RG, Hardie, McCallum, Wallace, Gibson, Dunbar… The list goes on and on, but it should be a name brand from a Bagpipe retailer, and not something purchased off Amazon. Best of luck!

Here's a good child size practice chanter: www.hendersongroupltd.com/product/dunbar-childs-size-poly-practice-chanter/

You found a good guide right here with this video. The Gael should be possible in a year or two of solid work. Full playlist to my Basics Series: bit.ly/BasicsPipes

Takes too much air and is far too loud.

Ha!

You're welcome! This kind of stuff is difficult to learn from a book alone.

Awesome, thank you!

Thanks! Full playlist of the Basics here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes

I’d have to hear what’s happening to be sure, but I suspect that you’re not blowing hard enough for the bottom hand notes.

I am sure you can print a chanter, but buying one is easier. There are bagpipe suppliers all over the world.

@@MattWillisBagpiper Very pretty, but kinda useless.

@@MattWillisBagpiper I guess I just need to find a website that actually has ordering and shipping. So far the three I've found are just storefronts or something. Nothing but a fax number. Very odd.

What country are you in?

@@MattWillisBagpiper Texas. I went to the site you recommended for someone else to buy a practice chanter from and it’s on the way.

That's an old 2001 MacLellan and is no no longer made. The closest you can get today is this one: www.hendersongroupltd.com/product/gibson-long-cocobolo-wood-practice-chanter/ And I review it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5xCqbofx1Ig.html

Not good: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KyUxVu_mis0.html

It's a combo of both hole coverage (the highland pipes have MUCH larger holes) and the way in which we will need to move our fingers for the gracenotes. Curled fingers won't be able to move with the speed needed. Many have tried, I have yet to see any succeed (and end up having to relearn with proper flat finger technique). Good question!

@@MattWillisBagpiper thanks for taking a sec to answer! :)

Doesn’t really matter but given your height, a long would be a better fit methinks.

​@MattWillisBagpiper thank you

Most of my reeds these days are Abbott practice chanter reeds. They last a long time. 3-10 years.

@@MattWillisBagpiper Thank you I just picked up a barefoot bagpiper practice set and have been using your videos and the highland bagpipe tutor book to start.

Are you certain your thumb is covering the back hole on top? If so, make sure you're getting enough air through the instrument. A lot of folks underestimate how much air the practice chanter takes. Best of luck!

​@@MattWillisBagpiper oh this worked thanks!

Like you literally can’t straighten your finger joints? At all? Because if that’s not the case, everyone can learn to use the flats of their fingers. It might take days or even weeks. But I don’t let any of my students move on until they straighten the fingers and use the flats. You can’t pipe properly with fingertips. And if it is an inability to physically straighten the fingers, many ornaments and embellishments will have to be avoided as they won’t be playable with bent fingers/fingertips.

@@MattWillisBagpiper I just can't find the holes, lack of sensitive feeling in my fingers. Can poke myself with needles and not feel it.

Glad to help!

so cool to play for your FD

@@bee5905 Thanks! Hopefully I get to a point that I am able to play without any errors! lol

You are welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

Try seeing if this stretching video helps: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dc_JOtOxWAs.html

Go for it!

What brand pipes? If they are a reputable brand, the following video should be of help: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lBotVgTWIPs.html

If they are inexpensive pipes, like the sub $200 on Amazon, they wont' be playable, as shown here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KyUxVu_mis0.html

If they are reputable pipes, perhaps this playlist of videos can help with the chanter reed: ru-vid.com/group/PLc21D3cFD-pjNJvxPhvud-Z5AMgpck9-2

@@MattWillisBagpiper oh well it is my first time trying and yes I bought one of Amazon but if you know any other online stores where I can buy better bagpipes could you please recommend me some?

You'll need to start on the practice chanter. No need for pipes for some time. Here's a great starting chanter: lonestarpiper.com/bagpipes/Practice-Chanters/PRC02P-Standard-Plastic-Practice-Chanter

Thanks for sharing how to clean your style of moisture trap!

Hmmm. I've seen folks have to play on the first pad of the finger, just above the knuckle. If you align your pinkie with the last pad and the pointer finger on the first pad, where does everything fall then?

I could measure the hole distance, but don't have an adequate way to measure the bore diameter...

Awesome! Keep us informed with your progress!

Glad you found the channel! My videos here can definitely help get you going, but online lessons would be best to make sure no bad habits are getting picked up. If you want more info on lessons, you can email me at matt@mattpiper.com Cheers!

That's great! Your uncle still comes by for lessons and is a dear friend.

How to String/Hemp Bagpipe Joints - Matt Willis Bagpiper ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H5IwDoUsH38.html

Having a background in music definitely helps, but there are aspects of piping that are unique to the pipes alone, such as the percussive nature of our grace noting. Luckily a practice chanter doesn't cost much, so you aren't out too much to give this all a try (plus my Basics Series here is free!)