Expert: Arash Ebrahimi - 10/21/2008

Question
So I got the urge to play bagpipes, so i bought some bagpipes and i got real excited. After 8 months of shipping and handling problems i finally got it. It is a half-size chalice or something like that and i followed the instruction manual. I played it hoping to get it going. All of the drones had worked except for one problem i will ask later, but the main problem was that i couldn't get the chanter going. So my two questions are...

1. How do i get my chanter going
and
2. How do you clutch and squeeze the air out of the bag at a certain consistancy without any of the drones suddenly stopping

Answer
Hey Tom,

Well it sounds like you have a few different issues going on, and I will try to address as many as I can.

First, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by half-size chalice.  Do you mean the whole set of bagpipes are 1/2 sized, or that one part of it is smaller than usual?  Since I'm not exactly sure, I will assume the bagpipes are normal sized and my advice will be based off of that.  If they are smaller, they could be "parlor pipes" or some other type of smaller bagpipe, of which I don't have much experience.  If that's the case, let me know, and I'll see what I can find.

Regarding getting the pipes to make the noise you want them to, don't be frustrated.  Ever piper goes through what you are going through.  

1.  How to get the chanter going

First we need to see if the chanter works by itself.  Carefully take the chanter out of the bagpipes.  Be sure to hold the chanter at the very top.  By trying to remove it by holding it in the middle or at the bottom, you might accidentally break it (if it's wood) or damage it (if it's plastic).  Once removed, you will see the chanter reed.  Make sure it's nice and snug in position.  If it's loose, you will need to carefully twist it down into position.  If it's still loose, you will need to wrap waxed hemp around the bottom of the chanter reed, and slowly twist it into position.  I'm sure you don't happen to have some waxed hemp just lying around, so some thick dental floss will do in a pinch, but this is a temporary fix.

Okay, now that you have the chanter reed in place, put the reed inside your mouth and blow.  If you know your finger positions, blow a low G.  If you don't know your finger positions, by blowing as hard as you can, you should be able to hear a High A, although it might be wonky.  Best to play a low G, and use this chart to help you:

http://www.bagpipejourney.com/articles/finger_positions.shtml

Ok, if you hear anything, then that's good news.  That means you have a working chanter and chanter reed.  If not, then we need to further diagnose.  It is most likely a bad or broken reed, which you can replace (check Ebay if you are like most of us and don't have a store that sells bagpipe parts near you).

Ok, so at this point I am assuming that you have a working chanter.

2. How do you clutch and squeeze the air out of the bag at a certain consistency without any of the drones suddenly stopping

Another great question every piper has asked themselves at one point or another.  This is a difficult question to answer VIA text.  "Striking in the drones", which is what you are trying to do, is a skill that takes time to get even lousy at, much less great at.  I've played for several years, and once in a while will still mess up striking in, and will plug up a few drones.

Every set of bagpipes, every reed, every drone and every person is different.  You may be used to "striking in" one way on one set of pipes but will have to use a different amount of pressure, or press on a different part of the bag with a different set.

Here is a "how to" of sorts for striking in:
http://www.toneczar.com/docs/StrikeIn.pdf

Once you get striking in down, then your the answer to your first question will become much clearer.  Once striking in and maintaining the drone sound becomes habit, then your focus will shift to the chanter, your finger positions on the chanter and playing the correct notes.

After having said all of this, I will say this is much easier to do if you have an instructor.  Here is a list of instructors in the U.S.:
http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/pipes/teachers/

All of the troubles you are having are normal troubles that students have, and an experienced instructor will be able to help you with all of these things.  

Sometimes instruction is not financially or technically feasible if there aren't any in your area.  It's still possible to do it alone, but it will really help out if you start with a practice chanter as opposed to a set of bagpipes.

A practice chanter is basically just the chanter part of the bagpipes, with an extra piece that protects the reed.  It is the first step in learning how to play the pipes.  It will help you learn all of the notes correctly.  In fact, every bagpiper will continue to use their practice chanter after "graduating" to the popes, as it is not always feasible to practice on your pipes.

It sounds like you are really interested in learning, and just know it will take some patience.  It may be frustrating, but after your first time playing a tune on the pipes, I'm sure you will feel it was all worth it.

Hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any other questions.