AboutArash Ebrahimi Expertise I can answer general questions about the Great Highland Bagpipe and the Spanish Gaita, how to go about learning to play the pipes, basic pipe maintanence and can point you in the right direction to almost any question you can think of. My main interest is piping influence in rock and roll and alternative music.
Experience I have been playing the Great Highland Bagpipe for almost 3 years and have recently starting learning to play the Gaita. I am a member of a Northern California pipe band.
Education/Credentials I have a bacherlor's degree in Psychology and Master's coursework in Social Work. I am currently studying piping music and music theory with a private tutor.
Expert: Arash Ebrahimi Date: 9/25/2007 Subject: Getting Started
Question QUESTION: I have been wanting to learn to play the bagpipes for a long time. I have a chanter, but there is no reed. Where can I get resources for:
1) reeds
2) a book that will help me learn the fingerings
3) an inexpensive set of pipes that also sound good
I am a professional musician (in the military, as you may have gathered from my name!) and can teach myself, if I get the books!
Thanks,
ANSWER: Howdy TubaSoldier,
Great questions. It's always great to hear that someone is interested in the bagpipes.
I'll start with your second question, which is the easiest to answer. The definitive beginning bagpiper's book is called "The College of Piping Bagpipe Tutor 1". You can usually find these on Ebay for 10-25$ (the more expensive ones come with a CD, and I recommend the CD if you are doing self teaching). There are other books, but I recommend this one, as if you ever decide to seek instruction, they will more than likely use this book.
Regarding your chanter, do you know if it is made out of rosewood, blackwood, or plastic? If it is made out of rosewood (sort of a pinkish-redish color and is very light), I would recommend buying a new one. Rosewood chanters won't last you very long, and the sound quality is poor. This is important as training your ear to the notes is very important in the beginning stages, so the better the chanter, the better you will be in the long run.
Even after you buy a set of pipes, you will still use your chanter almost half the time you play. It's a very good investment.
So your last question is a bit difficult to answer. If you were learning under an instructor, you probably wouldn't touch a set of bagpipes for at least 6 months - 1 year, and they would help you buy your first set. You can find good used sets on Ebay, but you really have to know what you are looking for. Never buy a set from Pakistan or one that is made of rosewood. Pakistan makes a lot of cheap pipes and they sell them on Ebay.
Be prepared to spend around $900 for a good used set. Anything significantly more is for bragging rights . . . things like silver or ivory on the mounts. Your best bet is to find a local bagpipe band (go to Google and type in the name of your city and "bagpipe band") and the pipe major will help you find one. Usually they will have students selling theirs.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions :)
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QUESTION: Thanks so much for the information! I don't know what my chanter is made of, it's a light sand-colored wood, I think maple or ash. The mouthpiece(?) is plastic, and there are silver mounts at the end flare and tenons.
