527.08 PIPING SCHOOL merchandise

MERCHANDISE
We recommend a number of piping products which are listed in this section of our web store. All prices quoted are inclusive of postage to any part of the world. They are also guaranteed against any defect of manufacture. We also supply all items through the secure on-line payment system of PAYPAL, although we will also accept UK currency cheques.

Some years ago I sold a set of pipes to a lady who wanted them as a present for her young son, who was away at boarding school. As I do, I got the pipes going and when she came round to collect them I gave her a 10 minute playing demonstration. Off she went, delighted - but came back 6 months later unhappy. The pipes “didn’t work, she had been sold a dud”.

I asked her a couple of questions about how her son was learning, spent 10 minutes adjusting the reeds and dressing the bag (the old days before synthetics were available) and then repeated the 10 minute playing exercise of 6 months before. She was amazed. She also told me that the ‘tutor’ who was paid to teach the pipes at her son’s school said the pipes weren’t any good.

I suppose the morale of the story is that I can only get them going - I can’t keep them in tip-top condition. But I do guarantee that whenever a set of pipes leaves my office they are good enough to play on the boards with. After that if you leave your pipes next to a hot cupboard or get the local ‘expert’ to tamper with them I can’t help!!

STARTING EQUIPMENT
To start the learning experience of piping you DO NOT need to buy pipes. That will come later, depending on your progress. I like to get my own pupils onto pipes within 3-6 months, but every teacher has a different method. What you do need, however (in almost all cases) is;
* a PRACTICE CHANTER (complete with a PRACTICE CHANTER REED)
* a teaching MANUAL

You need nothing else, although I would always suggest starting to get a wider interest in piping is a healthy adjunct and will open up your eyes and ears to what is going on. There are a number of different magazines on the market but our own PIPING WORLD is the most popular in the world with over 20,000 readers every month - and it is also FREE!

There are also a number of professional recorded CDs and DVDs on the market which will let you hear what the top players and bands are doing. Then there are the outdoor and indoor events of which there are thousands all over the world. The piping scene is massive - even if sometimes it is hard to find out what is what.

DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS
Once you get past the basic stages of learning the piping fundamentals (notes, scales, movements and exercises) you will want to start building up your repertoire. Be wary of poorly set tunes, they can cause you more difficulties than you could imagine. The internet is full of badly set tunes - our advice is to buy books from a reputable source. We have a number of our own BOOKS which are designed for different levels of piping although our HOLYROOD COLLECTION OF HIGHLAND PIPE MUSIC (currently in three volumes) has proven immensely popular with developing pipers.
In July 2009 we also relased the revolutionary DIGITAL/CD ROM collection, SGOIL nam PIOBAIRE BOOK 1 which presents its 50 tunes in a specially adapted simplified style.

BUYING YOUR FIRST SET OF BAGPIPES
This is a specialised area, again who do you turn to for advice. This is too complex for just a few lines so we have written a book - A COMPLETE GUIDE TO BUYING NEW AND SECOND HAND BAGPIPES.
We also list a number of recommended pipes in our web store.

KEEPING YOUR PIPES MAINTAINED
Again, this is a specialised area and we have developed another section of our web site to guide the purchase of your MAINTENANCE ACCESSORIES.