Bagpipe Lessons
Click on the image for more information on the kit.
Have you been allured by the sound of a piper at some event and wondered how anyone ever learns to play such an instrument? Do you have Scots-Irish heritage and feel like you have bagpipe music flowing in your veins? Or, are you a musician who just wants to pick up something new that is both cool and practical?
Learning the bagpipes requires lessons. Someone with pure natural talent can learn to play on their own, but the instrument is complicated and, well, esoteric enough that formal instruction is necessary for growth. This is most important in the beginning!
If you live in the central Shenandoah Valley, contact Russ to find out more about learning the pipes. There is a three step process involved that is similar to beginning other instruments:
1) Initial consultation (Free of charge): We will meet, get to know one another a bit, and answer as many of our questions about one another as possible. I will want to know what has inspired you, what musical training you already have, and whether you feel that the cost of lessons and equipment and your practice time will make you a good fit for the pipes. You will want to know much also. Common questions center around how the instrument works, how much it all costs, when to purchase pipes, and what to expect in general.
2) Purchase a chanter and the "College of Piping Tutor, Vol.1" (pictured to the right).
3) Set up your first lesson by contacting me and working out a mutually beneficial time.
Lessons should occur weekly. I charge $25 for a 30 minute lesson. Lessons can go beyond 30 minutes. Sometimes, particularly when first getting on the pipes themselves, more time is required -- the bagpipes can be finicky.
Most students will work exclusively on a practice chanter for a number of months. There are two advantages to this. First, you will learn some simple tunes before trying to learn how to blow the full set of pipes steadily. Second, you will have time to decide with some finality whether you wish to take the next step or not.
My dream someday is to start a pipe band based somewhere between Harrisonburg and Woodstock to compliment the bands that already exist in Staunton and Winchester. Come join me!
Learning the bagpipes requires lessons. Someone with pure natural talent can learn to play on their own, but the instrument is complicated and, well, esoteric enough that formal instruction is necessary for growth. This is most important in the beginning!
If you live in the central Shenandoah Valley, contact Russ to find out more about learning the pipes. There is a three step process involved that is similar to beginning other instruments:
1) Initial consultation (Free of charge): We will meet, get to know one another a bit, and answer as many of our questions about one another as possible. I will want to know what has inspired you, what musical training you already have, and whether you feel that the cost of lessons and equipment and your practice time will make you a good fit for the pipes. You will want to know much also. Common questions center around how the instrument works, how much it all costs, when to purchase pipes, and what to expect in general.
2) Purchase a chanter and the "College of Piping Tutor, Vol.1" (pictured to the right).
3) Set up your first lesson by contacting me and working out a mutually beneficial time.
Lessons should occur weekly. I charge $25 for a 30 minute lesson. Lessons can go beyond 30 minutes. Sometimes, particularly when first getting on the pipes themselves, more time is required -- the bagpipes can be finicky.
Most students will work exclusively on a practice chanter for a number of months. There are two advantages to this. First, you will learn some simple tunes before trying to learn how to blow the full set of pipes steadily. Second, you will have time to decide with some finality whether you wish to take the next step or not.
My dream someday is to start a pipe band based somewhere between Harrisonburg and Woodstock to compliment the bands that already exist in Staunton and Winchester. Come join me!
