This is only a very quick intro to the world of printed bagpipe material, but hopefully it will provide a useful core from which to grow.
Some of these books will be available on Amazon and eBay, and those are likely to be the cheapest options.
Music Standard Settings of Pipe Music of The Seaforth Highlanders First published in the 1930s, this is an excellent first collection of pipe music.
This is an eclectic collection of bits and pieces that has grown up over the years. Perhaps most useful is this small link directory:
bagpipe.news - The National Piping Centre’s news website, with regular archive content. Piping Press - Scottish based independent piping news with a perhaps conservative slant pipes|drums - Ontario based subscription website The Dunsire Forums - The oldest piping forum around Bagpipe Journey - a very useful reference site The Pekaar Database - an electronic tune index.
If you’d like to give someone a bagpipe experience, a gift voucher for bagpipe lessons may be the ideal solution.
Once the voucher has been received, the recipient can contact me (calum@callingthetune.co.uk) directly to arrange a tuition slot. Tuition is provided on the same terms and conditions as regular students.
The recipient will need a practice chanter - a “standard plastic” type from a recognised maker (the National Piping Centre is a good place to find one, but if in doubt I can advise).
Schedule My teaching schedule is as follows:
Wednesday 12pm-8pm Thursday 12pm-8pm Friday 12pm-6pm You will have a fixed time slot which will remain the same from week to week. Please make sure any time slot is manageable for you in terms of travel time and other obligations.
To arrange a slot, email me (calum@callingthetune.co.uk) with your preferred times. We’ll try and place you in the most suitable slot, and every year or so I attempt a “rebalancing” exercise, where I check what times work for eveyone then try and place everyone in the best slots for them.
Frequently Asked Questions What does it cost? Getting started is inexpensive. All you need to get started is a practice chanter (around £30-40), seven fingers, and a thumb. I recommend a "short", plastic chanter, purchased from a dedicated piping vendor (the National Piping Centre is a safe choice; Amazon and Ebay are to be avoided without seeking advice). There is no real merit in the "long" plastic chanter, and the "
Originally born on the West Coast, I have lived all over Scotland. I learned to play while at school, and have been lucky enough to have some excellent teachers. Some of the biggest influences came when I studied at Aberdeen University, and the people and teachers I met there have shaped my musical approach to be what it is today.
I started teaching on an ad-hoc basis at university, mostly helping other pipers out with specific problems, then started teaching on a regular basis at Duns Pipe Band in Berwickshire, culminating in a string of prizes in the pipe band season of 2007.
I began teaching while still at university. When I settled down with a pipe band, I began teaching in earnest, and formed many ideas about how teaching is best done. Over the years, I have come to the view that the teacher merely provides a framework through which the pupil learns for herself. In particular, I talk a great deal about practice and how it should be structured and approached. And of course, tailoring what needs to be learnt to how the pupil actually learns is a vital part of the process.
