I’d like to continue with the thinking I expressed yesterday. Many pipers are hung up on “fingers.” It’s not uncommon to witness young pipers slamming through tunes that they shouldn’t be playing at lightning fast tempos and generally making a mess of things. Equally so with older pipers attempting tunes and tempos that are unflattering to their abilities.

So, what makes a piper a musician? I think it’s understanding the instrument and the music and being able to produce a sound and melody that represents the very best the piper has to offer. It’s not about playing “Itchy Fingers” or “Pumpkin’s Fancy” at a manic tempo!

How do we get there? It’s easy. There are dozens of good solid instructors who are reaching out to “Average Pipers”. It’s not about the money. It’s about their desire to help. “Average Pipers” are sometimes reluctant to reach back. Some may be intimidated. Some may not understand the benefits of doing so. Some my feel that they don’t need to.

The Average Piper is being written for you, but even more importantly its being written for your students, both young and old. My hope is that we can improve not only the way we play but also the way we teach. If important building blocks are skipped, bad habits will only complicate matters down the road and keep you from reaching your true potential. You’ll pass this along to your students and perpetuate fundamental issues.

I’m currently working (remotely) with someone who was taught by the “watch my fingers” method. After only a few weeks his growth in both understanding and technique is quite remarkable. I paused to consider why and the answer is simple. The foundation of his learning is his desire to improve. The source of that desire really doesn’t matter. He can leverage his motivation with good instruction and achieve realistic personal goals.

Have you ever had someone outside of your network of pipers evaluate your playing? This might be the first step in improving. I hadn’t thought about this prior to sitting down at the keyboard this morning, but I’m happy to offer a free evaluation over Skype or Facetime. Contact me if you’d like to set something up. I’ll give you an honest opinion and some suggestions on how to get started.