The Average Piper - Do you hear what I hear?

If you don’t listen for it, you won’t hear it…but others will. Many years ago, legendary PM Alex Robertson gave me a gift. “Ringo, you can learn by listening to other pipers, even the worst of us.” He encouraged me to analyze what…

The Average Piper – Speed Kills!

When I take on a new student, I’m often dealing with misconceptions and baked-in issues. Most of the issues can be traced back to simply playing too quickly. GDE’s and transitions may be sloppy with crossing noises. Some notes may disappear…

The Average Piper - My Cup

The Average Piper – I know. It’s been a long time since my last Average Piper blog. I could tell you that I’ve been doing research on learning techniques (which I have been doing) but then the truth is that I just got overwhelmed with…

The Average Piper - Tying it all together

I had a break-through lesson last night with an adult student who is dealing with a number of issues. He’s been playing for a couple of years. Issues are “baked-in” which comes with its own set of challenges. (unlearning is a whole lot…

The Average Piper - All about Technique!

We last talked about “Timing” and its importance in music. Without proper timing one cannot represent the tune as the composer intended nor can he or she play in unison with other pipers. What is intended as “music’ becomes “noise”. Equally…

The Average Piper - Timing, Technique, & The Bagpipe

If I boil everything down, these are the three primary areas of focus for Average Pipers; timing, technique, and bagpipe issues. It can sometimes appear overwhelming however when you break things down and focus on fundamentals, it’s really…

The Average Piper - Crossing Noises!

Crossing noises are those unwanted little “blips” that you hear when transitioning from one note to another. They are most common when moving from one hand to the other however they can also occur within one hand. They are the result of…

The Average Piper - St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish culture and music. There will be parades followed by music and dance in just about every pub around the world. 13 million pints of Guinness will be downed that day. Are you ready? Check your bagpipe…

The Average Piper - The Right Instructor

Having taught bagpipes for almost 50 years, there’s not a lot that I haven’t seen. People are drawn to the instrument for their own reasons and eagerly embark on learning. Expectations range from “I want to play Amazing Grace” to “I…

The Average Piper - A Remarkable Story

Mr. Fred Sandeman made bagpipes in Rhodesia in the 1970's on an old treadle lathe. It's not known how many bagpipes he made, however among them were four hand-carved thistle-mount bagpipes. Two owners, one in the UK and the other in Western…