G.S. McLennan

We're excited to launch a new addition to the Bagpipe Makers Museum. G.S. McLennan was an extraordinary piper and composer. He also made bagpipes as early as 1914. The family recently contacted me so additional pictures and information will…

The Average Piper - Explanation!

The point of yesterday’s post… Play the tune as "musically perfect" as possible within your personal abilities. I am not advocating eliminating embellishments for every piper or from every tune. I’m saying that there are more important…

The Average Piper - Wearing of the Green

Before you know it St. Patrick’s Day will be here. Streets and pubs will be flooded with pipers and drummers providing various interpretations of tunes to celebrate the occasion. Unfortunately, you’ll hear some less-than-stellar renditions…
Today we’re going to talk about note value. We’ve all heard the same; whole-note, half-note, quarter-note, eighth-note, etc. explanation of note values, but what does this mean? Is a quarter-note in one tune the same as a quarter note in…

The Average Piper - Matt Marshall

It’s important to understand that bagpipe makers of old didn’t have hydraulic tracers or CNC automation. Makers relied on either they own skills or the skills of their turners in the hand-crafting of bagpipes. Jack Dunbar was a wonderful…

The Average Piper - Band Practice

I'm currently instructing Celtic Nations Pipe Band and last night was our regular Tuesday night band practice. PM Ken, SJ, and I arrived early and set up. Ken plugged a speaker his metronome. Tables were set up in a horseshoe with Ken and myself…

The Average Piper - Short Review

We've covered quite a bit of ground in a short period of time. Today is a good time to take a breath before we forge ahead. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve focused on increasing both our understanding and discipline. Let me elaborate. We’ve…

The Average Piper - The Consistency Factor

I’m going to encourage those reading The Average Piper to incorporate these lessons into your daily practice regimen. Never practice without a metronome. Rip the tunes apart and understand exactly where the notes are supposed to land. Practice…

The Average Piper - The Metronome

Let’s wade into the deep end. The reality is that many Average Pipers do not know how to use a metronome effectively. The word I’m about to use are not intended to be mean. If another word was as descriptive, believe me, I’d use it. Many…

The Average Piper - This is for you!

We’re going to get back on track soon, but I need to take a break and explain a couple of things. The Average Piper was created for you. I'll try to respond to your specific wishes however I also need to remain faithful to the original goal…