The Podtastic Piper Radio Program

PPRP #010 Pipes are best from afar.

On this episode I share some of my thoughts and experiences regarding what could be the most idea environment/location/or situation for making your pipes ring, and also when they maybe shouldn’t be fired up. I’ve begun to connect some dots from recent experiences and some utterly fascinating literature I’ve been reading. I close the episode with what I might make a regular occurs, “Chris’ Piping Poem of the episode”!

This episode contains a recording of a recent practice session.At this point we are moving from St. Patties Day into the patriotic holidays. Consequently, the songs of highest priority are the 5 U.S. military tunes, as well as the other classic patriotic tunes and trying to keep old tunes fresh

Trying to find good method of recording the pipes. This time tried two mics,

Thanks for listening. I’d love any feedback

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In this episode we think on the question of whether Amazing Grace should be played in any random situation. It is my feeling that Amazing Grace has such power to command emotion that it should not be trifled with or taken lightly. I give a description of a recent event where I was asked to play AG and didn’t feel it was the best tune for the circumstance. episode features a funky rendition of AG by the band Tartanic.

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CHECK OUT TARTANIC AT: TARTANIC.NET

On this episode I introduce my new favorite primitive pipe band, Tartanic. I am a big fan of Tartanic and there style of old school pipe and drum music which is perfectly suited for a late night , bare foot, bonfire dance party . I email the group saying I'd love to share there music and utilize it on the podcast and to my delight the graciously agreed. I know you'll love them as much as I do, so check'm out! Tartanic.net

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I offer advise on what to do if your are away from your instrument, unable to practice. I describe my experience in hearing a song, which I didn’t know how to play, many times over in a short period of time. That made me very familiar with the how it sounded, so that when I sat down with the sheet music, I was able to learn the song in remarkably short amount of time.  That experience leads me to belief that half the work of learning a new tune on the bagpipes is simply becoming familiar with how “it g

This episode features some audio from an impromptu practice session. I took the opportunity this day to brake out my Zoom H5 and tripod and play through some older and some newer tunes I’m trying to improve. You can learn a lot from listening to your playing recorded. What has sounded to be respectable to me while I’m playing it live, has, later upon review, been a little cringe worthy. Hopefully its all on the road to improvement and betterment of skills.

I address the idea that in order to learn an instrument you must have a teacher. In the internet age a musician can make a lot of progress with written and video instruction that is readily available through outlets like YouTube. There are many advantages to beginning on your own, such as going at your own pace, no tuition payments, not letting the risk of failure or looking silly prevent you from starting. While instructors are good, don't let the lack of one prevent you from picking up the chanter.

On this episode I discuss, after you have decided your going to learn to play the Great Highland Bagpipes, what is the first step you should take to, physically begin learning, acquire a practice chanter. I address what is a practice chanter, the different makes and models, and how much you should pay for one. Additionally I explained what are the different features available and what to look for when purchasing reeds for the chanter. This is the first step on the glorious road to learning the bagpipes.