Hello, I'm new to this forum. I must say I am absolutely in love with the sounds produced by the Uilleann bagpipe played by a skilled piper. I am 19 years old and am located in sunny ol' Santa Cruz, CA and have acquired a decent starter set. I was wondering if anyone knows of some useful instructional tools for an isolated soul like myself. Even better, if anybody knows of some pipe teachers in the Santa Cruz area, that would be most appreciated. I have been playing tin whistle for roughly six months now, and am pretty good at it. I have plenty of musical experience too, as I have been playing piano for 13 some odd years. I am in the process of learning to make reeds for my chanter, as the plastic ones it came with are not very good. Also, I am starting to save up for a BC Childress full set in D. Any suggestions to the above mentioned would be awesome. Thank You.
Hey, isolated California piper, and welcome to the session. I know diddly about the pipes but I found an old thread with a couple of useful links for you:
Hello Kerri, thanks for the link. I wish I wasn't a poor college student so i could pay for those online programs. Oh well, that's what college is for. Getting to the dough. Thanks again.
Piper, I think even if you find a living, breathing pipe teacher in your neighbourhood you will end up spending about the same amount of money on 'live' lessons as you would with scoiltrad.
Anyway, I only ever took three or four fiddle lessons in my whole life. In the very beginning, I needed someone to tell me where to put my fingers and which direction to point the bow, but since then it has been practice, practice, practice.
The first lesson on any instrument is the one that matters most, I think. Squeeze the money out of your parents or your friends. Take in your beer bottles.
Look up the San Francisco Pipers Club. They have instruction classes at least once a month and are very active and shouldn't be too far to drive from UCSC (I assume).
Lookup the Na Piobari Uilleann web site ( the Uilleann pipers club located in Dublin). Join them, they are a good resource. They have instructional videos for sale. The same videos can be had here in the states from Ossian-USA ( for one). Also, the Irish Pipers Club in Seattle publishes a pipe friendly tune book as well as a respected journal.
Hook up with the folks at Chiff and Fipple Uilleann Pipe forum and bookmark Pat D'Arcy's UilleannObsession web site- bunch of stuff there. There is an online reed making book done by Dave Haggerty of NPU that is useful. There is Seth Gallagher's website that has reed making tips as well. eBay carries Uilleann pipes every so often as well as some listings on the Chiff and Fipple site.
Above all, find some pipers to teach you. Go to workshops if you can find the time. We have one in October in Southern California and the San Francisco Club will hold theirs next February. Seems to me that there should be some sessions in Santa Cruz. Do a search for sessions in California on this site and on the web. You can bring your set there and see if anyone knows a piper.
I could rattle on... send an email if you want more info.
Uilleann Pipe Instruction
Uilleann Pipe Instruction
Hello, I'm new to this forum. I must say I am absolutely in love with the sounds produced by the Uilleann bagpipe played by a skilled piper. I am 19 years old and am located in sunny ol' Santa Cruz, CA and have acquired a decent starter set. I was wondering if anyone knows of some useful instructional tools for an isolated soul like myself. Even better, if anybody knows of some pipe teachers in the Santa Cruz area, that would be most appreciated. I have been playing tin whistle for roughly six months now, and am pretty good at it. I have plenty of musical experience too, as I have been playing piano for 13 some odd years. I am in the process of learning to make reeds for my chanter, as the plastic ones it came with are not very good. Also, I am starting to save up for a BC Childress full set in D. Any suggestions to the above mentioned would be awesome. Thank You.
# Posted on May 25th 2004 by CaliforniaPiper
Re: Uilleann Pipe Instruction
Hey, isolated California piper, and welcome to the session. I know diddly about the pipes but I found an old thread with a couple of useful links for you:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/776/comments#comment10931
Also, I've heard good things about this online ITM school:
http://www.scoiltrad.com/
Best of luck,
Kerri
# Posted on May 25th 2004 by Kerri Brown
Re: Uilleann Pipe Instruction
Hello Kerri, thanks for the link. I wish I wasn't a poor college student so i could pay for those online programs. Oh well, that's what college is for. Getting to the dough. Thanks again.
# Posted on May 25th 2004 by CaliforniaPiper
Re: Uilleann Pipe Instruction
Piper, I think even if you find a living, breathing pipe teacher in your neighbourhood you will end up spending about the same amount of money on 'live' lessons as you would with scoiltrad.
Anyway, I only ever took three or four fiddle lessons in my whole life. In the very beginning, I needed someone to tell me where to put my fingers and which direction to point the bow, but since then it has been practice, practice, practice.
The first lesson on any instrument is the one that matters most, I think. Squeeze the money out of your parents or your friends. Take in your beer bottles.
# Posted on May 25th 2004 by Kerri Brown
Re: Uilleann Pipe Instruction
Look up the San Francisco Pipers Club. They have instruction classes at least once a month and are very active and shouldn't be too far to drive from UCSC (I assume).
Lookup the Na Piobari Uilleann web site ( the Uilleann pipers club located in Dublin). Join them, they are a good resource. They have instructional videos for sale. The same videos can be had here in the states from Ossian-USA ( for one). Also, the Irish Pipers Club in Seattle publishes a pipe friendly tune book as well as a respected journal.
Hook up with the folks at Chiff and Fipple Uilleann Pipe forum and bookmark Pat D'Arcy's UilleannObsession web site- bunch of stuff there. There is an online reed making book done by Dave Haggerty of NPU that is useful. There is Seth Gallagher's website that has reed making tips as well. eBay carries Uilleann pipes every so often as well as some listings on the Chiff and Fipple site.
Above all, find some pipers to teach you. Go to workshops if you can find the time. We have one in October in Southern California and the San Francisco Club will hold theirs next February. Seems to me that there should be some sessions in Santa Cruz. Do a search for sessions in California on this site and on the web. You can bring your set there and see if anyone knows a piper.
I could rattle on... send an email if you want more info.
# Posted on May 25th 2004 by I_Fel