Do I need a bagpipe teacher or not?

I am a bagpipe teacher.  As  a teacher I would tell anybody new to playing the Great Highland Bagpipe of Scotland, that it would be worth their time and money to hire a teacher.  Although the instrument has only 9 notes, it is a relatively difficult instrument to play well.  My job as a teacher is to teach you the student  how to practice on a daily basis.  It’s not only important what you practice but also the sequence and how you practice it.  I have a student that had a fingering problem.  I suggested that he do this particular exercise to warm up with.  Needless to say, the student went home and only practice that exercise.  Because of some scheduling conflicts, we didn’t get back together for 3 weeks.  The result is that he practiced only the exercise and not the rest of his music.  Although it fixed the problem he was having, he had a very difficult time playing the tunes that we were up to.   Having a teacher teach you how to practice will save you time, money and aggravation.  Just listen.