A bagpiper is a person who can play a list of tunes on the bagpipe by memory!

​As a bagpiper for more than 45 years, I have learned one thing that I deem the most important:  “A bagpiper is a person who can play a list of tunes on the bagpipe by memory”.  It’s just that simple. 
 
The first question that I ask you as a bagpiper:  Do you have a list of tunes to play?  Think about this.  If you are asked to play for someone’s event, do you have a list or do you wing it?  Personally, I think that “winging it” won’t keep you in the market for long.  You need to prepare a list.  These tunes should be in small sets by meter.  The small sets can be combined with other small sets to create 10 to 12 minute medleys.  If someone needs you to play for 30 minutes, you only need 3 – 10 minute medleys to do the job. 
 
I like to change up the small sets so that I don’t have two duple sets back to back.  For instance, I’ll take a set of 4/4’s and put a set of 6/8’s followed by a 2/4 set.  The 2/4 set goes into a set of 2-part Strathspeys and Reels followed by a Jig, a Hornpipe and a set of Retreats.  This set takes about 10 minutes to play. Your audience will stay engaged as the music is always changing. 
 
So, how do you develop this kind of set.  I think that you need to write it down.  You then need to learn the tunes in that order and when you practice you always play them in that order.  You want one tune going into the next and then the next.  As you learn these tunes, the goal is to get from one melody note to the next without making a mistake.  You need to play slowly on your first read-through.  If you played the same tune 10 times exactly the same way, you might have it memorized by the 11th pass through.  If you play it sloppily and different each of the 10 times, you may never have it memorized.  The bagpipe is all about precision.  As most bands competing are playing in unison, you want everyone playing the exact same thing at the exact same time. 
 
To recap, if you want to be a bagpiper, make a list of tunes and build them one at a time and practice them in the same order.   If you need a source of music to draw from below are my suggestions:

Bagpipes For Beginners Program-Pick the items that you need.

$0.00 - $240.00

The Lessons

Lesson 1 Rhythm and Meter 

Lesson 2 Holding the Chanter

Lesson 3 Reading Music

Lesson 4 Adding our Feet

Lesson 5 Blowing the Chanter

Lesson 6 What's a Crossing Noise?

Lesson 7 The GDE Grace Notes

Lesson 8 Playing Grace Notes Between Intervals

Lesson 9 Scots Wha Hae

Lesson 10 Amazing Grace

Lesson 11 The Blue Bells of Scotland

Lesson 12 Bonnie Prince Charlie (Will Ye No Come Back Again) 

Lesson 13 Johnnie Scobie (A No Awa Te Bide Awa)

Lesson 14 Scotland the Brave

Tunes In This Book

A No Awa Te Bide Awa

All the Way to Galaway

Amazing Grace

Anchors Away (Navy)

Angels We Have Heard on High

At the River

Auld Lang Syne

Back to Donegal

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Bonnie Dundee

Bonnie Prince Charlie

Brown Haird Maiden

Caissons Go Rolling Along (Army)

Daniel's Lament

Danny Boy

Emily's March

Evelyn's Scale Strathspey

Foster's Garden

Garry Owen

George Roy's March

God Bless America

Going Home

High Road to Gairloch

Highland Laddie

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy

Johnnie Scobie Kelly,

The Boy from Killane

Let Erin Remember

Lord Eric's Return to Efrat

Mac Pic's Reel

MacIntosh's Lament

Maggies Lament

Off We Go (Air Force)

Over There

Patty's Jiggity Jig

Rab's Wedding in Jig Form

Roy T's Hornpipe

Ryan's March

Scotland the Brave

Scots Wha Hae

Semper Paratus (Coast Guard)

The Barren Rocks of Aden

The Blue Bells of Scotland

The Crusader's March

The Duke of Gordon in Jig Time

The Glendaurel Highlanders

The Green Hills of Tyrol

The Irish Washerwoman

The Jolly Beggerman

The Keel Row

The Kilt is My Delight

The Lady in the Bottle 

The Marines Hymn

The Minstrel Boy

The Pikeman's March

The Rowan Tree

The Scots Guard's March Through Jerusalem

The Taorluath Tune 

The Wearing of the Green

Tim's Mushrooms Trumpet Voluntary for Bagpipe Twenty Men From Dublin Town When the Battle's Over Will Ye No Come Back Again Willian's Hornpipe Wings You're a Grand Old Flag

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Scots Guards Books (3 Volumes

$53.00 - $63.00

Every Bagpiper at some point in the bagpipe life should own the Scots Guards Books. These are collections of all types of music written for this instrument. Marches, Strathspeys, Reels, Hornpipes, Jigs, Slow Aires and even a Piobareachd or two are in these collections. These are definite books that you don't write in. They will keep you busy for a long, long time. They sell for $63.00 each for volumes 1 or 2. Volume 3 is available for $54.

This product is shipped in a Medium Priority Mail Box. The cost of that service is $14. You can receive up to 70 lbs of merchandise in that box! You might consider adding more to your order. I am not in the shipping business and will refund you the difference in the shipping as each item includes shipping.

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