The Tutor
Bryan Mitchell, is a retired Pipe-Major with 65 years playing experience, as a piper, tutor, plus pipe band and solo competitive piping as well as servicing bagpipes. Bryan has regularly played for Cambridge civic ceremonies (solo piping for remembrance services) and for RSA and Le Quesnoy related events for 40+ years, as well as being the P/Mjr of the Cambridge & Districts Pipe Band for 35 years during this period. Prior to this Bryan was P/Mjr for of the City of Hamilton Highland Pipe Band having previously played with the City of Auckland P.B. and the North Shore Highland Pipe Band. He has in past years also played concurrently with the Auckland Police Pipe Band and the City of Manukau Pipes & Drums in local contesting and overseas performances in Australia, U.S.A., and Canada.

Abilities needed.
What do you need to persue a bagpipe playing interest?
The bagpipes are an athletic instrument. They develop strength in your lungs and upper torso muscles inluding your diaphragm and neck. Combine this with mental ability and dexterous use of fingers, arms and overall body co-ordination, plus development of marching while playing. Your blowing ability should develop to the stage where memory and fitness allow you to play for long periods. Even for up to hour or two non-stop.
This is the same fitness level as required by many top athletes.
The skill is demanding, physically and mentally.

You need an active aware brain with the potential mental capacity to remember an extensive repertoire of tunes without the use of music notation prompts. The capacity will develop through menmonic methods. Understand this takes time and dedication without which success is elusive. A learner will have certain personal traits that include such as, aptitude, dedication, determination, persistence, will power and possibly some cultural link to the Celtic nations. However these may gradually develop as the interest grows. Because of the physical aspect of piping, items like all fingers, thumbs and both arms, plus the abilty to blow air from lungs are an absolute necessity. Legs for marching on while playing as well.

If you want a character and fitness building past-time
one with a long history and cultural strength,
one that produces awe inspiring, bold music,
playing bagpipes is definitely the one for you.

Equipment.



You start at a basic level with a Practice chanter . This simple reeded instrument immitates the chanter of the bagpipes. Initial impressions are it's sort of like a recorder, held in front of your face while you blow directly into it to produce sound. With this much quieter instrument you learn all the notes, embellishments and exercises plus all tunes during your entire piping career.
If you can't read music, you also learn to read the music notation used. It's simple compared to classical or piano music. Only nine notes, plus standard embellishments. You learn the types or styles of tunes, plus where and how they are employed by pipers within the overall culture.


When playing techniques have been learnt and a number of tunes have been correctly committed to memory, it is then necessary to start blowing an actual set of bagpipes and transfer to them, all that has been learned so far.
How long before this stage is reached depends on the individual. How long is a piece of string? This is when developing greater physical and blowing strength plus co-ordination is very necessary. The process can be a very challenging time.
Young folk usually handle this stage easily, while adults generally take longer. But regardless, time spent, and effort applied produce the results necessary to be a piper.