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~ Universe of Bagpipes ~  |
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the Great Highland Bagpipe: The Jim McGillivray DVD Set ~ NEW LOWER PRICE ~ |
 The Two Videos: Left, #1, "Pipes Ready! A Set-Up & Maintenance Guide" Right, #2, "Pipes Up! A Complete Tuning Tutor" |
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You’ve worked hard with your practice chanter and have completed all of the lessons in the College of Piping (or other) tutor, and you can play some tunes properly on the practice chanter without soon tiring. The next step is to start on the pipes themselves. But while you’ve learned some essential basics and gotten into shape, nothing has prepared you for two major challenges: setting up (and maintaining) your pipes, and tuning them. A bagpipe is a complex device, with numerous elements that must all function properly if the piper is to have success. There are three major areas of concern: supplying and managing air, dealing with the four reeds, and tuning the instrument. Each of these areas involves components and challenges that are less than obvious and that can make a piper’s life miserable if not approached correctly. I address, on this site, in a basic and limited way, the setting up of cane reeds. It would be nice to go into that subject and the rest of the preliminary elements involved in playing a bagpipe in much greater detail, and I’ve thought about doing just that. But the result could not be comprehensive without being very, very lengthy and for the reader it would still lack the enormous advantage of being able to see and hear what’s to be done and how to do it. This is why throughout these pages I stress time and time again how important it is to get face-to-face with a teacher, or at least with an experienced piper. But that’s not always possible or practical, especially as the popularity of piping increases and spreads to remote areas. Judging from the mail I get here, more and more pipers are going it alone, or trying to, and that's a rough road to follow. Now there is a solution to this problem, thanks to world-class piper and professional pipe-teacher Jim McGillivray of Canada. Jim (together with his associates) has created the two videos offered here and in doing so he has, in my opinion, made one of the most significant and valuable contributions to grace the piping world in many, many years. I simply can't say enough about these videos - they are absolutely outstanding, by far the best instructional tools I've ever seen for setting up and tuning the Great Highland Bagpipe. The two videos are flawlessly produced, with completely professional camera, lighting and sound work. Both of these videos take an eminently practical approach to their subjects; there is little time spent on theory, either mechanical or musical - it’s hands-on, from start to finish. But what makes them really special is Jim’s ability to teach. It is rare indeed to find someone who stands at the top of his or her field and who can also do such a fine job of teaching the subject they know so well. Jim teaches with complete clarity and precision, yet in a relaxed and evenly-paced manner. A bonus is some very fine piping, by Jim and his associate Rob Crabtree, another world-class piper (and producer of these videos).
Traditionally, pipers learn much of what’s taught in these videos the hard way, in bits and pieces - or sometimes not at all. It’s not uncommon to encounter experienced pipers who have developed work-arounds of one sort or another to compensate for holes in their knowledge. Over the long run, this has sometimes resulted in there being more than one “right” way to do something - and this is reflected in the videos, where alternate approaches to a number of issues are presented. It’s nice to see this, in a field that can sometimes be contentious and dogmatic. By the way, the basic techniques taught so thoroughly and elegantly in these videos also apply, or can be adapted, to many bagpipes other than the Scottish Great Highland bagpipe. Below are the tables of contents of both videos. Note that both are organized in a logical fashion and that time references are given which are helpful in reviewing particular subjects. |
Above: Contents (from back cover):
Video #1,"Pipes Ready! A Set-Up & Maintenance Guide"
Above: Contents (from back cover):
Video #2,"Pipes Up! A Complete Tuning Tutor"
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Note: We are now buying these great videos in large enough quantities to be able to lower the price by $10 for the set. Still, these videos are not inexpensive; however, they will not only save the beginning or intermediate piper a great deal of time and frustration (not to mention the nerves of anyone within earshot), but without a doubt they will pay for themselves in saved reeds alone. They also have the potential of saving the piper considerable money by guiding him or her to the right choices when choosing options offered with a new pipe, or when modifying an existing one. (1 hour 26 minutes) DVD (worldwide compatible) US $33.00 (International customers, please inquire about shipping costs.) (2 hours 20 minutes) DVD (worldwide compatible), US $33.00 (International customers, please inquire about shipping costs.) The DVDs function world-wide.) |
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