These are some of the most common bagpipe questions. I will include event based and lesson based questions.

Are the bagpipes hard to play?

The short answer is yes, they are. The bagpipes are unique to music in the way that music is written and that all tunes have to be memorized. In addition, bagpipes are a reeded instrument, with four different reeds. The drones resting on the shoulder each contain a single bladed reed like a clarinet or saxophone and the chanter that played the melody has a double reed like an oboe. In essence, you are playing four instruments at the same time.

What does it take to learn to play?

Thankfully, you don’t have to have a set of pipes to learn to play. Actually you will not need bagpipes for a good bit. Bagpipes are learned on a practice chanter. Practice chanters are small instruments, somewhat like a recorder, that is played exactly the same as the chanter in the bagpipes. Practice chanters are used your entire career and is how we learn new music. The key to a practice chanters is purchasing a quality instrument. Don’t go buying the first thing you see on eBay. Ask your pipe instructor to recommend a chanter for you.

Are bagpipes expensive?

Unfortunately, they are. A quality set of bagpipes starts in the neighborhood of around $1000 and goes up from there. Bagpipes are made from African Blackwood, one of the rarest and hardest woods in the world. The aging process for the wood takes years and is quite expensive. Bagpipes can last for generations if well cared for. Many top players play instruments over 100 years old.