Piping Centre Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book 2: Transition to Pipes – Maintenance Guide

The Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book 2: Transition to Bagpipes (Maintenance)

Volume 2 of the Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book, published by Scotland's National Piping Centre, is "A Guide to Playing and Maintenance of the Highland Bagpipe." This is an excellent resource for the beginning or intermediate piper, containing important information for selecting and setting up a set of pipes. It can help students transitioning to the bagpipes to understand the parts of the pipe, how they fit together, how to maintain them, and how to keep your new pipes running properly. The layout is very clear and easy to follow, and the crisp color photos are a great feature.

Contents of the Highland Bagpipe Tutor Maintenance Guide:

Chapter 1: First Steps

• Shows and discusses the basic components of the bagpipe

Chapter 2: Getting Started

• The pipe chanter reed
• Seating the reed
• Tuning the chanter
• and more

Chapter 3: Blowing Steadily

• Arm pressure
• Posture
• The blowstick
• and more

Chapter 4: Introducing the Drones

• How drones work
• Cane reeds
• Synthetic reeds
• Fitting the reeds
• Striking in
• and more

Chapter 5: Basic Drone Tuning

• Adjusting for balance
• Tuning a tenor drone
• Tuning positions
• Tuning with a meter
• and more

Chapter 6: Maintenance Tips Every Piper Should Know

• Cleaning, oiling, watertraps

Chapter 7: Seasoning a Pipe BagChapter 8: Pipe Chanter Reeds

• The reed is too easy or too hard
• The reed is too sharp or flat
• and more

Chapter 9: Adding More Drones

• Tuning drones together and tuning with the pipe chanter

Chapter 10: All 3 Drones

• Thorough guide to bringing in and tuning the bass drone

Chapter 11: Maintenance Know How

• Tying in a pipe bag
• Tying in a chanter stock

Chapter 12: Pitch, Keys, And the Pipe Scale

• Understanding bagpipe pitch

Chapter 13: Next Steps

• Marching
• Playing with a band
• Playing in public