As the bagpiper at historic Fort Mackinac (built by the 84th 
Highlanders in 1780) I've piped for several million visitors over the 
past 18 years. This certainly does not make me a good piper, but I do 
know something about piping. During my time at the fort I have taught 
many how to play the instrument. Of those who stuck with it, about a 
half dozen have gone on to become better pipers than I am.

I've developed a rather unorthodox but very effective self-teaching 
method that gets one started in piping by teaching them one complete, 
fully ornamented pipe tune. The normal teaching approach is to have 
the student grind away mercilessly and endlessly on scales, -- often 
never seeing a real tune for the better part of a year.

Note: The aim of this method is to as easily as possible enable one to 
play the tune "Amazing Grace" on the practice chanter. Obviously 
there's more to piping than just this, but I maintain (& have seen 
proven-out many times) that with one tune under a person's belt, it's 
a simple matter to similarily learn others and to pick up the 
remaining ornamentation. As I get time, I plan to spell out just how 
to play this remaining ornamentation.

Because everyone's so busy here at Fort Mackinac, my lessons are set 
up to be self taught -- only rarely (like when I hear a student making 
an obvious mistake) will I intervene with any "one-on-one" instruction.

I make no apologies for my method, which works quite nicely. My best 
success using this approach was a young fellow who went from never 
having had a bapgipe in his hands to playing daily during public 
demonstrations here in three months! The next best success took six 
months.

Here is this method I assign those interested in becoming a piper:

 
        The instrument has only 9 notes, no sharps or flats and only 
        one octave. This fact greatly simplifies the learning of 
        proper fingering. Main melody notes are fingered according to 
        this invariable fingering scheme. The only exception to this 
        scheme involves ornamentation, which is fingered as easily and 
        simply as possible, without necessarily resorting to "proper 
        fingering" (more about this later). Assignment: spend several 
        days to a week learning the scale, up and down, using the 
        proper fingerings shown. Only when you can play the scale up 
        and down fluently, without thinking about it should you 
        progress to the next step.

Step 2: Click here For "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound"

        Once proper fingering is learned, the next step is to pick a 
        slow, well known tune. Without reservation, I recommend 
        "Amazing Grace". This tune is universally known and contains a 
        good many piping ornaments. Step 2 through 5 illustrate how to 
        finger and play each and every note of "Amazing Grace" and 
        includes full ornamentation. Although written music is also 
        shown, one need not know how to read music to be successful 
        here. This is the same, full, " professional" version of the 
        tune that I play for public occasions.

Step 3: Click here For "that saved a wretch like me"

Step 4: Click here For "I once was lost, but now am found"

Step 5: Click here For"was blind, but now I see"

Step 6: Click here for info on a few other ornaments

        This illustrates the taorluath and the c doubling. These are 
        illustrated as part of the first two measures of "Scotland the 
        Brave". The taorluath is perhaps the most difficult ornament, 
        but not that hard. I found that once I mentally "visualized" 
        the taorluath properly, it became very easy to play. Tips on 
        this "visualization" are included here.


A few words here about "determination". Musical ability counts a small 
bit, but BY FAR the most important consideration in becoming a 
successful piper is determination, aka "stick-to-it-ness". By FAR.

In fact all one really has to do is "trend in the direction" & he'll 
eventually surprise himself by realizing one day "Hey - I'm a 
bagpiper!" -- SO LONG AS HE HAS UNWAVERING DETERMINATION TO KEEP AT IT.
        
I cannot stress strongly enough the power of determination. The vast 
majority of my students who quit did so due to lack of determination. 
When they saw that they wouldn't be an "instant piper" in a few days 
time, their initial enthusiasm and determination waned.

Another observation of mine over the years is that undoubtedly, if
more people knew how easy it is to play the bagpipe, a lot more would
be pipers. There's a popular myth that bagpiping requires at least a
lifetime to do properly.  Just ain't so. In the most a year's time,
anyone can pipe good enough to please themselves and others. Anyone.

"The world's got enough bad bagpipers" is a refrain often heard from 
the bagpipe elite -- in their eyes only the highest competition-grade 
piping counts as bagpiping. Obviously this line of thinking has no 
merit whatsoever. Piping is a fun endeavor & truly the more the 
merrier.

The step from playing a tune on the practice chanter to playing it on 
the real pipes is not that traumatic. At first cork up two of the 
drones & have at it. As you become more comfortable, uncork another 
drone -- then eventually the other drone.

Dennis Havlena - Mackinac Straits - Summer, 2000