HIGHLAND BAGPIPE TUTOR PRACTICE

SCHEDULE

PRACTICE 1 - page 1“All Doublings” exercise “Doubling Drill from All Notes” exercise “Exercise for Control” (Bruce Gandy) Tune of your choice Set 1

PRACTICE 2 - page 9“Taorluath” (John Cairns) “Taorluath Whammy” “Taorluath Oh-Oh” “Exercise for Control” (Bruce Gandy) Tune of your choice Set 2

PRACTICE 3 - page 19“GDE Gracenote Triplings” “Joe’s G-D-Es” “Exercise for Control” (Bruce Gandy) Tune of your choice Set 3

PRACTICE 4 - page 27“The Tachum Tune” (Ken Eller) “Tachum Patterns” “Exercise for Control” (Bruce Gandy) Tune of your choice Sets 4

PRACTICE 5 - page 35“Grip Exercise #1 and 2” “Exercise for Control” (Bruce Gandy) Tune of your choice Set 5

PRACTICE 6 - page 43“A-D-G Arpeggios” “Light D Throw #2” “Exercise for Control” (Bruce Gandy) Tune of your choice Set 6

Practice Schedule

How long and how frequently you practice is a matter of preference; though the greater your commitment, the greater the benefit. It’s not the quantity of practice time it’s the quality of the practice session which will make the difference.

Whatever schedule you devise, either rigorous or more relaxed, choose one you can maintain comfortably for an extended period of time without being bored.

You cannot play, and should not attempt to play, all the exercises and tunes you know in one practice session.

We recommend a focused schedule that incorporates the exercises and tunes the Band plays on a regular basis.

As you practice, keep these guidelines in mind:

Embrace simplicity: Complex exercises and tunes are not necessarily the best. The simplest exercises are often the most useful.

Play with focus: If your mind is wandering as you play the exercises, take a break. You’ll make the most progress when you play with concentration.

Keep the beat: Unless you play the exercises with control you will get less than their full benefit.

Faster is not better: Speed is never the goal when playing exercises. Strive for precision, consistency, and rhythmic accuracy.

Easy does it: Exercises work the hands hard. When played too much, they can strain muscles. If your hands feel sore after practicing, take some time off and ease into the practice sessions.

Use a metronome: A metronome will help instill your piping with rhythm and tempo and help keep you on the beat.

What you play on the chanter, play on the pipes: Pipes are not just for playing tunes. It is essential that you learn to transfer what you play on the practice chanter to the pipes.

Record yourself: Record yourself and evaluate your practice session. Be critical. Did you play on the beat? Can you hear each note of the embellishment?

Ask for help: It is usually easier for someone else to hear your mistakes; that’s one of the reasons personal lessons are so productive. Don’t be offended if someone points out an error; only those who do nothing never make mistakes.

Have fun: In addition to the suggested schedule, play tunes that you enjoy. Challenge yourself to learn new tunes on a regular basis.

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