Learn to Play Bagpipes – Here in Chesham

September 21, 2010
7:30 pm

Adam Sanderson, who is president of the Scottish Piping Society of London, will be tutoring a new Buckinghamshire Adult Learning bagpipe class for adults. This will be the first time such classes are offered for the people of Buckinghamshire. Classes will be on Tuesday nights at the Chesham Adult Learning Centre, Chesham Park Community College beginning on Tuesday 21 September 2010 from 7.30 to 9.30pm. Adam said, “This is an opportunity for anyone interested in Scottish piping. As well as the Scottish Piping Society of London, I have played in bands and performed at functions, including live radio broadcasts for the BBC. I have provided instruction to adults in Harrow, Enfield, and Central London”.

Prospective learners may be surprised that an introductory course does not involve the bagpipe at all. You actually begin to learn on a much simpler instrument called the practice chanter, a smaller version of the bagpipe chanter. The chanter is the part of the bagpipe where the melody is fingered. Andrew continued, “It makes a sense to master the essentials of fingering first, before attempting to play the Great Highland bagpipe. The practice chanter has a much easier reed to blow and the student can learn to play several tunes before progressing to the Great Highland bagpipe. Of course a practice chanter is no good without an instructor. A bonus of starting with the practice chanter is that you only spend £25 to £50, rather than hundreds on a set of bagpipes.” Students will need to buy their own practice chanter, but not in advance. They are available online or through Adam, visit this site to learn more. The course code is Z2PA01A, and the cost is £100 for ten weeks, visit Adult Learning or call Adam on 07889 031389.

Chesham has a strong connection with the bagpipe. One of the world’s greatest bagpipe companies Naill Bagpipes, was run by a Chesham family from a workshop in Bellingdon, before their success meant they relocated. Adam concluded, “I would love to see Chesham re-establish it’s piping connections”.