BAGPIPE EXERCISES

Playing music is as much about muscle memory as it is about generating a pleasing combination of sounds. As bagpipers, we need to learn how to cleanly, consistently, and accurately sound our notes. We have only nine notes in our scale and a sound that can't be paused once started. Having no ability to rest our notes, as other instruments are able to, we have to add embellishments to the melody notes in order to separate the same notes, to add emphasis (we have only one volume: LOUD), for marking time, or just to add some interest and expression to the flow of the music. 

Not only must we play these primary nine notes well, we must do the same with all the embellishments in combination with the main melody notes, in order to even being to achieve a sense of mastery over the instrument. Each exercise should be done through the nine-note scale. First, running through the scale itself, without any embellishments. Then running through the scale while inserting a single embellishment, working on the grace-note timing and focusing on maintaining precise note fingering. 

Lastly, mix this up. Go up and down the scale, skip around the scale (i.e. play a low A then jump up to an F or a high G), play notes at random and start with a insertng a single embellisment. As we get better, we can insert several embellishments into the exercise, and at this point you're almost playing a tune. Don't forget to play your tunes as well. There are several kinds of embellishments in most tunes, and your ability to execute these embellishments accurately are what determines if a tune is 'easy' or 'hard'. 

Once a player has mastered the nine melody notes and can accurately play the basic embellishments, most tunes become readily accessible.