I’ve heard it said (seen it written) that the bagpipes are the most difficult instrument to play. There’s no embouchure (is there?), no bowing, etc. What makes it difficult? Or is it not?
More relevant to my situation, my daughter wants to play the pipes, so I have to learn so that we can play together. Is there a good “how to play the bagpipes” website?
Mr. Athena took up bagpipes a few years ago and I’ve been along for the ride, so I think I’m qualified to answer this.
First off, there is embouchure. I don’t recall the details of it, but I remember Mr. Athena working on it.
As far as bagpipes being the most difficult instrument to play, I think that they’re referring to the amount of strength required, not the complexity. They’re not complex; Mr. Athena also plays guitar and there’s no real comparison about complexity between bagpipes and the guitar. The guitar can quite simply do a lot more.
Physically, though, you have to be in shape to play the pipes. He’s exhausted after practicing, simply from holding the bag, squeezing the bag, and breathing. He always refers to it as a fight.
Pipes are pretty hard to learn on your own. I wouldn’t suggest trying to figure it out from a book or website - go get a teacher, or find one online (Mr. Athena’s had great luck with online classes using webcams.)
Good luck!
Northern Piper should be here any minute with the definitive answer, but I’ll add my own 2 cents:
I spent a few years learning to play on a practice chanter (the recorder-like dealy that you blow into and finger) before I ever acquired my own pipes. For various & sundry reasons, I abandoned piping soon after without ever playing anything on real pipes.
The instrument itself is not complex – there just a dozen-odd holes for your fingers to cover (plus one thumb). The music is also pretty simple: there are only so many notes you can play on a bagpipe. There are lots of trills, rolls, and grace notes that you insert over the straight melody.
Mechanically, it’s a bit odd (to me) to have your breathing and the music not be tied together. You just breathe to keep the bag inflated, not to produce notes.
Keep in mind that it’s not something you can practice anywhere, anytime.
of course it is a fight. it sounds like a fight.
breathing is the hardest part. not the instrument to play for those with breathing problems.
I’m going to have some difficulty covering a dozen holes with my fingers, of which I only have 8 (not counting thumbs). 
I took a few lessons and had a lot of trouble with it, despite having at least some skill with a piano, guitar, clarinet, recorder, and digeridoo. According to the instructor, the fact that I’d played clarinet made it much harder, because the finger positions are very different.
our local community theater did *brigadoon * (better known amongst us technies as ‘bridge of doom.’ 
) and the director had a heckuva time finding someone to play the pipes for the show. bagpipers don’t exactly grow on trees in the midwest - or probably anywhere else for that matter.
indianapolis does have a modestly-famous group called the gordon pipers, who said they’d play for us – for an arm and a leg. we couldn’t afford them.
eventually, she ended up snagging a couple of lead pipers from anderson high school in anderson, indiana, which is famous for it’s bagpipe squad.
if you’re at all familiar with the musical, there is a sequence where all of the clans come to the village center before the wedding is supposed to begin and introduce themselves - all ten or so of them - to the sound of the pipes.
the poor kids had to play for something like 15 - 20 minutes straight - a long damn time for a piper. they were *exhausted * at the end of it. and these were young, in-shape high schoolers!
Wasn’t it kinda loud? I’m trying to picture 2 bagpipes playing indoors in a smallish community theater – could anyone hear the actors?
when i said ‘bagpipers’ and ‘introduce themselves,’ i should have been a little more specific.
there was no dialogue for that part of the show. it was all dance choreography.
the two pipers alternated weekends, so they wouldn’t be so completely tied to the production for a whole month.
gads, two pipers in that 100-seat auditorium *would * have been deafening! :eek:
I hear the hardest part is explaining to animal control that you are not killing cats in the basement.
Two years ago at a staff retreat we were [del]subjected to[/del] entertained by an ensemble of five pipers plus two drummers–in a conference room! I think I still have 90% of my hearing.
Scottish definition of a gentleman: someone who knows how to play the bagpipes…but doesn’t.
Yikes… I’m trying to picture that particular scene out of the movie - aren’t there a few dozen pipers in that scene? That would be deafening indoors.
If you do pick up the pipes, be prepared for all sorts of good-natured abuse.
What’s the best part of a bagpipe performance? When they leave.
Why do bagpipers walk when they play? To get away from the noise.
I was going to add:
Playing is easy - listening, that’s hard.
AHHH- I see you are not familiar with the East Coast of Canada - that’s where they grow bagpipers and fiddlers to export to the rest of the country.
I think they come out of the ground - like a potato.
At one of the local Rabbie Burns nights we have a full pipe & drum band (15+ pipers and 10+ drummers) in the meeting room at the Ramada Inn, which seats about 300.
Nope, it’s listening to the same jokes over and over and over.
OTOH, how could someone tell if you were bad?
heh. i stand corrected.
The one time I was asked to play Brigadoon, the director told me that he wanted the sound of the pipes to gradually build. I gave the standard answer that pipes don’t do dynamics–like a vacuum cleaner they are either on or off. So I ended up standing out in the parking lot and started playing when a stage hand waved at me from the back door. I marched in through the door, around various obstacles backstage, and into my place.
Add me to the list of people who say they certainly aren’t the most difficult to play. I marvel at folks who can play stringed instruments and keyboards. For the pipes, the intricate grace notes are the hardest part, followed by the strength. If you don’t play many times a week you start losing muscle tone pretty quickly. However, if you do play many times a week, you ought to be in shape to play for fairly long stretches. Occasionally when practicing I’d do a medley of tunes for 40 or 45 minutes. The most gruelling time on the pipes was a 4-1/2-mile parade in Toronto, wearing full dress in gazillion-degree heat. There were perhaps 20 pipe bands in that parade, and just past the finish line was a tavern that became wall-to-wall pipers (and drummers) doing their best to recover by draining Canada of all its beer.
The beer afterwards is definitely the part I’m looking forward to the most.
Still waiting on a recommended “learn to play bagpipes” website.