The explosive increase in the
popularity of the Great Highland Bagpipes in recent years, especially in the
United States of America, has unfortunately (and in my own opinion) not
resulted in the creation of a truly superior method for learning to play the
pipes.
One of the greatest hindrances
modern method books (known as tutors) impose on the American piping student
is the absence of music familiar to American ears. Those of us who
grew up in the great band and choir traditions began our musical journey
with familiar songs such as Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Polly Wolly Doodle, and Hot
Cross Buns. The popular pipe tutors of today begin with Scots Wha' Hae,
The Brown Haired Maiden, and High Road to Gairloch - fine tunes to be sure,
but wholly unacceptable for the non-musician to learn to play the pipes.
So these pages are an
ever-evolving attempt to fill that void -- to create an excellent bagpipe
tutorial in the tradition of American music education.
