10 Tips for a more Fufilling Practice on your Bagpipes

Here are some tips that I have for getting a more fulfilling and productive playing session under your belt!

1. Go Longer:

In truth, we can probably run through the things we need to do in about 30 or so minutes. Play through some easy tunes to warm up the pipes, run through the competition sets, and maybe finish with a fun tune or two. But instead of playing your sets and finishing, try and see how long you can play until you physically burn out. I often describe learning the bagpipes as a full time gym membership and sometimes it needs to be treated as such. Try making it to an hour or more. This will not only test your concentration and body but also your instrument. I've played gigs before where I am stationed outside the building and I have to play for an hour with minimal breaks. It has really tested my physical endurance as well as my instrument's stability. If you practice for longer, then you'll be able to get through a performance or competition with no problem at all. The real secret to more endurance is to try for it. 

2. Repetition:

If you practice every day, you're already off to a great start. Repeated practice is generally good, however, mindless repetition of the same thing is futile. Instead of playing the same phrase to practice an embellishment over and over again, try slowing it down and thinking about how well you can actually play it. There is more to embellishments than just getting in the grace notes. Think of the reason why you're playing this part over and over. Why do you hit it bang on sometimes and totally miss it other times? Constant self-evaluation is critical and you have to keep on top of it. Mindless repetition of the same passage with the same old mistakes will not get you any further to accomplishing your goal. 

3. Be Honest with Yourself:

It's always easy to say "I know I missed that doubling, but I'll get it next time.". These tendencies will often lead to sloppiness and muddiness that accumulates into your music. Hold yourself accountable for every missed grace note and every choke you have while you're playing. Especially on the practice chanter, every time I make a mistake I start the part (or the whole tune) over again. If I miss the same thing in the same place more than twice, I'll carve that bar out of the music and work on in exclusively. If you rush through a part and miss half the grace notes, back up and start the part again. Never take the easy way out and continue to hold yourself to your mistakes. 

4. Change the Scene:

Since we play an organically loud instrument, we probably have a dedicated room and location that we practice in. While it isn't easy to find somewhere else to play, it is definitely worth it to try. Playing in the same place every day is very nice. You get the same acoustics and, most times, similar temperature and humidity levels. Your instrument is used to being in this environment and you've set it up to play it's best in here. Unfortunately, this isn't going to be the case for most gigs and competitions. You need to get used to playing in different areas, not only for your instrument but for your mind to get used to playing with new distractions. Once a week, I go to my local park and play a little while outside (providing the weather is decent). While most of my practice takes place in the bedroom I also have weekly band practice outside my home and I continue to try and find new places to play. Distractions are normal and the more we practice with them, the better our concentration will get. You will also get to know your instrument much better as you figure out how it will behave in different environments. 

5. Structure is Key:

Most practices should follow a certain path that you have been using for a while. A kind of routine or schedule you keep to help you through your practice. Mine usually goes as follows:

Stretch

10 minutes to warm up the instrument (simple tunes)

Let them sit for up to 5 minutes/ stretch and hydrate

Start back up playing things slowly to focus on technique (anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes)

3 minute Break to hydrate and stretch ( remember your pipes are warmed up and need to be played before they begin to flatten off) 

Run through contests sets (this is the bulk of the practice and can take another 15 to 30 minutes)

Review what needs work and go back and hit the most important things

Finish the session with fun tunes

Perform after-session maintenance

This is a method that works well for me and I use this most times I get my pipes out to play. However, every once in a while you should try to break out of this routine. Changing the way you structure your practice is good. This is not to say that you shouldn't follow a system most of the time. While you'll still need to warm up your instrument the same way, you can change what you play in between these sections. Maybe instead of starting out with playing things slow, try breaking into the contest sets immediately and see what your playing will be like with virtually no warm-up. Starting cold is a great way to determine what your playing will sound like on the day of the performance or contest since you'll have limited time to warm up. The more techniques you use to change the way you practice (within reason), the more you'll be prepared for anything.

6. Never put the pipes away until they're singing:

It happens. We all have bad days when our hands just won't work or when we have continuous mental glitches and something won't click. These things are sometimes plainly out of our control. However, we can keep working until our pipes sound really good. Our instrument is totally within our control. We determine what reeds we play, where our pitch is set and the overall tone of the instrument. You can always continue to tune and play easy things to try and settle your pipes as best as you can. Don't be afraid to experiment. Try and push your pipes to achieve the best sound you can possibly get. Whether it's the intonation (how "in-tune" they are), balance of the chanter and drone volume or the stability of the moisture within the pipes. You can always get your pipes to sound excellent before putting them away. 

7. Play for people and record yourself:

This is something that many people neglect when they are prepping for an event. You should always try to play a little in front of someone or a small audience when you practice. If you can't get ahold of anyone to watch you play, you can always record yourself and listen back to your sets. It is impossible to accurately judge yourself as you're playing in the moment so I constantly go back and listen to my recordings and judge myself in the 3rd person. Concerning an audience, try and find people who will be frank with you. If you play for 4 of your best friends and ask them how it sounded, you'll probably be met with unrealistically good comments. Play for people who will give you honest feedback and especially other pipers. This will not only give you a realistic lens of your overall playing, but also will give you the healthy amount of nerves you'll face during an actual performance. 

8. Memorization Tactics:

Learning a new tune requires practice and patience. Ideally, you'll have correct sheet music and a good recording to work with. As you begin to become familiar with the melody of the tune, you'll want to get away from the sheet music as much as possible. Play the first line with the music 3 times in a row, then take it away and see how much you can recall from memory. When in doubt, use the recording. Trust your ears to let you know when something doesn't sound right. Sounding close just isn't good enough. Bagpipe music is very repetitive and follows patterns throughout the tune that you've likely learned before (similar endings and phrases). Use this to your advantage as you're learning and identify how much you've already learned in one part. The more you play something, the better your fingers will remember the patterns.

9. Practicing Multiple times a Day:

For some, this is the only way to practice. At times it feels like there are not enough hours in the day to complete your to-do list, let alone practice. This shouldn't be your "go-to" method for practicing but it can help in some ways. In truth, practicing multiple times a day can be good for you when done correctly. While you can't hope to practice things like stamina or endurance, you might be able to try and isolate some technical issues in your playing. These little sessions might last 5 to 10 minutes at a time where you work on scales or embellishments. Every little bit you can play will help. On the more relaxed day, you might be able to complete two 30 minute sessions of quality rehearsal. Use the time in between to analyze what needs to be better and try to accomplish that in the 2nd session. The gaps of time in between are important as well. Ideally, you'll want peaceful time to concentrate but this can't always happen. Thankfully, the practice chanter is a great tool for this. Use it anywhere at anytime because every little bit counts. 

10. Attitude is everything:

Some of the most fulfilling practice sessions are when I've completed my to-do list, the instrument is humming, I'm working up a sweat, and I end with "Scotland the Brave". Those last 5 minutes of playing are absolutely crucial. If you end on a bad note and are left with a terrible practice session, you'll not want to pick the pipes up tomorrow and try again. You'll feel defeated in your efforts and your confidence will suffer. Use the end of your practice session to do what you know you are capable of. On the other hand. If you practice and accomplish every goal you set for yourself then you need to set higher goals. The majority of the practice shouldn't be about playing what you know you can play. The beginning of the session is important as well. If you rush into practicing while you're stressed and unfocused, your practice will be unrewarding from the start. Take a minute to use the bathroom, stretch or just calmly breathe so you can focus on the matter at hand. Set a goal for yourself at the start and try to accomplish that in your practice. You (and only you) are in control of the attitude you have when you take your pipes out of the box. Be willing to learn, struggle, achieve and move on from the start. We are all in competition with ourselves to play better than the last time. 

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