Clansman School of Piping
Exercises and Tunes

Click here for more screenshots of TempoPerfect MetronomeFor those with PCs, a good metronome can be found by clicking NCH Software

e.g.: For 6/8s, you could set the tempo to 72 for practice and 84 for performance check, setting Measure to 2 and subdivisions to 3

For 2/4 or 4/4, tempo to 72 to 84;  Measure = 2 and subdivisions = 2 or 4

 

 

 

 

Download:    Bagpipe Player    All Exercises    Help!  

  The prime reference for the PR School of Piping is  "The Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book" published by the National Piping Centre, Glasgow. The following are supplemental exercises.

Exercises

Bagpipe
Player		MIDI
1. Triplets and strikes
2. More Triplets
3. Tachum and Triplets
4. Doublings from different notes
5. Jigs
6. Taorluaths
7. Strathspey
 

Tunes   The following tunes are from the Tutor book and should be learned in the order presented.

Tips for learning a tune.

  1. Study each bar in the tune and look bars for that have the same phrase. This will make it easier to learn the whole tune.
  2. Try to sing the tune and get the melody in your mind.
  3. Perfect each bar as you go.
  4. Play the tune very slowly at first. (about 40BPM)
  5. See if you can tap out the timing.
  6. Try to memorize the tune as you go.

Above all, try for quality execution of notes and embellishments at all times. You may have to play a difficult phrase over and over again to achieve the perfection you want.

 1. 3/4 Hymn The Day Thou Gravest Lord, Has Ended
2. 4/4 The Barn yards of Delgaty
3. 4/4 Auld Lang Syne
4. 2/4 Slow Air O Gin I Were A Barons Heir
5. 2/4 Slow March Bruce’s Address
6. 6/6 Slow Air Going Home
7. 6/8 Slow Air Skye boat Song

Criteria for Students to join the Pipe Band is contained in the document reached by clicking here.


Yours in good Piping,
Ian and George


Back to the Clansman Tunes page.