Customer Reviews

Bagpipe Maintenance Book

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This fantastic little book has made a huge difference to my 20 students to have - it give great tips for daily maintenance of their bagpipes and by the time they are done reading it they have a much greater understand of the Great Highland Bagpipe and much more confidence!

Being new to the bagpipe, I wanted to have a good book on hand in order for me to keep the set I bought in proper working order and condition. Mr. Hamilton begins giving the novice piper the two (2) major issues that create problems with the bagpipe. He names the parts of the bagpipe and differentiates between the types of bags and their maintenance; and they are different because they are two (2) completely different materials. So, how they are tested is completely different.
He does a fine job of giving the reader "on the road" scenarios of what could go wrong and then the proper or best way to take care of whatever is has or might happen. He mentions things to look for in the different parts, which piece to change from, say, no valve in the blowstick to a rubber valve - the "Little Mac" valve and its purpose.
He tells how to check for leaking stocks, where to look and what to look for. He delves into the chanter and its testing and how and what to use in order to fix it being off key.
Reeds are simple, don't buy one that is too hard to break the chanter inti playing. They come in "Easy", "Easy Medium", "Medium" and "Hard" strengths. The strength is the amount of wind it takes to "crank 'em up" when the piper strikes in. You could blow you cheeks out if it is too strong. A novice should use an easy reed in order to be able to play because there seems to be a ca-zillion things to remember and do, all at the same time, when playing.
Next he talks about the drone reeds, how they work, what is needed to maintain and repair them on the road (mostly an extra set works best). He gives the contents of what he calls his "Bag of Tricks", that which is in all actuality a bagpipe maintenance kit.
Last, but not least, he includes a schematic of the notes played on the chanter and their fingering pattern.
All in all, this is a helpful little book that will be a boon to anyone's bagpipe learning experience. I heartily recommend it.

Small, compact and simple to use! Nice quick guide perfect for any piper and fits nicely in case. Great for on the road quick repair - in fact the quick repair guide tips for what to have in an emergency in your case are worth weight in gold!

Exactly what I needed! I got my bagpipes working withing 30 minutes of reading your book!

This little pamphlet is a real struggle to read--awkward sentences, misspellings, poorly organized paragraph structure. The author provides much advice on making jury rigged repairs on the road. Better advice would be to properly maintain the bagpipe so that it wouldn't fall apart moments before a performance. You will find much better free advice on line.