Gibson Practice Chanter Kit

by Gibson Bagpipes

Product Features

• This complete package includes the highest quality tuition for prospective pipers.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• ASIN: B0002I8YGW
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,065 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #6 in Musical Instruments > Folk & World Instruments > Wind Instruments > Bagpipes

Product Description

This complete package includes the highest quality tuition tools for prospective pipers. It includes the following:
Gibson Long Practice Chanter
College of Piping Vol. 1 Book
College of Piping Vol. 1 CD
Padded Chanter Sleeve
1 Gibson Reed

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best choice for beginners, January 20, 2007

By 

Ruth Fox (Richmond, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gibson Practice Chanter Kit

While unsure of what kind of chanter to buy as a surprise for my husband, I've come to find out that buying the Gibson practice chanter and booklet was the best choice for beginners after all. The instructor at his first chanter class informed my husband that he, in fact, possessed the standard practice book and chanter for beginners, and suggested that others in the class buy the kit as well. If you are looking for a practice chanter and booklet that is recommended by instructors then this is the one. By the way, be sure to get extra waxed hemp, as it needs to be changed often.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decent Chanter and Mainline Instruction Book, October 24, 2008

By 

New England Yankee (Northern New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Gibson Practice Chanter Kit

This is a good practice chanter from a name-brand manufacturer, and includes what is probably the most widely-used beginner's book and a CD. The included reed is decent also, which is a plus. There are better chanters out there, but this is a perfectly good choice. I prefer long practice chanters like this, as it feels a bit more like the pipe chanter itself.

If you are buying this for yourself or as a gift, and you know little or nothing about piping, you can be assured this is a good starting point.

Even so, I would STRONGLY recommend finding a good instructor. You simply cannot learn to play the pipes properly without one. Modern notation does not convey how the pipes are actually played. Pipe music has an incredibly heavy emphasis on gracenotes - and the standard notation does not denote how to play the gracenote patterns. While the book and CD will help, they will not suffice.

If you know of a local pipe band, that would be a good place to start looking for an instructor. If not, start with the Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations at: http://www.anapba.org/ and drill down in your area. Pipe bands are usually the best place to start when looking for instructors. You don't have to play with a band, of course, but they will know of the local instructors. You will want to start with the upper-grade bands - grades 1 and 2.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sound... Great Price, November 24, 2006

By 

Jess (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gibson Practice Chanter Kit

You really can't go wrong with this practice chanter. The sound is excellent for a plastic instrument and you can't beat the price. The fingering holes are spaced very well. I have small hands, but I can still reach all the holes. The book and cd that comes with this set are very helpful. I highly recommend a Gibson practice chanter to anyone looking to play the bagpipes in the future.