Customer Reviews

Gibson Practice Chanter Kit

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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.

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.

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.

I have always wanted to learn to play the bagpipes but didn't want to spend a great deal of money in case I found that I couldn't learn the instrument. The Gibson Practice Chanter Kit was just what I was looking for - instructions, a listening CD, and a good quality instrument. I have discovered that I'm not very good at it yet, but I hope with practice and with the instructions, I can become better and better until I feel comfortable. I am a professional musician and do have a little training on the oboe and bassoon, so I was familiar with the reed and the producing of the sound. However, I think anyone could have fun learning a lot about the bagpipe tradition and would be able to learn to play limited music with this kit. I'm enjoying every note!

I've used a Gibson practice chanter for eight years. I bought it because it has exactly the same hole pattern as my set of Dunbar pipes. It has a nice sound and is extremely durable. I had A Dunbar PC before and it has a low G hole different than the Dunar pipes I have. I called the Tartan Thistle where I bought the pipes and asked them to match the hole pattern of the Dunbar chanter with a practice chanter. They found an exact match, the Gibson PC. I am very happy with this PC and enjoy playing it every day.

Once we figured out how to put the chanter together, I.e. Where the reed goes, it became a fun instrument to practice with. My son has enjoyed practicing and said he's getting better. I do feel the cost of this product was too expensive considering that it's plastic. But it was still a creative gift.