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Memorizing Bagpipe Tunes
MOST BAGPIPE MUSIC IS PLAYED FROM MEMORY SO YOU MUST MEMORIZE MOST OF THE MUSIC YOU WILL PLAY.
"IF YOU CANNOT SING A TUNE YOU CAN NOT PLAY A TUNE"
STEP 1
THE MUSIC YOU HEAR IN YOUR HEAD IS WHAT YOU WILL PLAY ON THE PIPES THEREFORE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT THING IN YOUR HEAD. STAND UP AND MARK TIME (MARCH) AND SING THE TUNE OUT LOUD. IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT WORDS YOU USE "DUM DUM DUM" "LA LA LA" WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU SING THROUGH THE ENTIRE TUNE. WHEN SINGING THE TUNE DO NOT MOVE YOUR FINGERS ALONG WITH THE TUNE AND MAKE SURE TO GO OVER THE PROBLEM AREAS UNTIL YOU ARE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH THE TUNE. REPEATING THESE PARTS OVER AND OVER AGAIN CORRECTLY WILL EVENTUALLY ELIMINTAE ANY PRBLEM AREAS.
STEP 2
NOW DO THE SAME THING ONLY MOVE YOUR FINGERS ON THE PRACTICE CHANTER WITHOUT BLOWING IN.
PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION THAT YOUR SINGING AND YOUR FINGERS ARE DOING THE SAME THING, MAKE SURE TO SING ALL THE MOVEMNTS.
STEP 3
NOW TRY PLAYING IT WITHOUT THE MUSIC ON YOUR CHANTER. FOCUS ON THE MELODY IN YOUR HEAD IF YOU HAVE DONE THESE STEPS CORRECTLY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE TUNE. IF YOU CAN'T DO IT YET GO BACK A STEP AND THEN COME BACK.
YOU MUST CONCENTRATE ON PRODCING THE TUNE IN YOUR HEAD AND HAVE TOTAL CONCENTRATION ONCE YOU STOP HEARING THE TUNE IN YOUR HEAD YOU BECOME VULNERABLE TO ERRORS. AND OF COURSE STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO LATER IN THE DAY, THE LAUNDRY, HOMEWORK...
A LOT OF PIPERS SAY THEY PLAY ON AUTOPILOT THIS IS FINE SOMETIMES, BUT YOU REALLY SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT THE TUNE YOU ARE PLAYING IF YOU WANT TO DO IT JUSTICE.
TO PLAY A TUNE WELL YOU MUST BE RELAXED, TO BE RELAXED YOU MUST BE CONFIDENT THAT YOU WON'T MAKE ANY MISTAKES. IF YOU CAN SING THE TUNE IN YOUR HEAD WHILE YOU PLAY YOU WILL NOT MAKE ANY MISTAKES. WHEN THE MUSIC FLOWS FREELY FROM YOUR MEMORY YOU WILL BE A MUCH MORE CONFIDENT PLAYER.