hi matt i was in a similar boat to yourself // after serving in the army .for 7 years in 1963 to 1970 i was with the ist battalion black watch for a year and fell in love with the bagpipes ..and on my release i set my stall out to get me a set..little did i know.. youve guessed it ...they were a pakistani set ! i was struggling on the park one day ..and a scotsman came to me and said ...i will never play them as im not a scotsman..so i went to seek help. from a friend who was in the derby british legion pipe band ..who took me under his wing. the first thing was to get a scottish set..which i did ! a hardie set! fully mounted real ivory ......£50.. and a good quality practice chanter .. and have never looked back ..the same set today is £1.ooo. but imitacion ivory.. my pipes are my pride and joy. and although not scottish.. am more than capable of holding my own ! i go to the 24 hour le mans race every year in june and they all love me .! im getting on in years now.. 78years age but still thrilling all .. with my music... great video keep up the good work..
I desperately wanted to learn to play the Scottish Highland pipes since a child (living in London, U.K.), but didn't know how to find a teacher (late 50's - early 60's). When I was 15, my mother saw a set of pipes in the window of a general music shop. She was told that the set had been a prop for the making of the 1960 film, "Tunes of Glory". So she bought the set for me, cost then in 1964 - £15.00. Though I still didn't have a teacher, I tried blowing them on a regular basis, though the sound was really awful; but I assumed they were the real thing. I eventually found a teacher when I was 16, but only took my practice chanter to lessons. Nearly a year later, I joined my teacher's pipe band and P/M Bob Hill (ex- Scots Guards and a P/M in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in the 2nd World War) asked if I had a set of pipes, and to bring them the following week. When I took the set along, he immediately shook his head and told me that they were from Pakistan. Then he pulled back the tartan bag cover, revealing the brown leather bag: I can remember his exact words, "Oh my God, it's dogskin." I never played that set again. The following week, the P/M handed over a set of full ivory-mounted pipes (which must have been worth about £3,000 in today's money) and told me I could keep those, until I could buy a proper set of my own.
"Tunes of Glory". Holy moly. I like old movies and just came across that one last year. Typical style of movie of the era but pretty good storyline. Anyway never heard anybody mention it before or since until now 😄
very professional, thank you. Have a set of R.G. Lawries made in the 1970's. These pipes piped off B-52s from the runway of Diego Garcia bombing Afghanistan, piped in the invasion of Irag passing the Straits of Hormuz, celebrated the Royal and U.S. Marines on their anniversaries, and the Ghurkas for their Daisan Festival. Sadly, Military Air Transport baggage handlers destroyed the chanter in 2005. It was replaced with a Macclellan Chanter as the R.G. Lawries are no longer made. Keep the craft alive!
Cheers Matt, you just saved me $130 and a whole load of hassle, I will definitely be staying well clear of the cheap pipes once I master the practice chanter. Great video, subscribed.
Thanks for the GREAT education!!! Our 12 year old wants to learn the pipes and we were thinking Amazon youth starter set and it's simply not the way to go. Thanks for saving us from making a $130 mistake.
So glad you found this useful! No one needs to be buying these. Also, I do give online lessons if you were interested for your 12-year old. Cheers! All that is needed to get started is a practice chanter, and you can get it those for about $60-$75
I dunno anything about bagpipes, but I know for a fact that if you buy a good guitar for the kid's first one, it'll maintain its value really well. So, if the kid were to decide it's not for him, you could still sell the first for about what you paid. But if you buy a cheap laminate guitar, you'll be lucky to get half what you paid. So, in my experience of buying guitars and other stringed instruments, it's best to just never cheap out on anything. It doesn't necessarily mean that things that are inexpensive are BAD, though. For example, I recently bought a Jasmine S34C for about a hundred bucks and, despite it being made very cheaply, it actually sounds and feels really good. I bought it to keep so I have it for playing outside, but the only downside to it is that I'd never come close to getting a hundred dollars for it if I wanted to sell it. So never cheap out on the first thing you buy a kid. I mean, it's your CHILD, you should want to find them the best thing you can possibly afford! ☺️
I'm happy to find your channel! Picking up the pipes after being away from them for 30 years. I learned to play on and played a set of Pakistani pipes - played 'em for 5 years. I knew they were low budget, but hearing them side by side with a quality instrument was stunning. Thanks.
You're welcome! I started on a Pakistani set back in '96 and played it for about two years before getting into a real set. I was shocked at how poorly these particular pipes played!
Great video Matt! It was great to see/hear so many different reed brands demo’d. If you ever end up drilling into that chanter, be a good chap and record the experiment for us!
Those Pakistan pipes might be worth a run in a comedy skit. Maybe at the amusement park haunted graveyard, right before a zombie attack. It was fun watching this in any case. Thanks for filming it.
If you want some sheer comedy gold involving an eldritch death-match with bagpipes out of Hell, Mat Willis provides it in another video where he tries to play the abomination: ua-cam.com/video/KyUxVu_mis0/v-deo.html
My cousin gave me a set of rosewood pipes that I could never get to play. Then I saved up and got a set Of Blackwood Shepherd Pipes and I had them playing in few minutes practically right out of the box playable. You get what you pay for I guess.
Actually no. The best thing I learned from this video was the method you used to try, tune and adjust all the different types of reeds, the affect of those adjustments and how it all sounded. Even better when back to backed against a quality set. Masterclass in bagpipe fettling even if the result was still unplayable. Thanks for the demonstration and the perseverance!!
Well you made me feel better. I've been able to play every instrument I've tried at except for the bagpipe. I run into the same situation you did with the Pakistani pipe. I think I'll have to save up a bit then. I appreciate your videos!
@@MattWillisBagpiper Enjoyed the video Matt, very informative! Out of interest, I went to Mozambique on rugby tour last year and obviously had to take pipes. I wasn't comfortable taking my early C20th Lawries or Hendersons so borrowed some pakistani pipes from a band colleague. Sounded pretty acceptable (I'll try and dig out a recording of them if you like) so I guess it's a lottery. Obviously the ones I took would have been firewood years ago if they'd been unplayable so that tips the odds admittedly!
This kind of reminds me of a friend of mine who bought a 65 VW Bug when we were in high school (late 70s) for just a few hundred dollars it was a bit of a rusted wreck oh, it was good enough to get a high school kid around and he was going to "restore it". Last I heard shortly after we graduated High School the floor pan was so rusty that he punched a hole in it accidentally with his foot and you could see the road passing by underneath as you drove. So it's sat tarped in his parents garage waiting an unknown fate. Fast forward 20 years later when I ran across him in the parking lot of a market driving this pristine looking classic VW Bug. He told me it was the same car. He kept it all those years. He said he worked on it some himself, but after college and such, when he actually had money, he had it professionally restored. For thousands of dollars. I guesstimate it that he probably could have bought two of the same car in pretty good condition for the money he spent to have that one restored. Kind of reminded me of those videos where some guy takes some old, rusted out and corroded Appliance or toys or some such and makes it look better than new. But man, the effort to do so. Why are very neat to watch the videos, it is a LOT of effort. And based on what he told me, if 10% of the original car remained, I would be greatly surprised. But I didn't want to make my friend feel bad pointing that kind of thing out to him so I just complimented the car, cuz it did look as good, or probably better, than just off the showroom floor. Anyway, big'o long story to say, that THAT is the kind of effort I think it would take for these bagpipes to be made playable. After all is said and done you might have the projection mounts and ferrules left over from the original 😄
Thank you for your efforts with the Pakastini bagpipes. Am 71 years old , love sound of the pipes playing. S thought I would take the cheap route to learn to play on for my own enjoyment. But it appears after watching parts 1and 2 its Like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. It ain't gonna happen.a pig will always be a pig. Lol. Thank you again
The sad part is a good set of drone reeds and a few chanter reeds cost more than this set of "bagpipes". I know a guy who 3D printed himself a set of pipes and while not great they were still better than these lol.
I found a set of these some time back at a yard sale. The only value to them at all was the fact thatI paid 20 for them and and took the ferrules and Chanter sole off and and put them on a set of bare bones mCcallums and beautified them a lil bit. Only value to them at all
This is absolutely gold! The content is extremely helpful and meaningful, and I really like the way he's frustrated when he realized none of them will work at all, lol. I want to start learning practice chanter, and have been struggle in mind between cheap ones and quality ones. 60,70 bucks isn't much really, but they seems a lot when there are 15$ ones available. However after this nice video, no struggle anymore. Not even $200 worth the trouble. I do want to defend Pakistani a little though. Developed countries outsource the low-end, cheap orders to poor countries, and they get low-end, cheap product in return, that's only logical. Apple outsourced expensive orders, all their iphones, to China, and China hands back great products! Have you ever heard people have problem with iphones? It's simple logic really. Anyway, I will get a decent practice chanter soon, cannot thank you enough for this video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! In regards to practice chanters, the inexpensive Pakistani ones are okay. They tend to not be tuned very well, but that could be said about many more expensive practice chanters... I definitely would stay away from the Pakistani pipes, but "investing" $15 in a Pakistani practice chanter may be worth it, just to see if you enjoy the process of learning the pipes. As for the outsourcing model, I agree it is possible that good pipes could be made in any country, just as it stands now, I am unaware of any quality Highland bagpipe makers in Pakistan, though if someone knows one, I'd be happy to correct that statement.
@@MattWillisBagpiper Thank you for replying, Mr Willis. There's no need for changing anything. I know what you said are definitely true, simply want to reason out the economics behind it~ I had tried to learn 筚篥, a Chinese duduk, and failed. I believe it is essentially the same thing with the chanter, and the mouthpiece in chanter makes it rather friendly to beginners. I believe quality instrument is vital, so that you won't blame on instrument when things don't go well, and focus on improving ourself. Thank you for the advice!
Good use of cheep pipes. As a member of a band I was contacted on a regular basis for the rental of pipes for stage productions. Not wanting to rent my set out (without me playing them) I purchased a set and rented them out. A toy punch bag was stuffed inside and filled via one of the stocks. On the last rental a stage manager offered me to much money to turn down so I sold the set to him.
Hello Matt, your conclusion meets exactly with my experience. Its astounding that they can produce 100 percent Crap over such a long time without improvement!
It's absolutely mind blowing how terrible those pipes are. I recently bid on a set of shuttle pipes on Ebay, and now I keep getting sent offers for this companies smallpipes and highland pipes. There is VERY little info about them online, so you doing these videos is a HUGE service to the piping community. You should see if you can get their smallpipes to play next! Your video on Nate Banton pipes was great. I've had my eye on them for years, but I just purchased a set of McCallum bellows blown smallpipes. Maybe someday I can get in on the High E note with Nates. Keep up the great videos!
Not a bad idea, getting their smallpipes or even their uilleann pipes. But someone else will have to foot the bill for that one! I'm not (yet!) monetized on UA-cam, so I had to buy those Amazon/Pakistani pipes from my own bank account. Glad you're enjoying the videos! McCallums smallpipes are brilliant! I have a set of their Morrison Reelpipes and they are exceedingly well made. Cheers!
I have a theory. It’s a long shot, but it is very possible that it may work. I’m an acoustician, a woodworker and a musical instrument builder, so I’m not pulling this completely out of nowhere lol. Go to a hardware store (the blue or orange one will probably have it, you know the ones I’m talking about, I just can’t mention their names online). Pick up a small can of Zinsser bulls eye clear shellac (yellow can). Get a junk white Hanes t shirt and cut a piece of it about the size of your hand (try to avoid lint balls). Undo a wire coat hanger and straighten it out. Make a tiny hook at the end and hook the piece of t shirt onto it good. Dunk it in the shellac, let it drip for a few seconds and then carefully snake it through each part of the pipes that have any of that exposed wood. Don’t get it on the cork ends. After you snake it through, rotate the pieces in your hand so any drips soak in. Try and do it so that they’re coated evenly without it getting all disgusting on the outside.Let them air dry while taken apart for a day. Then try them again. The results may pleasantly surprise you! Once that wood is sealed, the tuning should improve along with a lottt of the playing characteristics, as well as the sound.
Well, these pipes are long since gone. But sealing the wood would keep them from moving, it would address the inherent non-playability. In the follow up video, I attempt real highland reeds and the instrument actually plays worse (!!!).
The least expensive playable bagpipe still runs around $800... Luckily, we don't start learning on the pipes but instead the practice chanter, which can be had for under $100. More info here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes
Enjoyed your videos on the Pakistani pipes. I once tried to help a friend with his Pakistani pipes and almost pulled my hair out. I had a lot of hours into them and came to the same conclusion as you. Never again. lol.
I was hoping you’d go at this...👍 You’re quite responsive... as I suggested it on your last related video you replied it was all out of pocket... I hope you get sponsors... I am singing your praises on Facebook for your tutorial skills and non pushy mannerisms
The only problem with sponsors is it's hard to be "honest"... I mean, I won't ever say I like something when I don't. And there have been more than a few (unposted) videos I've made that were a bit less than positive and I let the maker of the product watch before posting. Sometimes they improved their product and I reviewed the newer, better product positively. Other times... Well, they chose to not have me post and not improve their product. Posting negative reviews is hard to do and not look like a jerk. So at the end of the day, folks may ask me to review something, but if it's not here, and many competing products are, well, you may have your answer...
But again, I have no problem being sponsored (really!), but I'd have to believe in the product and have the option to renege on the deal if the quality of their product isn't up to my standards (or no longer matching the qualifications I give it in a review).
Thanks, Matt, although I'm bummed that the Pakistani Pipes my friends chipped in for upon my retirement (in view of my "now I'll have time to learn to play the bagpipes") is functionally useless. I'm in my fifth month of lessons using a pretty good practice chanter and being taught by a great guy who is teaching me for free, to "pass along the tradition." He looked at my pipes which I brought to my first lesson and was politely unimpressed, so I'll be be viewing your "Choosing your first bagpipe" video next. Cheers!
Hey Matt, useful video for anyone hoping to get a really cheap but playable set. Answer is: wait and save up a bit more! Do you have any idea why the set can't be set up to play? Is is the bore size? Also, what's the tune you're playing on the good set of pipes?
Hello! The tune is “The Highland Laddie” ua-cam.com/video/BruMa1FyMzo/v-deo.html As for why they wouldn’t play, I do suspect bore size, but wasn’t worth the effort investigate further... Glad you found the channel!
I play this set of reel (border) pipe and without scraping the reed on different places like oboe players do adjusting the notes it wouldn't have certain notes in tune at all. After this however, it has been playing for literally years, chromatic scale all tuned, with the same reed (and bellow). Only, I'm not sure that this chanter is drilled correctly, in the example I give my chanter is delrin Canadian chanter.
I believe he said iStrobosoft. I use that turner as well (for several instruments). It has a GHB “sweetener” you can purchase in-app as well, to further increase precision tuning.
I use two tuners in this video. The first one (which you can't really see) is the Braw Tuner, available for both iOS and Android. At the time of this comment, the fully unlocked version runs $30, but it is my go-to app for chanter tuning. That said, I can't make it work for the drones (but also haven't really tried since I like a different app for that). My drone tuning app is the iStroboSoft tuner by Peterson. It is also available on both iOS and Android, but at the time of this comment, the in-app purchased "sweetener" for Great Highland Bagpipes is only available for iOS. There is also a "low frequency assist" feature only on the iOS, so I cannot fully recommend this app as it currently stands for Android users.
Matt, thank you for all the videos! A few questions for you if you don’t mind…. What chanter reeds do you prefer? What app are you using on your Apple device you are using to tune?
I don't have one go-to chanter reed, but currently am enjoying my Melvin reeds ( ua-cam.com/video/1x8GZKRD3Ro/v-deo.html ) and standard Shepherd reeds, though I've had good success with G1s, Chesneys, Megaritys... Lots of great reeds out there today. I'm using iStroboSoft tuner in that video, but I prefer BrawTuner for my chanter these days. ua-cam.com/video/D0TjjqKR8T4/v-deo.html
Thanks! I am still shocked I couldn't make the thing work... I had a Pakistani set in the late 90s that was terrible, but was able to be be made playable. Not this thing...
The reason many have been put off the bagpipes. I have seen many well meant presents of this type of set bought and brought into band to get them working. The result is always as disappointing. They really do appear to have everything for the novice piper but in reality, give only frustration. Even a properly made Scottish set would be a minefield for a beginner to set up properly as they simply don’t have the knowledge at the beginner stage. It seems that the beginner level of bagpipes have taken a nosedive in quality as some early sets of Pakistan made pipes could play reasonably well if you were lucky. Other instruments have become much improved over the years at beginner level. With bagpipes, it’s really not worth wasting your money going for anything other than a set from a recognised maker. If a polypenco set starts at $800 and a Blackwood set for $1000 then $130 tells you all you need to know. Thanks Matt for taking the trouble to demonstrate this. I have directed many people to these two posts you E done and thankfully, it gets the message across.
The price seems tempting when you look at it. I'm so glad I watched these videos. I will probably use UA-cam lessons, when my practice chanter comes. What's the name of that tune at the end? (that you're playing on your good bagpipe.) I would like to learn it.
Have you ever had any experience with the Hakim Din Bagpipes? They had a set for 130 and I was wanting to know if they are worth even trying out. I'm wanting to learn how to play bag pipes and I'm wanting to know what will be a nice set to start with. Hakim Din did have a video with a guy playing one of their sets of bagpipes and they sounded nice.
Matt, I'm 50 and have been wanting to learn pipes for pretty much my whole life. With the whole virus thing going on, I just cannot spend $1,000+ on a good set of pipes, but I'm also just not going to waste time & money on the amazon trash. Can you recommend a good but still relatively inexpensive "student" set? I know I could (should?) just start with a quality practice chanter for "a while" and I'm willing to do that. But unless "a while" is years, I'm still going to need the rest of the set way sooner than I can afford a Hardie or Henderson...
Hello! One cannot learn the pipes by starting on the pipes, as counter intuitive as that might be... So definitely get a practice chanter. And unfortunately, by the time you get the lowest end but playable set of plastic bagpipes (with bag, reeds, etc.) you'll be at around $1000 (AB0 by McCallum is the least expensive playable set I know of). Anything less expensive than that will be garbage, unfortunately. There's just a lot that goes into a set of pipes.
But would this still be a decent idea for those of us who just have come and go hobby hyperfixations? Idw spend $800 for something I might use for a month
Even for a hobbiest, they should start with a practice chanter and see if they are interested after learning the basics if they want a set of pipes. More info on starting to learn the pipes here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes
First set i had was virtually identical. Less than $200! What a buy! :p My teacher; after he sat me down and introduced me to the practice chanter before even attempting the pipes, later informed me they were sadly, unplayable. He later hooked me up with some high quality decades old Pakistani pipes that actually sound and play quite nicely. Dont know how old but they have actual ivory pieces and the ivory is orange in color its so old.... any thoughts on general age Matt?
@@MattWillisBagpiper did some research, youre absolutely right it is indeed imitation, and based on a picture from a set of pipes from the 70's with imitation ivory, id say mine is right in the age range you guessed! You do this for a living or something? :p
It's very interesting, because my pipes that I play on the daily are a set of Pakistan, although I've thought they were older too. Although being completely blind I've never actually thought to take pictures but I probably should as some of you might be able to gain some insights into what they might actually be. I made a comment on one of these videos telling my story of a run-in with pipes similar to the ones mentioned here so I won't tell it again lol
I'm also sorry it was a wash. I know folks for whom it's not a question of trying to be cheapskates. I'm more interested in uilleann pipes myself, but I've seen all I need to about subcontinent pipes.
So where is the cheapest and best place to get a set of pipes. I don’t have a lot of cash and I am ready for pipes but don’t know where to get them from?
I think the McCallum P0 is the least expensive bagpipe in the market that I know works and works very well. Anything less expensive and you’re risking getting a non-playable instrument. As for where to buy, look up McCallum P0 and see what comes up in your market!
Mr Matt, I have a great highland bagpipe, I am not sure whats all wrong with it, is there anyway i could get your information and send my bagpipe to you and see if you could fix the problem for me? and if so, what would be the price owed to you for doing that?
If you are in the USA, I'd get in touch with Roddy MacLellan to have him take a look at them. I'm too busy to do pipe renovation these days... Cheers! www.maclellanbagpipes.com
I think the problem is there exists almost no beginners that are even thinking about paying for a decent set, almost any other quality instrument can be had for much less, oddly enough almost every other instrument is far more difficult to build. So you have a pickle, it’s one of the easiest to learn but also the costliest to start on... I’ve had cheap pipes that sounded ok once better reeds were installed, it really isn’t that complicated, most aren’t trying to be precisely in tune while playing in a orchestra...
I'm not sure how much cheaper they really could be made, at least with any end profit left. While the technical side of turning the plastic or wood is fairly straightforward, there's a lot of material that goes into a single set of pipes. You could likely make 3 or 4 clarinets with the amount of blackwood in a single set of pipes, and quality blackwood isn't cheap. There's also a lack of economy of sales, compared to regular band instruments. Without the sheer volume, it's difficult to get the prices down. And the bag itself, especially a hide or skin bag, the margins on those isn't all that high for the bag makers. Certainly enough to keep them in business, but these skins are pricy to acquire.
But one of the reasons I purchased and reviewed this set and tried to make it work was to see if just perhaps there could be an expensive but playable option for beginning student, but alas, as the video shows, it didn't turn out that way.
Matt Willis Bagpiper My 1st guitar was about $100, it wasn’t great, but it was at least tunable enough to learn on... now I’ve got probably $20,000 in higher quality Taylor Gibson and Martin... just wish a similar entry level was available in pipes... eventually I’ll invest in a decent set, but I’m happy for the moment with a couple decent practice chanters, Gibson and a Barefoot bagpiper...
Hi Matt, Nice Video. I've got a Wallace Bagpipe set, playing with ezeedrones and G1 Chanter, and i swear to god, i cannot set properly the drone above the hemp, it's way to flat, more like Bflat tuned... i set the bridle already to down position and fully tighten the screw, but still not enough.... Would you mind giving some help ? All the best
GREAT service here by showing just how difficult junk can be. Maybe no "good" cheapos yet for pipes, But 130 bucks gets a fairly decent guitar these days. Beginners need not suffer after a good setup job.
Indeed I was also Quite Surprised that the Pipes had a dark colour to Mimik the ‘Bamboo’ hidden underneath! Not to mention Metal Mounts, Caps & Slides !! Wow - What Luxury 😉
@@MattWillisBagpiper thank you for this! Second question. Is there a place where we can download all of your pdfs from your technique and basic videos all at once? I'm not opposed to going through each video, but it would certainly be simpler if they were all in one place. Thank you!
Right now, you’ll have to go through each video. The nice the basics series is complete, I’ll likely compile them and sell them as a book, but for now, you’ll have to go through each video. There is a playlist with them all in order. I promise you it’ll take less time to do that than it took me to make the sheets and videos! 😉
I have found many middle eastern made practice chanters are playable, if a bit out of tune. Still, condolences on getting tricked. I do have to draw the line at painting the instruments... That's a step too far.
Are the reeds for the practice chanter just as bad? Yep, you guessed, have just received my bargain set of pipes, have found a tution video and am now gently weeping and hanging my head. The practice chanter sounds like a ruptured corncrake on low G. Having played woodwind instruments over the years, I feel suitably humiliated. Over here in England, these cost £69! Oh well, you live and learn.......where's the vodka?!!
The Pakistani practice chanter can actually be playable much of the time. Are you putting enough air through the reed? If the air/breath pressure is too low, it'll sound pretty bad on any practice chanter. Let us know!
Why why WHY would anyone buy a set of pipes from Amazon?!?! A standard set should cost you $1000. These are selling for $150. You know what they say about, If it looks too good to be true...” Every review winds up talking about them either not working or getting ripped off. I wonder how many aspiring and possibly good pipers never went back down the bagpipe road after buying this garbage. 🤔
hi matt i was in a similar boat to yourself // after serving in the army .for 7 years in 1963 to 1970 i was with the ist battalion black watch for a year and fell in love with the bagpipes ..and on my release i set my stall out to get me a set..little did i know.. youve guessed it ...they were a pakistani set ! i was struggling on the park one day ..and a scotsman came to me and said ...i will never play them as im not a scotsman..so i went to seek help. from a friend who was in the derby british legion pipe band ..who took me under his wing. the first thing was to get a scottish set..which i did ! a hardie set! fully mounted real ivory ......£50.. and a good quality practice chanter .. and have never looked back ..the same set today is £1.ooo. but imitacion ivory.. my pipes are my pride and joy. and although not scottish.. am more than capable of holding my own ! i go to the 24 hour le mans race every year in june and they all love me .! im getting on in years now.. 78years age but still thrilling all .. with my music... great video keep up the good work..
Great to hear you stuck with it and are still playing!
I desperately wanted to learn to play the Scottish Highland pipes since a child (living in London, U.K.), but didn't know how to find a teacher (late 50's - early 60's). When I was 15, my mother saw a set of pipes in the window of a general music shop. She was told that the set had been a prop for the making of the 1960 film, "Tunes of Glory". So she bought the set for me, cost then in 1964 - £15.00. Though I still didn't have a teacher, I tried blowing them on a regular basis, though the sound was really awful; but I assumed they were the real thing. I eventually found a teacher when I was 16, but only took my practice chanter to lessons. Nearly a year later, I joined my teacher's pipe band and P/M Bob Hill (ex- Scots Guards and a P/M in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in the 2nd World War) asked if I had a set of pipes, and to bring them the following week. When I took the set along, he immediately shook his head and told me that they were from Pakistan. Then he pulled back the tartan bag cover, revealing the brown leather bag: I can remember his exact words, "Oh my God, it's dogskin." I never played that set again. The following week, the P/M handed over a set of full ivory-mounted pipes (which must have been worth about £3,000 in today's money) and told me I could keep those, until I could buy a proper set of my own.
"Tunes of Glory". Holy moly. I like old movies and just came across that one last year.
Typical style of movie of the era but pretty good storyline. Anyway never heard anybody mention it before or since until now 😄
very professional, thank you. Have a set of R.G. Lawries made in the 1970's. These pipes piped off B-52s from the runway of Diego Garcia bombing Afghanistan, piped in the invasion of Irag passing the Straits of Hormuz, celebrated the Royal and U.S. Marines on their anniversaries, and the Ghurkas for their Daisan Festival. Sadly, Military Air Transport baggage handlers destroyed the chanter in 2005. It was replaced with a Macclellan Chanter as the R.G. Lawries are no longer made. Keep the craft alive!
Cheers Matt, you just saved me $130 and a whole load of hassle, I will definitely be staying well clear of the cheap pipes once I master the practice chanter. Great video, subscribed.
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the sub!
These videos do a real service for others. The low prices on those ebay mystery pipes can be tempting.
Glad you're finding my videos useful!
Thanks for the GREAT education!!! Our 12 year old wants to learn the pipes and we were thinking Amazon youth starter set and it's simply not the way to go. Thanks for saving us from making a $130 mistake.
So glad you found this useful! No one needs to be buying these. Also, I do give online lessons if you were interested for your 12-year old. Cheers! All that is needed to get started is a practice chanter, and you can get it those for about $60-$75
I dunno anything about bagpipes, but I know for a fact that if you buy a good guitar for the kid's first one, it'll maintain its value really well. So, if the kid were to decide it's not for him, you could still sell the first for about what you paid. But if you buy a cheap laminate guitar, you'll be lucky to get half what you paid.
So, in my experience of buying guitars and other stringed instruments, it's best to just never cheap out on anything. It doesn't necessarily mean that things that are inexpensive are BAD, though. For example, I recently bought a Jasmine S34C for about a hundred bucks and, despite it being made very cheaply, it actually sounds and feels really good. I bought it to keep so I have it for playing outside, but the only downside to it is that I'd never come close to getting a hundred dollars for it if I wanted to sell it.
So never cheap out on the first thing you buy a kid. I mean, it's your CHILD, you should want to find them the best thing you can possibly afford! ☺️
"Got a nice chubacca growling right there" xD
I'm happy to find your channel! Picking up the pipes after being away from them for 30 years. I learned to play on and played a set of Pakistani pipes - played 'em for 5 years. I knew they were low budget, but hearing them side by side with a quality instrument was stunning. Thanks.
You're welcome! I started on a Pakistani set back in '96 and played it for about two years before getting into a real set. I was shocked at how poorly these particular pipes played!
Great video Matt! It was great to see/hear so many different reed brands demo’d. If you ever end up drilling into that chanter, be a good chap and record the experiment for us!
I see you pulled all your hair out trying to get these to work
Ha! I suspect I may have started losing my hair back in 1996 when I got my first set of Pakistani-made bagpipes!
You win the Comments Section on this one Super8mm 😂
@@MattWillisBagpiper LOL
Those Pakistan pipes might be worth a run in a comedy skit. Maybe at the amusement park haunted graveyard, right before a zombie attack. It was fun watching this in any case. Thanks for filming it.
If you want some sheer comedy gold involving an eldritch death-match with bagpipes out of Hell, Mat Willis provides it in another video where he tries to play the abomination:
ua-cam.com/video/KyUxVu_mis0/v-deo.html
My cousin gave me a set of rosewood pipes that I could never get to play. Then I saved up and got a set Of Blackwood Shepherd Pipes and I had them playing in few minutes practically right out of the box playable. You get what you pay for I guess.
That Ezee drone reed does do a pretty decent Wookie impression, though... 😝
That they do! Ha!
Best thing I've learned from this video? Downloaded the Braw tuner app for my phone!
Actually no. The best thing I learned from this video was the method you used to try, tune and adjust all the different types of reeds, the affect of those adjustments and how it all sounded. Even better when back to backed against a quality set. Masterclass in bagpipe fettling even if the result was still unplayable. Thanks for the demonstration and the perseverance!!
That sounds exactly like Chewbacca, you're at least 80% ready to make your own independent Star Wars movie!
Well you made me feel better. I've been able to play every instrument I've tried at except for the bagpipe. I run into the same situation you did with the Pakistani pipe. I think I'll have to save up a bit then. I appreciate your videos!
I was rther shocked when I really couldn't get it to work... If I ever come across a quality inexpensive bagpipe, I'll certainly make a video on it!
@@MattWillisBagpiper Enjoyed the video Matt, very informative! Out of interest, I went to Mozambique on rugby tour last year and obviously had to take pipes. I wasn't comfortable taking my early C20th Lawries or Hendersons so borrowed some pakistani pipes from a band colleague. Sounded pretty acceptable (I'll try and dig out a recording of them if you like) so I guess it's a lottery. Obviously the ones I took would have been firewood years ago if they'd been unplayable so that tips the odds admittedly!
My first set back in '96 was a Pakistani set, and they played. Not great, but they did function, unlike these!
That tuner in the intro is trippy af!
This kind of reminds me of a friend of mine who bought a 65 VW Bug when we were in high school (late 70s) for just a few hundred dollars it was a bit of a rusted wreck oh, it was good enough to get a high school kid around and he was going to "restore it". Last I heard shortly after we graduated High School the floor pan was so rusty that he punched a hole in it accidentally with his foot and you could see the road passing by underneath as you drove. So it's sat tarped in his parents garage waiting an unknown fate.
Fast forward 20 years later when I ran across him in the parking lot of a market driving this pristine looking classic VW Bug.
He told me it was the same car. He kept it all those years. He said he worked on it some himself, but after college and such, when he actually had money, he had it professionally restored. For thousands of dollars. I guesstimate it that he probably could have bought two of the same car in pretty good condition for the money he spent to have that one restored. Kind of reminded me of those videos where some guy takes some old, rusted out and corroded Appliance or toys or some such and makes it look better than new. But man, the effort to do so. Why are very neat to watch the videos, it is a LOT of effort.
And based on what he told me, if 10% of the original car remained, I would be greatly surprised.
But I didn't want to make my friend feel bad pointing that kind of thing out to him so I just complimented the car, cuz it did look as good, or probably better, than just off the showroom floor.
Anyway, big'o long story to say, that THAT is the kind of effort I think it would take for these bagpipes to be made playable. After all is said and done you might have the projection mounts and ferrules left over from the original 😄
Thank you for your efforts with the Pakastini bagpipes. Am 71 years old , love sound of the pipes playing. S thought I would take the cheap route to learn to play on for my own enjoyment. But it appears after watching parts 1and 2 its
Like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. It ain't gonna happen.a pig will always be a pig. Lol. Thank you again
Have you gotten a practice chanter yet? More info here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes
I found the challenge quite humorous, kinda figured it would not go well!
James Brownmiller it was worth giving it a try!
The sad part is a good set of drone reeds and a few chanter reeds cost more than this set of "bagpipes". I know a guy who 3D printed himself a set of pipes and while not great they were still better than these lol.
So glad you done these videos. I stupidly ordered them so they will be going on the wall and ordered mccallum p2 ones x
Bets of luck with the McCallums!
I learned a lot, thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Guaranteed that a set of Pakistani pipes is the best way to discourage a new player from continuing.
Thank you.
I found a set of these some time back at a yard sale. The only value to them at all was the fact thatI paid 20 for them and and took the ferrules and Chanter sole off and and put them on a set of bare bones mCcallums and beautified them a lil bit. Only value to them at all
This is absolutely gold! The content is extremely helpful and meaningful, and I really like the way he's frustrated when he realized none of them will work at all, lol. I want to start learning practice chanter, and have been struggle in mind between cheap ones and quality ones. 60,70 bucks isn't much really, but they seems a lot when there are 15$ ones available. However after this nice video, no struggle anymore. Not even $200 worth the trouble. I do want to defend Pakistani a little though. Developed countries outsource the low-end, cheap orders to poor countries, and they get low-end, cheap product in return, that's only logical. Apple outsourced expensive orders, all their iphones, to China, and China hands back great products! Have you ever heard people have problem with iphones? It's simple logic really. Anyway, I will get a decent practice chanter soon, cannot thank you enough for this video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! In regards to practice chanters, the inexpensive Pakistani ones are okay. They tend to not be tuned very well, but that could be said about many more expensive practice chanters... I definitely would stay away from the Pakistani pipes, but "investing" $15 in a Pakistani practice chanter may be worth it, just to see if you enjoy the process of learning the pipes. As for the outsourcing model, I agree it is possible that good pipes could be made in any country, just as it stands now, I am unaware of any quality Highland bagpipe makers in Pakistan, though if someone knows one, I'd be happy to correct that statement.
@@MattWillisBagpiper Thank you for replying, Mr Willis. There's no need for changing anything. I know what you said are definitely true, simply want to reason out the economics behind it~
I had tried to learn 筚篥, a Chinese duduk, and failed. I believe it is essentially the same thing with the chanter, and the mouthpiece in chanter makes it rather friendly to beginners. I believe quality instrument is vital, so that you won't blame on instrument when things don't go well, and focus on improving ourself. Thank you for the advice!
Good use of cheep pipes. As a member of a band I was contacted on a regular basis for the rental of pipes for stage productions. Not wanting to rent my set out (without me playing them) I purchased a set and rented them out. A toy punch bag was stuffed inside and filled via one of the stocks. On the last rental a stage manager offered me to much money to turn down so I sold the set to him.
Hello Matt, your conclusion meets exactly with my experience.
Its astounding that they can produce 100 percent Crap over such a long time without improvement!
Well, this explains everything. I learned to play La Cucaracha on a set of cheap Amazon pipes. Now I know why my neighbors hate me.
It's absolutely mind blowing how terrible those pipes are. I recently bid on a set of shuttle pipes on Ebay, and now I keep getting sent offers for this companies smallpipes and highland pipes. There is VERY little info about them online, so you doing these videos is a HUGE service to the piping community. You should see if you can get their smallpipes to play next! Your video on Nate Banton pipes was great. I've had my eye on them for years, but I just purchased a set of McCallum bellows blown smallpipes. Maybe someday I can get in on the High E note with Nates. Keep up the great videos!
Not a bad idea, getting their smallpipes or even their uilleann pipes. But someone else will have to foot the bill for that one! I'm not (yet!) monetized on UA-cam, so I had to buy those Amazon/Pakistani pipes from my own bank account. Glad you're enjoying the videos! McCallums smallpipes are brilliant! I have a set of their Morrison Reelpipes and they are exceedingly well made. Cheers!
Great review Matt
I have a theory. It’s a long shot, but it is very possible that it may work. I’m an acoustician, a woodworker and a musical instrument builder, so I’m not pulling this completely out of nowhere lol. Go to a hardware store (the blue or orange one will probably have it, you know the ones I’m talking about, I just can’t mention their names online). Pick up a small can of Zinsser bulls eye clear shellac (yellow can). Get a junk white Hanes t shirt and cut a piece of it about the size of your hand (try to avoid lint balls). Undo a wire coat hanger and straighten it out. Make a tiny hook at the end and hook the piece of t shirt onto it good. Dunk it in the shellac, let it drip for a few seconds and then carefully snake it through each part of the pipes that have any of that exposed wood. Don’t get it on the cork ends. After you snake it through, rotate the pieces in your hand so any drips soak in. Try and do it so that they’re coated evenly without it getting all disgusting on the outside.Let them air dry while taken apart for a day. Then try them again. The results may pleasantly surprise you! Once that wood is sealed, the tuning should improve along with a lottt of the playing characteristics, as well as the sound.
Well, these pipes are long since gone. But sealing the wood would keep them from moving, it would address the inherent non-playability. In the follow up video, I attempt real highland reeds and the instrument actually plays worse (!!!).
What bagpipe would you recommend for a new piper? And a cost effective one at the same time? Is that even possible?
The least expensive playable bagpipe still runs around $800... Luckily, we don't start learning on the pipes but instead the practice chanter, which can be had for under $100. More info here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes
Thank you Matt. Love your videos!!!!
I bet you're maturing moonshine in that wee cask on the top shelf :D
My instructor always told me that if you but a $500 set of pipes you end up with a $500 wall decoration (and that was in the 1980s)
Enjoyed your videos on the Pakistani pipes. I once tried to help a friend with his Pakistani pipes and almost pulled my hair out. I had a lot of hours into them and came to the same conclusion as you. Never again. lol.
I was hoping you’d go at this...👍
You’re quite responsive... as I suggested it on your last related video you replied it was all out of pocket... I hope you get sponsors... I am singing your praises on Facebook for your tutorial skills and non pushy mannerisms
The only problem with sponsors is it's hard to be "honest"... I mean, I won't ever say I like something when I don't. And there have been more than a few (unposted) videos I've made that were a bit less than positive and I let the maker of the product watch before posting. Sometimes they improved their product and I reviewed the newer, better product positively. Other times... Well, they chose to not have me post and not improve their product. Posting negative reviews is hard to do and not look like a jerk. So at the end of the day, folks may ask me to review something, but if it's not here, and many competing products are, well, you may have your answer...
But again, I have no problem being sponsored (really!), but I'd have to believe in the product and have the option to renege on the deal if the quality of their product isn't up to my standards (or no longer matching the qualifications I give it in a review).
5:40 i dont know why i am here, i dont play pipes and i dont know anything about them but i just laughed out loud when i heard that reed
11:25 every moose near you thinks you're dtf and they're trying to figure out where you are 😳
Thanks, Matt, although I'm bummed that the Pakistani Pipes my friends chipped in for upon my retirement (in view of my "now I'll have time to learn to play the bagpipes") is functionally useless. I'm in my fifth month of lessons using a pretty good practice chanter and being taught by a great guy who is teaching me for free, to "pass along the tradition." He looked at my pipes which I brought to my first lesson and was politely unimpressed, so I'll be be viewing your "Choosing your first bagpipe" video next. Cheers!
I agree with you sir
Hey Matt, useful video for anyone hoping to get a really cheap but playable set. Answer is: wait and save up a bit more! Do you have any idea why the set can't be set up to play? Is is the bore size? Also, what's the tune you're playing on the good set of pipes?
Hello! The tune is “The Highland Laddie” ua-cam.com/video/BruMa1FyMzo/v-deo.html As for why they wouldn’t play, I do suspect bore size, but wasn’t worth the effort investigate further... Glad you found the channel!
@@MattWillisBagpiper Thanks Matt
I play this set of reel (border) pipe and without scraping the reed on different places like oboe players do adjusting the notes it wouldn't have certain notes in tune at all. After this however, it has been playing for literally years, chromatic scale all tuned, with the same reed (and bellow). Only, I'm not sure that this chanter is drilled correctly, in the example I give my chanter is delrin Canadian chanter.
Matt,
What tuner app are you using with your tablet?
I believe he said iStrobosoft. I use that turner as well (for several instruments). It has a GHB “sweetener” you can purchase in-app as well, to further increase precision tuning.
I use two tuners in this video. The first one (which you can't really see) is the Braw Tuner, available for both iOS and Android. At the time of this comment, the fully unlocked version runs $30, but it is my go-to app for chanter tuning. That said, I can't make it work for the drones (but also haven't really tried since I like a different app for that). My drone tuning app is the iStroboSoft tuner by Peterson. It is also available on both iOS and Android, but at the time of this comment, the in-app purchased "sweetener" for Great Highland Bagpipes is only available for iOS. There is also a "low frequency assist" feature only on the iOS, so I cannot fully recommend this app as it currently stands for Android users.
Matt, thank you for all the videos! A few questions for you if you don’t mind…. What chanter reeds do you prefer? What app are you using on your Apple device you are using to tune?
I don't have one go-to chanter reed, but currently am enjoying my Melvin reeds ( ua-cam.com/video/1x8GZKRD3Ro/v-deo.html ) and standard Shepherd reeds, though I've had good success with G1s, Chesneys, Megaritys... Lots of great reeds out there today. I'm using iStroboSoft tuner in that video, but I prefer BrawTuner for my chanter these days. ua-cam.com/video/D0TjjqKR8T4/v-deo.html
Ha! Good show!
Thanks! I am still shocked I couldn't make the thing work... I had a Pakistani set in the late 90s that was terrible, but was able to be be made playable. Not this thing...
It's been a couple years were you able to ever get them to play?
Didn't try again after that video. Donated them to another channel/video: ua-cam.com/video/OMs-PQyvBI8/v-deo.html
The reason many have been put off the bagpipes. I have seen many well meant presents of this type of set bought and brought into band to get them working. The result is always as disappointing. They really do appear to have everything for the novice piper but in reality, give only frustration. Even a properly made Scottish set would be a minefield for a beginner to set up properly as they simply don’t have the knowledge at the beginner stage. It seems that the beginner level of bagpipes have taken a nosedive in quality as some early sets of Pakistan made pipes could play reasonably well if you were lucky.
Other instruments have become much improved over the years at beginner level. With bagpipes, it’s really not worth wasting your money going for anything other than a set from a recognised maker. If a polypenco set starts at $800 and a Blackwood set for $1000 then $130 tells you all you need to know.
Thanks Matt for taking the trouble to demonstrate this. I have directed many people to these two posts you E done and thankfully, it gets the message across.
The price seems tempting when you look at it. I'm so glad I watched these videos. I will probably use UA-cam lessons, when my practice chanter comes. What's the name of that tune at the end? (that you're playing on your good bagpipe.) I would like to learn it.
The tune is “Highland Laddie”. Glad you found the channel!
what i learnt form these two vids is "pay once and never again not pay 30 times and have no luck"
Fyi. Sialcot is in punjab Pk.
It is the manufacturing Mecca for discount brands when manufacturing in PK.
I just got these I’m a first time beginner wild you say I should buy these
I definitely did not advise anyone to purchase these pipes...
Where might one acquire that sweet flip out chanter reed storage contraption??
That's the D'Addario reed case for oboe/bassoon (modified for the pipes). My full review here! ua-cam.com/video/pnP_xM6C3sU/v-deo.html
Have you ever had any experience with the Hakim Din Bagpipes? They had a set for 130 and I was wanting to know if they are worth even trying out. I'm wanting to learn how to play bag pipes and I'm wanting to know what will be a nice set to start with. Hakim Din did have a video with a guy playing one of their sets of bagpipes and they sounded nice.
In my experience, no, they are not worth trying out, unfortunately... Could you share the link to the video with someone playing them?
@@MattWillisBagpiper It's on their website and the video is on UA-cam. It's a older video from 2012 or 2013. ua-cam.com/video/7QX9IRss5i8/v-deo.html
Those poor reeds are crying out, "Dear god get me out of these pipes!"
Do you think If I replaced the Chanter and Bag, and All reads with good quality professional ones, it may have potential?
No. The drones aren’t playable.
Could you unbox a Seivane Galician bagpipe one day ?
Sounds fun, but I don't know anything about Galician bagpipes... But if someone sent me one, I'd happily unbox it and give it a try!
Matt, I'm 50 and have been wanting to learn pipes for pretty much my whole life. With the whole virus thing going on, I just cannot spend $1,000+ on a good set of pipes, but I'm also just not going to waste time & money on the amazon trash.
Can you recommend a good but still relatively inexpensive "student" set? I know I could (should?) just start with a quality practice chanter for "a while" and I'm willing to do that. But unless "a while" is years, I'm still going to need the rest of the set way sooner than I can afford a Hardie or Henderson...
Hello! One cannot learn the pipes by starting on the pipes, as counter intuitive as that might be... So definitely get a practice chanter. And unfortunately, by the time you get the lowest end but playable set of plastic bagpipes (with bag, reeds, etc.) you'll be at around $1000 (AB0 by McCallum is the least expensive playable set I know of). Anything less expensive than that will be garbage, unfortunately. There's just a lot that goes into a set of pipes.
I got one set for 450 dollars new that is delrin and is playable. Of course I am only tolerating them because I am saving up for a better set.
Also I reccomend Matt's review of the Hardie practice pipes as those are fun to play and a great for making your way to highlands
Somebody stole my good set out of my car, which sucks because they were originally my late fathers. Now the cheap things are all I got to practice on.
But would this still be a decent idea for those of us who just have come and go hobby hyperfixations? Idw spend $800 for something I might use for a month
Even for a hobbiest, they should start with a practice chanter and see if they are interested after learning the basics if they want a set of pipes. More info on starting to learn the pipes here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes
First set i had was virtually identical. Less than $200! What a buy! :p
My teacher; after he sat me down and introduced me to the practice chanter before even attempting the pipes, later informed me they were sadly, unplayable. He later hooked me up with some high quality decades old Pakistani pipes that actually sound and play quite nicely. Dont know how old but they have actual ivory pieces and the ivory is orange in color its so old.... any thoughts on general age Matt?
I imagine if the ivory is orange, it's still imitation ivory, but form the 50's or 60's...
@@MattWillisBagpiper did some research, youre absolutely right it is indeed imitation, and based on a picture from a set of pipes from the 70's with imitation ivory, id say mine is right in the age range you guessed! You do this for a living or something? :p
These pakistani bagpipes are garbige.
It's very interesting, because my pipes that I play on the daily are a set of Pakistan, although I've thought they were older too. Although being completely blind I've never actually thought to take pictures but I probably should as some of you might be able to gain some insights into what they might actually be. I made a comment on one of these videos telling my story of a run-in with pipes similar to the ones mentioned here so I won't tell it again lol
I'm also sorry it was a wash. I know folks for whom it's not a question of trying to be cheapskates.
I'm more interested in uilleann pipes myself, but I've seen all I need to about subcontinent pipes.
Loved the video. You’ve got a new subscriber. Ready to check the others out.
Thanks! Plenty more videos in the works! (And 106 already posted!)
Thanks! Plenty more videos in the works! (And 106 already posted!)
What application do you use to tunning chanter?:)
In that video, it’s iStroboSoft. I now use Braw Tuner: ua-cam.com/video/D0TjjqKR8T4/v-deo.html
@@MattWillisBagpiper Thanks man :)
how about bagpipes from hakam din, is it still playable?
Not from what I’ve heard, but I have no experience with that brand. I’d personally avoid.
I hope you left a review of them saying as much.
I tried and Amazon declined it.
Well that really sucks, have always wanted to learn to play the bagpipes, but can't really afford a $1000 set. 😕
It’s best to start on a practice chanter, and those start under $100. More info here: bit.ly/BasicsPipes
So where is the cheapest and best place to get a set of pipes. I don’t have a lot of cash and I am ready for pipes but don’t know where to get them from?
I think the McCallum P0 is the least expensive bagpipe in the market that I know works and works very well. Anything less expensive and you’re risking getting a non-playable instrument. As for where to buy,
look up McCallum P0 and see what comes up in your market!
Matt Willis Bagpiper thankyou Matt. I will look that up now!
. But, they can look great screwed to the wall!
Mr Matt, I have a great highland bagpipe, I am not sure whats all wrong with it, is there anyway i could get your information and send my bagpipe to you and see if you could fix the problem for me? and if so, what would be the price owed to you for doing that?
If you are in the USA, I'd get in touch with Roddy MacLellan to have him take a look at them. I'm too busy to do pipe renovation these days... Cheers! www.maclellanbagpipes.com
Thank you Matt, yes I am in the USA. Thank you again and btw, your a great Piper. I love the video tutorial.
@10:57 Chewbacca lol
Pretty much!
Is there such a thing as a set of inexpensive quality playable bagpipes.
McCallum P0 are the least expensive playable option. www.jhiggins.net/abp0-mccallum-plastic-bagpipes-acetyl-in-stock/
The old maxim: "You get what you pay for." Low price: CRAP! is true. Who'd buy a Chinese Ferrari??
I think the problem is there exists almost no beginners that are even thinking about paying for a decent set, almost any other quality instrument can be had for much less, oddly enough almost every other instrument is far more difficult to build. So you have a pickle, it’s one of the easiest to learn but also the costliest to start on... I’ve had cheap pipes that sounded ok once better reeds were installed, it really isn’t that complicated, most aren’t trying to be precisely in tune while playing in a orchestra...
I'm not sure how much cheaper they really could be made, at least with any end profit left. While the technical side of turning the plastic or wood is fairly straightforward, there's a lot of material that goes into a single set of pipes. You could likely make 3 or 4 clarinets with the amount of blackwood in a single set of pipes, and quality blackwood isn't cheap. There's also a lack of economy of sales, compared to regular band instruments. Without the sheer volume, it's difficult to get the prices down. And the bag itself, especially a hide or skin bag, the margins on those isn't all that high for the bag makers. Certainly enough to keep them in business, but these skins are pricy to acquire.
But one of the reasons I purchased and reviewed this set and tried to make it work was to see if just perhaps there could be an expensive but playable option for beginning student, but alas, as the video shows, it didn't turn out that way.
Matt Willis Bagpiper My 1st guitar was about $100, it wasn’t great, but it was at least tunable enough to learn on... now I’ve got probably $20,000 in higher quality Taylor Gibson and Martin... just wish a similar entry level was available in pipes... eventually I’ll invest in a decent set, but I’m happy for the moment with a couple decent practice chanters, Gibson and a Barefoot bagpiper...
What tuning app is used??
iStroboSoft for iOS is the tuner I use in this video.
I been bagpiping for 10 years I’m pretty good but I never buy a Pakistani bagpipes I only buy Henderson bagpipes
dude where do i buy bagpipe doooug i want one so baadddh
Any bagpipe from here is solid: www.lonestarpiper.com
I do wonder what they would sound like with proper reeds; I know it would still sound like garbage but to what degree.
This whole video is me trying to make proper reeds work with the set, and as you can see, they worked best with the terrible reeds they came with...
Hi Matt, Nice Video.
I've got a Wallace Bagpipe set, playing with ezeedrones and G1 Chanter, and i swear to god, i cannot set properly the drone above the hemp, it's way to flat, more like Bflat tuned... i set the bridle already to down position and fully tighten the screw, but still not enough....
Would you mind giving some help ?
All the best
clemclem5960 You may want to reach out to Matt on his website (mattwillisbagpiper.com), I know from experience that he manages that inbox closely.
So close Nick! It's www.mattpiper.com
clemclem5960: Send me an email at matt.willis.bagpipes@gmail.com and we can see what it'll take to get your pipes going well.
My dreams to buy cheap bagpipe was broken!!!!
In high school I’d buy reeds every week. Soak them and shave them with a razor blade. Took me years bud
If I can get a video of me playing my Pakistani pipes in the early 2000’s I’ll email it to you.
I got a used set of Pakistani bagpipes for Christmas 10 years ago, biggest disappointment ever!
I bet! Did you go out and get a real set?
@@MattWillisBagpiper I sure did! Eight years later, I donated them to Goodwill and got a good Uilleann pipes practice set for my 21st birthday.
GREAT service here by showing just how difficult junk can be. Maybe no "good" cheapos yet for pipes, But 130 bucks gets a fairly decent guitar these days. Beginners need not suffer after a good setup job.
Hey Matt - Admire your patience!
Pakistani Pipes are famous for being crap, Surprised You didn’t throw your Teddy in the corner 😂
I was floored I really couldn't make them work. I suspected they'd sound terrible and be basically untunable, but to actually not function? Wow...
Indeed I was also Quite Surprised that the Pipes had a dark colour to Mimik the ‘Bamboo’ hidden underneath! Not to mention Metal Mounts, Caps & Slides !!
Wow - What Luxury 😉
The amount of money this guy has spent on reeds is terrifying
True story.
What tuner do you use?
That is iStroboSoft
@@MattWillisBagpiper thank you for this! Second question. Is there a place where we can download all of your pdfs from your technique and basic videos all at once? I'm not opposed to going through each video, but it would certainly be simpler if they were all in one place. Thank you!
Right now, you’ll have to go through each video. The nice the basics series is complete, I’ll likely compile them and sell them as a book, but for now, you’ll have to go through each video. There is a playlist with them all in order. I promise you it’ll take less time to do that than it took me to make the sheets and videos! 😉
I don’t suppose the seller takes refunds.
I had had them too long to return them... Took me a bit after receiving them to film the video. Oh well, wasn't that much $$$
so about my Pakistani Ferrari .....
You get what you pay for.
how do they get away selling crap like this???
With any luck, this video has at least slowed down their sales...
I have had a Pakistani made practice chanter, came with presentation box. The paint wore off the shaft Nothing but cheap imitation shit
I have found many middle eastern made practice chanters are playable, if a bit out of tune. Still, condolences on getting tricked. I do have to draw the line at painting the instruments... That's a step too far.
WOOW, might as well invest 1000$ to get a working instrument.
Pretty much...
Found something on FolkFriend.
Set-up and tuned before delivery.
Are the reeds for the practice chanter just as bad? Yep, you guessed, have just received my bargain set of pipes, have found a tution video and am now gently weeping and hanging my head. The practice chanter sounds like a ruptured corncrake on low G. Having played woodwind instruments over the years, I feel suitably humiliated. Over here in England, these cost £69! Oh well, you live and learn.......where's the vodka?!!
The Pakistani practice chanter can actually be playable much of the time. Are you putting enough air through the reed? If the air/breath pressure is too low, it'll sound pretty bad on any practice chanter. Let us know!
Why why WHY would anyone buy a set of pipes from Amazon?!?! A standard set should cost you $1000. These are selling for $150. You know what they say about, If it looks too good to be true...” Every review winds up talking about them either not working or getting ripped off. I wonder how many aspiring and possibly good pipers never went back down the bagpipe road after buying this garbage. 🤔
Wow! Pakistan can't make playable bagpipes! Lol