Teach Yourself Bagpipes by Lindsay Davidson - Intermediate Finger Exercises and RSPBA MAP Tunes
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Link to RSPBA (Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association) source
Midi files
Please click on these files to hear the music played through midi.
| Low Pitch | High Pitch |
| Full speed | Full speed |
| Half speed | Half speed |
| Quarter speed | Quarter speed |
For more information on how to use these midi files please follow the link on the left.
Five discussion points
1 Bar 2 hara - this should open on the next beat, meaning the strike comes up on the beat, and therefore has to come down before it. This will help phrasing. This is not always the same in every tune and can in fact be varied in individual tunes too.
2 Bar 2 and 3 high G doubling and B strike - these should sound identical as this will draw the listener's attention and highlight the phrasing. The beat lands on the first high G and first B respectively. Please note that some people wil add the thumb gracenote to the B strike to treat it as a doubling (the writer does this, for example). The RSPBA version has been followed to the letter in this case - it is a question of personal style.
3 Bar 4 - make sure the strike on E comes up together, on the beat.
4 Bar 9 birl - this will hugely impress your audience by being clear and together. Aim for a 'tafati' sound on the low As.
5 Ending - this last phrase is very tricky. In order to get a good effect you need to make the D and G gracenotes different lengths in bar 15. The D gracenote is longer than the G gracenote, and both close on the half beats. In the tachum the D gracenote is the same length as the proper note C, which may feel odd when playing slowly, but when played at speed gives a tremendous effect. Bar 16 throw - you need to give this a good amount of low G to further emphasise the ending which is already highlighted by the change of motion in the preceding two bars.
Five exercises (please keep coming back until this is fully updated)
Exercise 1
| Low Pitch | High Pitch |
| Full speed | Full speed |
| Half speed | Half speed |
| Quarter speed | Quarter speed |
Exercise 2
| Low Pitch | High Pitch |
| Full speed | Full speed |
| Half speed | Half speed |
| Quarter speed | Quarter speed |
Exercise 3
| Low Pitch | High Pitch |
| Full speed | Full speed |
| Half speed | Half speed |
| Quarter speed | Quarter speed |
Exercise 4
| Low Pitch | High Pitch |
| Full speed | Full speed |
| Half speed | Half speed |
| Quarter speed | Quarter speed |
Exercise 5
| Low Pitch | High Pitch |
| Full speed | Full speed |
| Half speed | Half speed |
| Quarter speed | Quarter speed |
| About this
project | Lindsay Davidson | About the author |