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About the bagpipe learning programmes 

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Learning outcome

  • Learning music as a language - developing aural skills

  • Understanding the instrument and its characteristics

  • Guiding students to build up their repertoire

  • Instilling in them a love and enjoyment for bagpipe music

  • Gaining experience from performing for the audience

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Tuitions are available for all levels, from age of 6 and above.

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One on one lessons

  • Everyone is different and has different needs. Tailor-made lesson plans to guide each student towards individual goals step by step.

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Group classes for age of 12 and above

  • Learning along with your peers as well as building up the skills for playing together as a group.

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Youth programme

     Parent-child classes

  • A fun musical activity for families; the parent be a role model for learning.

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More advanced topic examples

​Information for group classes and workshops please join the email list for updates. 

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The Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book "A Step by Step Guide as taught by the National Piping Centre." is recommended for beginners. 

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*Option to use the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board (PDQB) & Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) syllabuses as learning checkpoints.

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PDQB syllabus levels

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Basic levels

Level 2 to 3: (Practice chanter)

Level 4 (Bagpipes)

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Intermediate

Level 5 (Introduction to Piobaireachd)

Level 6 (More advanced light music playing and basic knowledge of piobaireachd)

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More advanced

Level 7 and 8 (Professional Development Awards)

 

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Since I am a PDQB assessor of all levels under the National Piping Centre, I know the syllabus well and able to teach the requirements at the highest standards.

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*Assessors cannot conduct examinations for their students (Private or group class students).

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Examples of my teaching topics

  • Step by step to the next level: What you are looking for in your practices; Stages of the process

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  • Getting the most out from your instrument: Basic to advanced instrument set-up, maintenance, tuning and refining the sound (Individual/pipe corps/with other instruments)

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  • Solo piping

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  • Ensemble skills

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  • Highland dancing tunes

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  • Idioms of conventional style March, Strathspey, Reel, Hornpipe and Jig

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  • Introduction to Piobaireachd

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  • 20th-century conventional style Piobaireachd: Types of variations

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  • Demystifying the mindset for Piobaireachd (for pipers who have already had experience with Piobaireachd)

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  • Looking at 19th-century collections and related history (both light music and pibroch)

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  • Piobaireachd development from mid 18th-century

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  • Other repertoires: Tunes from borders, Ireland, Cape Breton, Brittany and others

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  • Scottish bellow-blown pipes

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  • PDQB syllabus theories

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