
Chris Lee | bagpipe studio
Scottish Music Initiative
About the bagpipe learning programmes
Learning outcome
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Learning music as a language - developing aural skills
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Understanding the instrument and its characteristics
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Guiding students to build up their repertoire
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Instilling in them a love and enjoyment for bagpipe music
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Gaining experience from performing for the audience
Tuitions are available for all levels, from age of 6 and above.
One on one lessons
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Everyone is different and has different needs. Tailor-made lesson plans to guide each student towards individual goals step by step.
Group classes for age of 12 and above
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Learning along with your peers as well as building up the skills for playing together as a group.
Youth programme
Parent-child classes
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A fun musical activity for families; the parent be a role model for learning.
More advanced topic examples
Information for group classes and workshops please join the email list for updates.
The Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book "A Step by Step Guide as taught by the National Piping Centre." is recommended for beginners.
*Option to use the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board (PDQB) & Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) syllabuses as learning checkpoints.

PDQB syllabus levels
Basic levels
Level 2 to 3: (Practice chanter)
Level 4 (Bagpipes)
Intermediate
Level 5 (Introduction to Piobaireachd)
Level 6 (More advanced light music playing and basic knowledge of piobaireachd)
More advanced
Level 7 and 8 (Professional Development Awards)
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.
*Assessors cannot conduct examinations for their students (Private or group class students).

Examples of my teaching topics
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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