Novice Bagpipe Lessons
The novice stage assumes you can play the nine-note scale cleanly and have some experience with simple tunes and grace notes on the practice chanter. These lessons introduce the main embellishments used in everyday bagpipe music.
Lesson 1 — Doublings
Doublings are two-note ornaments placed around a melody note. They are used constantly in bagpipe music and must be clean and even. Practice them slowly before trying to use them in tunes.
Lesson 2 — Strikes
Strikes are grace notes that come from below the melody note — either Low G or Low A. They are used to add emphasis and to separate repeated notes in the lower part of the scale.
Lesson 3 — Songs with Strikes
Once you understand strikes, put them to use. The songs with strikes page lists tunes that are good for practicing this embellishment in context.
Lesson 4 — Low Hand Notes
The lower notes — Low G and Low A — require the right hand and are played slightly differently from the upper notes. See the low hand notes lesson for detail on fingering and common mistakes.
Lesson 5 — Songs with Grace Notes
Work through the songs with grace notes page to consolidate your grace note technique in a musical context.
Next Steps
When these skills are solid, continue to Intermediate Lessons.