Scottish bagpipes were mainly used in tribal military operations when they first entered the Highland tribal system. Each tribal chieftain had its own specific bagpiper, and the bagpiper was appointed by hereditary system. As a result, in Scotland today, only a few art colleges offer programs and courses in bagpipe performance. In these colleges, musicians have innovated and developed the traditional bagpipe music-“CeolMor” and “Piobaireachd” art forms, making it a unique place in the world of music and culture. You can also go for the bagpipes for beginners and advanced now.
The Use of the Practice Tube
The practice tube is a top tool for getting started learning bagpipes. It has a very important influence on the fingering and breath of bagpipes in the future.
The practice tube is an oboe wind instrument, and its main function is to practice the fingering of highland bagpipes. In this regard, its purpose is twofold. First of all, it is an important fingering learning tool for beginners before setting up a highland bagpipe. Secondly, as the name suggests, it can be used as a practical tool for practicing bagpipes and become a more experienced bagpipe player.
Exercise tube
The practice tube is mainly divided into two parts: a blow pipe and a performance pipe. The performance tube is equipped with a reed, and then the blow tube is put into a complete practice tube.
The upper part of the blowpipe is the mouthpiece and the lower part is the air chamber. The air directly enters the blowpipe and shakes the reed of the exercise tube, and the sound is made by finger movements.
The practice tube, like the highland bagpipe, has eight holes. The two holes below play the role of sound reinforcement, meaningless.
Pakistani practice tube
At present, big-name exercise tubes are made of ebony and resin. Most of Rose wood is Pakistani. They are much lighter than ebony exercise tubes, and they can be easily seen from their finger holes that are crudely made. In addition, when you try to plug in the reed, you will find that many of their voices are inaccurate and cannot be played normally.
Select
When buying a practice tube, you should choose a well-known brand or distributor. They stick to tradition and can have better guarantees. The new practice tube will have the manufacturer’s name printed on it, usually at the top of the bottom. You can go for the online practice chanter kit now.
Those practice tubes that do not bear the logo need to be bought carefully. Many practice tubes in many stores are made of synthetic wood or other cheap materials and need to be bought carefully. They are much lighter than ebony exercise tubes, and they can be easily seen from their finger holes that are crudely made. In addition, when you try to plug in a reed, you will find that many of their voices are inaccurate. Now there are exercise tubes made of synthetic resin. Their price is relatively low, but the workmanship is very satisfactory.
Conclusion
Metal engraving and ivory decoration have no effect on the pitch, and buying a used practice tube is sometimes a good choice. As long as you can ensure that they are made by a well-known manufacturer and that the exercise tube is not cracked and other defects. But you need to thoroughly clean the practice tube and choose whether to replace it with a new reed.
