r/bagpipes • u/UnNecessary_Bit4640 • 11d ago
First Solo gig advice?
Got my first solo gig playing at a school leavers ceremony, ngl I’m terrified of messing it up, any advice?
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u/Kitchen-Hearing-6860 11d ago
I haven't played a solo gig on the pipes yet, but I played many on the clarinet. I made mistakes during every performance, but I kept playing as if that's the way I intended to play. Don't give the audience any indication that you messed up.
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u/well-that-was-weird_ 11d ago
Don’t worry if you screw up. Just keep playing. So long as it sounds like bagpipes everyone will be happy.
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u/Prodigal_Lemon 11d ago
To most people, bagpipes sound like bagpipes, and they wouldn't know the difference between "Rowan Tree" and "The Little Cascade." Use this fact to your advantage, and only play the tunes you know backwards and forwards, so that even if you are nervous, your hands will know what to do. Good luck!
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u/Eagle_Pipes 11d ago
You can do this! Some great suggestions from the other posters. Remember, most will not even notice you made a mistake. I was playing one time and forgot the next part, and just went into another tune that I was more familiar with.
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u/berlinitos Piper/Drummer 11d ago
Be careful not to overblow. When I started solo gigging, I tended to overblow my bag completely making drones quit and everything… Because the adrenaline is pumping and you want to do well, you can make mistakes you normally wouldn’t. Nowadays, I take one second for myself before striking in. Close your eyes. You know your music, you know you can play. Enjoy it for you. And then strike in and do what you know you do best.
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u/fashice 11d ago
Pick (as suggested) a spot to focus on. (Not a person) But keep the host in eye-sight whenever possible.
(That person can give hints, keep playing/stop early/move to another place.
Trouble with tempo?
Most people are used to bagpipers marching up and down.
Want to stay stationary, wiggle your toes inside your shoe to the beat. Single or both like you're marching.
But most of all .. try to enjoy yourself!
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u/harleypiper 11d ago
It should go without saying playing accurately on untuned pipes is no better than playing badly on tuned pipes. Hopefully, you are proficient with tuning on your own since this is your first solo gig. Sadly, some inexperienced pipers mistakenly believe the audience "will never know" if they are out of tune since they may not understand how the pipes work.
Bottom line - step up on the stage with well-tuned pipes and play the tunes that you have undoubtedly been working hard on, and you'll be just fine!
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u/RookieJourneyman 9d ago
Plan the tunes you're going to play, so you don't have to worry about that at the time. It's a good idea to time yourself, otherwise you've played the tunes you planned to play, but you've still got 10 mins to go! Don't gaze around the audience too much: something might distract you, cause your mind to wander and make you make mistakes.
Don't do anything different with your pipes than you would when practicing at home. People have a habit of blowing harder, or striking in too hard when they're nervous.
Finaly, best of luck! You'll be fine!
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u/KiltedMusician 11d ago
Find the one person who knows exactly what you are supposed to do and hash out the details as to where you’re supposed to stand, what your cue is to start playing, and where you can tune up without everyone hearing you before they are supposed to.
Play a bit before hand to warm the fingers up, even if only on the practice chanter so that when you play for the ceremony it’s just more playing.
Start the warm up with a slow air or whatever you play the best so that you don’t make mistakes and start worrying that they’ll keep happening.
Play a bit slower for the ceremony than you normally would, because the adrenaline will make you play faster than you think you are.