1^st lesson free

4.9 (7 reviews)

Rate $46
Response 2h
Students
Number of students Ed has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
36
Number of students Ed has accompanied since arriving at Superprof

4.9 (7 reviews)

$46/h

1^st lesson free

Bagpipes

Personalised Online Bagpipe Instruction: Flexible Lessons to Fit Your Schedule and Learning Style.

Bagpipes

Lesson location

- online

About Ed

My lifelong passion for the Great Highland Bagpipes began as a young child with a half-Scottish family. I was instantly captivated by the pipes' hypnotic sound, a fascination that led me to start lessons and join a pipe band within six months.

I bring over two decades of piping experience to my lessons, with a career that covers both modern performance and traditional excellence:

I currently perform with the Celtic rock band Gaelforce, playing sold-out theaters across the UK and major music festivals in the UK and Europe. This gives me a unique perspective on modern music and dynamic performance.

A true measure of my teaching is my students' success; many have gone on to join pipe bands themselves, demonstrating my ability to prepare players for ensemble performance and competition.

I have successfully competed with several top pipe bands and have performed at thousands of traditional events across the UK and Europe—from weddings and funerals to festivals and even Sir Alex Ferguson's 80th birthday party.

Dedicated Teaching History: I had the honour of teaching the bagpipes to cadets at the Army Foundation College for over nine years, helping students of all skill levels achieve mastery.

While the Highland Pipes are my core, I also love teaching and playing the more mellow Scottish Border Pipes and enjoy attending folk sessions to play traditional Scottish and Irish music alongside other musicians.

I genuinely love teaching and believe everyone can experience the joy of the pipes. Whether you're a complete beginner picking up a chanter, an experienced piper aiming to refine your technique, or you dream of joining a band, I look forward to sharing my knowledge and helping you achieve your goals.

About the lesson

What Beginners Will Learn (The Essentials)
If you are a beginner (child or adult), you will start on the practice chanter to build a solid foundation. Our lessons will cover:

Music Fundamentals: Learning the scale and how to read bagpipe music.

Technique Mastery: Mastering the many complex embellishments (gracenotes) unique to Highland Bagpipe music.

Repertoire Building: Learning your first tunes and rapidly developing a repertoire of traditional bagpipe music.

Music Theory & Timing: Understanding music theory and, crucially, how to play along precisely to a metronome—a fundamental skill for performance.

For Intermediate & Advanced Pipers
For players looking to elevate their skills, I offer advanced coaching tailored to your specific goals:

Technical Perfection: Drastically improving gracenote execution, overall finger technique, and refining your rhythm.

Instrumental Skill: Mastering bagpipe maintenance, tuning your drones accurately, and blowing a perfectly steady tone.

Performance & Competition: Expanding your repertoire and preparing you for pipe band auditions or solo competitions.

Practicalities & Requirements
All you need to begin is enthusiasm and at least 20 minutes a day to practice in between lessons.

To ensure a high-quality start, you will need a good quality practice chanter, such as a McCallum or David Naill.

To complement our lessons, you will have access to my online tutorial videos . You will also have the opportunity to send me recordings of your practice in between lessons for feedback and advice.

Review

All of our reviews are collected by us and are 100% reliable. They correspond to a real experience lived by the teacher's students.

4.9 (7 reviews)

H

Helen
- 5
Perfect! Great introduction and information on the things I need to get started
See the response Ed Read more See the response Ed

H

Helen

Perfect! Great introduction and information on the things I need to get started

See the response Ed
Thanks Helen. Hope you manage to source ahanter.
- See the response Ed :
  Thanks Helen. Hope you manage to source ahanter.
A

Alan
- 5
Perfect! Very knowledgeable and also very patient - an invaluable asset!
Read more See the response Ed

A

Alan

Perfect! Very knowledgeable and also very patient - an invaluable asset!
R

Roxanne
- 5
Perfect! My son (10) had a lesson with Ed, and it went so well. Ed is patient and a great instructor. Highly recommend.
Read more See the response Ed

R

Roxanne

Perfect! My son (10) had a lesson with Ed, and it went so well. Ed is patient and a great instructor. Highly recommend.
S

Steven
- 5
Perfect! Had my first meeting with Ed today, and it was excellent. He was extremely helpful guiding me in what I need to make my experience learning the Highland Pipes as smooth as possible. Can't wait to schedule more sessions with him.
See the response Ed Read more See the response Ed

S

Steven

Perfect! Had my first meeting with Ed today, and it was excellent. He was extremely helpful guiding me in what I need to make my experience learning the Highland Pipes as smooth as possible. Can't wait to schedule more sessions with him.

See the response Ed
Steve was a pleasure to meet and a keen learner. I think he'll do well.
- See the response Ed :
  Steve was a pleasure to meet and a keen learner. I think he'll do well.
L

Lex
- 5
Perfect! Effective, "work at your pace", learning. Ed meets instruction needs where you are, and as quickly or as slowly as you grasp each lesson. Easy to communicate with and learn from.
See the response Ed Read more See the response Ed

L

Lex

Perfect! Effective, "work at your pace", learning. Ed meets instruction needs where you are, and as quickly or as slowly as you grasp each lesson. Easy to communicate with and learn from.

See the response Ed
Well done today Lex, you played the scale well. Try to practice for at least 30 minutes a day and you will progress quickly. Looking forward to our next lesson.
- See the response Ed :
  Well done today Lex, you played the scale well. Try to practice for at least 30 minutes a day and you will progress quickly. Looking forward to our next lesson.
H

Harold
- 4
Excellent! Excellent discussion with Ed and gave me tips about the bagpipes and contact for accessories
Look forward to our next meeting
Harold Topp
Read more See the response Ed

H

Harold

Excellent! Excellent discussion with Ed and gave me tips about the bagpipes and contact for accessories
Look forward to our next meeting
Harold Topp
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Recommendations

Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the tutor.

S

Susanne

My 10 Yr old son started learning the bagpipes in January. He is thoroughly enjoying it and makes very good progress. We didn't know anything about bagpipes before, but Ed helped us so much to get the right Chanter and a suitable bagpipe for Finley. Ed is kind but determined with his teaching and Finley said:" I don't know why it's good, but it is just really good!"
Teaching the bagpipes doesn't seem to be only a job to Ed but a vocation- and that is rare these days.
Read more

S
Susanne
My 10 Yr old son started learning the bagpipes in January. He is thoroughly enjoying it and makes very good progress. We didn't know anything about bagpipes before, but Ed helped us so much to get the right Chanter and a suitable bagpipe for Finley. Ed is kind but determined with his teaching and Finley said:" I don't know why it's good, but it is just really good!"
Teaching the bagpipes doesn't seem to be only a job to Ed but a vocation- and that is rare these days.
View more recommendations

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Pack rates

5 h: $214
10 h: $409

online

$46/h

travel fee

+ $10

free lessons

This first lesson offered with Ed will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.

30min

Personalised Online Bagpipe Instruction: Flexible Lessons to Fit Your Schedule and Learning Style.

Lesson location

Recommended

About Ed

About the lesson

Review

Recommendations

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Rate

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online

travel fee

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Personalised Online Bagpipe Instruction: Flexible Lessons to Fit Your Schedule and Learning Style.

Lesson location

Recommended

About Ed

About the lesson

Review

Recommendations

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

online

travel fee

free lessons

Other tutors in Bagpipes

Josh

Breacelia

Juditha

Erica

Elliot

Mia

Tessa

Honora

Adelaide

Martin

Brooke

Agantha

Laurel

Ruby

Francesca

Finn

Robyn

Bob

Pello cornamusica

Ruairidh

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