This massive tome must certainly be Jeannie Campbell’s opus. At 850 pages, the book weighs nearly 6 lbs and contains an astonishing amount of information on not only general pipe band history, but the history of the pipe band movement in various countries and continents. She reveals the stories and membership of innumerable pipe bands around the world, and if your pipe band has a long history you’re very liable to find yourselves here. Photos abound, and appendices include lists of world champions.

Jeannie Campbell, MBE (Member of the British Empire), a long-time former employee of the College of Piping and curator of its museum, has published widely for many decades. She is perhaps best known for her two books Highland Bagpipe Makers and More Highland Bagpipe Makers, though her articles in the Piping Times and other periodicals over the years also represent a huge body of important historical work. She lives in Glasgow.

See Table of Contents at left.

There is no piping instruction book quite like this one, where you are encouraged and taught to improve your music by focusing on your technique.  In a nutshell, here is what Rhythmic Fingerwork can offer you:  141 exercises covering all light music technique; detailed instruction on how to play and practice each exercise; recordings demonstrating all exercises, and a practical philosophy to help you understand gracenoting.  The book is suitable for all levels except complete beginners.  Rhythmic Fingerwork has gone through numerous printings since its release in 1998 and continues to draw rave reviews for its common-sense approach to the challenging technique of the Highland bagpipe. In addition to being a great self-study tool, it is also a great practical tool for teachers and teaching programs.

Piobaireachd Fingerwork takes exactly the same approach as its predecessor, Rhythmic Fingerwork, breaking down the challenging technique of Piobaireachd into manageable morsels that are understandable, and then bringing them together into complete movements. There are 118 exercises and five complete Piobaireachds to help you put the exercises into practice. All are recorded onto MP3 files that are easily downloaded from a web location specified in the book.

The book deals not only with Piobaireachd movements, it also describes the most common Piobaireachd variations (dithis, siubhal, breabach, etc) and how they have traditionally been played.

One whole chapter is devoted to helping you learn how to read scores as printed in the Piobaireachd Society and Kilberry collections. Another details the intricacies of canntaireachd, the pipers’ musical language.

Piobaireachd Fingerwork even addresses movements as they were published well before the Piobaireachd Society, in the works of Angus Mackay, Donald MacDonald and others.

If you’ve always wanted to try Piobaireachd, or if you want to improve your fundamentals in a logical, proven, and easy-to-understand method, this book is for you!

Whip those fingers into shape! Get both Rhythmic Fingerwork and Piobaireachd Fingerwork at once and save a few bucks. (save $6)

Compiled using the extensive experience of staff at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, the NPC’s superb Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book introduces music theory, the notes of the bagpipe, gracenoting, lots of helpful exercises and some basic repertoire.  It is professionally produced, with clear directions, good exercises, good beginner tunes, and everything demonstrated on video.  The layout is excellent.  It also lends itself very well to self-instruction, though it’s a good idea to see an instructor periodically to make sure you are on the right track!

Working together in 1953, shortly after the College of Piping was founded, Seumas MacNeill and Thomas Pearston little knew that they were publishing what would become the best selling piping tutor of all time, with hundreds of thousands sold.  “The Green Book” has been updated several times since it was first published, with video demonstrations provided online.  It doesn’t lend itself as well to self-study as the National Piping Centre Highland Bagpipe Tutor, but more pipers have learned how to play with an instructor taking them through this book than by any other method.  The National Piping Centre recently republished the famous green book, retitling it The Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book One. Fortunately, it’s green, so it’s still “The Green Book” to me.

You don’t have to stick to one teaching method! Two tutors may in fact be better than one, especially if it is cheaper to buy them both at once! (Regular price CAD $100.50)

Published in 2017, this tutor offers the same high production values and lucid explanations as the NPC’s beginner tutor, but now the subject is Ceol Mor – the Big Music.  Again, the book lends itself very well to self-instruction.  Recorded demonstrations are streamed from the National Piping Centre website.

The music of the Highland bagpipe is simple; the technique is difficult. As you proceed through the two beginner tutors you will reach a point where the clear and lucid teaching of technique provided in Rhythmic Fingerwork will help you keep your gracenoting and basic fingering clean.  Save money by buying all three. (Regular price CAD $138.50)

Start with everything you need in this complete tutor starter package:  The National Piping Centre’s “Green Book” and Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book, and Rhythmic Fingerwork, along with a McCallum long polypenco practice chanter with a Frazer Warnock reed. (Regular price CAD $253.50)

You can get your piping career started pretty inexpensively with this combo beginner pack that includes the National Piping Centre Highland Bagpipe Tutor and a McCallum long polypenco practice chanter with a Frazer Warnock reed. (Regular price CAD $178)

You can get your piping career started even less expensively with this combo beginner pack of the “Green Book” and a McCallum long polypenco practice chanter with a Frazer Warnock reed (Regular price CAD $152.50).

Add a McCallum long polypenco practice chanter with a Frazer Warnock reed to these two classic tutors and save some cash. (Regular price CAD $215.50)

You can’t do much better for published piobaireachd instruction than these two comprehensive tutors together! (Regular price CAD $97.50)

This tutor from the National Piping Centre provides a step-by-step playing and maintenance guide to help you as you transition from the practice chanter to the bagpipe.

Subtitled “A supplementary volume to the second edition,” Jeannie Campbell continues her exploration into pipemakers without repeating information already provided in her first book.  This book unearths previously unknown or un-remembered pipemakers and adds fascinating historical information to some of the great bagpipe makers profiled in the first book.