By becoming a member of my website, you get free access to tutorials, videos, tips and tricks, and perhaps a little myth debunking whenever appropriate.
I don’t claim to know it all, far from it, but I started learning the pipes aged 10 and I’m still at it aged 65 (in 2016). During that half-century and a bit, I think I’ve heard tons of “rock solid” advice from “highly knowledgeable” pipers, often positioning themselves as experts in the field. More often than I’d like, this rock solid advice has been contradicted by the “expert” on the next street corner. I’ve tried and tested so many opposing ideas which have turned out to be nonsense, that I have at times become quite disillusioned and have found that the only way to move forward is to try everything, dismiss the rubbish and stick with what works for me.
So why do I bother sharing my snippets of knowledge online? Quite simply, at an age when transmission is more important to me than BS, I’d like aspiring pipers to avoid the pitfalls I’ve fallen into over the years.
I don’t position myself as an expert. I know what I know. I don’t know what I don’t. I’m willing to take advice from anyone, from beginner pipers to the stars of the piping world (none of whom I know personally!) and I hope that any advice I can give you will be of some help. I can’t promise more than that.
I’ve never earned a penny as a piper. I don’t have any plans to do so at my age. I have no interest in monetising your personal information or charging you for any advice I can share with you. I don’t have any products to sell, but I will from time to time mention products that have worked for me, with no self-interest in mind. Whenever possible or appropriate, I will mention suitable variants and a variety of suppliers, none of whom I have any links with.
So, if you’re interested in seeing what I’ve got to share, feel free to complete the oconnormuse.com membership form. If you’re looking for a more professional setup, there are plenty on the web, such as Matt Willis (https://mattpiper.com/site/) who is a mine of good information.
I will plug one thing… If you happen to live in France, in or around Soissons in Picardy, and would like to try your hand at the pipes or drums, check out our pipe band, the Fianna Phádraig Franco-Irish Pipe Band, via our website https://www.fppb.eu/
OR
If you are in Manchester or the surrounding area in the UK, check out our sister band (well, our big brothers and sisters, really, as they have been going since 1948), the Fianna Phádraig Pipe Band (https://fiannaphadraigpipeband.org/), founded, amongst others, by the local post-war Irish immigrant community, including my uncle and, a few years later, my father.