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Whether you want to play in a military funeral in Scotland—or just annoy your neighbors—mastering the bagpipe takes a lot of dedication.

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  Step 1: Get a chanter

  Get a practice chanter—the flute-like part of the bagpipe that contains the finger holes—and learn how to play notes.

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  Step 2: Learn the pipes

  Familiarize yourself with the bagpipe. There are several pipes, including the mouth pipe, which allows you to blow air into the bag, the melody pipe, which has finger holes, and the drone pipes, which make the instrument’s characteristic long, sustained pitches.

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  Step 3: Arrange the drones

  To put the bagpipe on, arrange the pipes so that the drones are on your left shoulder.

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  Step 4: Tuck the bag

  Tuck the bag securely under your left arm.

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  Step 5: Place the mouth pipe

  Place the mouth pipe in your mouth and blow into it until the bag is full of air. When the bag is almost full, tap it a few times to distribute the air to the pipes.

• Tip

  Beginners often have trouble filling the bag with air. You might want to block off some of the drones until you build up the stamina to fill the bag.

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  Step 6: Grab the melody pipe

  Hold the melody pipe with both hands. Put your fingers near the holes, but not covering them.

• Tip

  There are many different kinds of bagpipes. If yours has more than one melody pipe, hold one with one hand and the other with the other hand.

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  Step 7: Squeeze

  Squeeze the bag with your arm. This will cause the pipes to make noise.

• Tip

  Continue adding air to the bag through the mouth pipe as you play, since the bagpipe sounds out of tune when the bag is deflated.

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  Step 8: Change pressure

  Change the pressure with which you squeeze the bag under your arm to modulate the pitch.

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  Step 9: Cover the holes

  Move your fingers over the holes, making different notes. Remember, the bagpipe is always making noise, so there will be no silence between notes—but you were never going for quiet!

• Fact

  Original bagpipes were made from sheepskin.