Our popular Bagpipe workshop weekend returns in 2025, running alongside the Hurdy Gurdy Weekend, in a frenzy of reeds, drones and buzzing things! Our thanks to the Bagpipe Society for their support of our bagpipe events.
You’ll need to select your level (beginner or intermediate/advanced) and will be working with the same tutor over the whole weekend. Outside the workshops, there will be plenty of opportunity to socialise with the other tutors and participants not in your group.
For an extra £65, participants can stay until Monday morning, including supper and B&B. Please enquire when booking.
Who is it for?
Beginners’ Course with Rémi : This is a course for complete beginners. You will be finding out how the instrument works, posture, tuning, basic techniques, and simple repertoire to enjoy when learning to play. Most of the learning will be by ear with music scores provided to support our learning. We will aim to have a bit of fun too!
Instruments will be available for course participants to borrow. You will need to let us know when booking if you’ll require a loan instrument.
Intermediate/Advanced Course with Isabelle: This workshop is dedicated to everybody who wants to make music out of the bag! There’ll be a focus on technique – rappels, vibratos and other finger gymnastics – but musicality will be the main aim.
The Team
Rémi Decker grew up in a musical family. He discovered the (continental) bagpipe at the age of 10. Tradition and creativity makes Rémi’s musical language rich, inventive and spontaneous. His varied talents and interests have led to him being involved in many eclectic projects, and he’s travelled around the world as a modern troubadour.
Isabelle Blô trained as a classical percussionist specialising in traditional music & dance from central France . A multi-instrumentalist Isabelle plays the French bagpipes, the hurdy-gurdy, the diatonic accordion and the chromatic accordion. She has also organised music & dance masterclasses in France, Great-Britain, Belgium and Switzerland.
The Bagpipe Society was formed in 1986 to bring together players, makers, researchers and people who love the bagpipes. They’ve been a great support to Halsway in running this bagpipe workshop weekend over the years – thank you! It’s a great resource for pipers everywhere – check out their website here: www.bagpipesociety.org.uk