I purchased this chanter nearly three weeks ago. I have used it roughly an hour or two everyday. The product is attractive and well made. I’ve heard that people have had issues with the wooden chanters being out of tune- I have had no such issue. I have had difficulty separating the chanter after use. I looked to adjust the reed, and the strings holding the piece together came apart requiring me to purchase another reed. Aside from this mishap I have been quite pleased with the product and the accompanying material.

This Chanter has kept me interested and enjoying every minute of learning to play it. The Chanter it self is beutiful. It is quite enough to practice without annoying the others. The book is basic and easy to follow. And I think the sound is soothing ( the reason I want to learn the bagpipes). I never learned to read music and this kit has taught me what I need to know. I am having alot of fun with it.

With that being said I feel like I can clear up the wide range of high and low ratings. If you are someone that has been playing music and know what to listen for. Or if your someone who thinks that they can pick up the chanter and be fairly good at it from the get go. Then this kit is probably not for you. I feel this kit is for someone who was ben thinking about playing the bagpipes and would like to give it a shot before investing in the much pricier options. For under , I will not feel bad if I play it for awhile, decide I dont like it then pass it off. I feel like a lot of the bad reviews are coming from people who have been involved with music for awhile and are buying it for what it is not. It is not a Chanter that the best pipers in the world will be picking up and playing. It is for a beginner with little to no musical training.

So in short I recomend it to a beginner with no musical background, or to someone who wants to try it before becoming commited to it. My kit sounds great, plays great and the kit is easy to follow. Thats all I could ask for because I dont know any better. The ear is something that develops over time, and if I reach that level then I will most likely buy a nicer Chanter.

I found the practice chanter hard to blow and difficult to separate. It looked better than it sounded. However the book and CD were helpful and easy to understand.