As for buying a chanter, Barry T hasn't been around many shops if he can say there aint much difference in the sound. Pakistani are rubbish in my opinion, even for beginners, and plastic ones vary so much in manufacture that you have to watch what you choose. Around £50 Sterling is a good price for a decent chanter that will last you for a long time. The key is to try some out, different one's untill you get one that is to your liking. Better still, take someone with you who knows what they are listening for, or go to a piping shop, NOT a Scottish Souvenir type shop.

With a little regular maintenance, I would recommend a good wooden chanter.Give me 6 different plastic practise reeds and I will show you 6 different sounds on one chanter, so choose carefully.

I use a Piob Mhor (located in Blairgowrie, Scotland) manufactured Black wood long chanter with CANE practise reeds and the mellow sound is unbeatable, so their is a difference in practise chanters. My back up is a 1960 Robert Reid of Glasgow African Balck Wood chanter, again with CANE reed. Cane reeds are not easy to get and they are high maintenance at the start but worht all the effort.

Sorry if this sounds like a lot, but after 25 years learning and teaching for 12 or so of those, the best thing to do is spend wisely at the beginning, to save frustration and extra expense later. And, should this beloved instrument is not quite be what you had wished, though I hope not, you can always get a good return on a well chosen practise instrument. Which goes for a tutor as well. Look around if you have the luxury at a few bands or choose a tutor that has the time to talk to you about all of the above and who you 'click' with. No point suffering a guy you are not happy with for some reason.