chanter

He tried to begin his return to the pipes by using a practice chanter, which is played like a flute and requires less blowing as it does not have the pipes or drones attached.

Once he had mastered blowing into a practice chanter - which took months - he started tackling the bagpipes.

To prove he was genuine, Chukwu posted US dollars in cash to California, and then waited for his first chanter to arrive.

The chanter arrived in 2009, several years after he sent out his first emails.

He sent out emails to bagpipe sellers in the UK and US to see if he could buy a practice chanter, the introductory instrument for aspiring bagpipe players, but says he did not hear anything back for a long time.