Piper's Dojo Audio Experience

Is there a "right" or "wrong" way to hold your chanter? Why do some of the world's best pipers seem to hold their chanters the "wrong" way to how most of us are taught? Andrew and Jim (Heritage Bagpipes, Droning On Podcast) do a deep dive on finger position, posture, and much more in this week's episode of Dojo Conversations. Note: A few of the descriptions in this episode relate to visuals in the...

Where do embellishments come from? What can go wrong with a grace note? Do you need to play tunes exactly as they're written? Does the way we write embellishments negatively impact our playing? Andrew and Jim (Heritage Bagpipes, Droning On Podcast) dive into these questions and much more in this week's show as they discuss the best ways you can diagnose and then "clean up" your embellishments. ___...

Can anyone actually tell if you play the wrong grace note? And does it really matter which grace note you play on different notes and embellishments? Andrew and James Moyar (Heritage Bagpipes, Droning On Podcast) delve into the grace note system, how experienced players can 'compress' tunes and embellishments into their memory, and how grace notes likely evolved in the first place.

The piping world has an epidemic of bagpipes that are hard to play. But can playing a hard reed ever be good for you? In this week's episode of Dojo Conversations, Andrew and James get to the bottom of 'piper's snot' and whether 'majoring in the minors' with a hard reed is a good idea for most players... ____ The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the power of the...

Can a judge actually tell if you aren't playing all your drones? Should you use all of the tuning time you're allowed? How much does tune selection REALLY matter? James Moyar(Droning On Podcast, BagpipeSwag.com, Heritage Bagpipes)quizzes Andrew for a judge's perspective on what they look for when you're competing. ____ The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the pow...

Pipers at all levels of ability and experience can find pesky crossing noises creeping into our playing. Do you know the different kinds, how to eliminate them, and what causes them? The answer, especially to the last one, may surprise you... __________________ The Piper’s Dojo Weekly Show, Dojo Conversations, brings you weekly advice about how to be a better bagpiper. This episode was first lives...

Did you know that embellishments aren't just a collection of grace notes mashed together? They may look that way when they're written out in sheet music, but there's a bit more to them than that. They're actually rapid-fire combinations of melody notes and grace notes used to embellish a bagpipe tune. And to get anywhere near close to playing them well, there are three key things you're going to w...

Sight-reading is something a lot of pipers struggle with, especially if you didn't learn how to read music before you started learning to play bagpipes. But it doesn't have to be hard. This is my simple, straightforward approach to sight-reading. It's a bit like juggling – you can quickly master it, if you just tackle it one ball at a time. ____ The Piper’s Dojo Weekly Show, Dojo Conversations, br...

Hemp is finicky. Day to day, your joints' tightness can change quite a bit, so when it comes to technique, my golden rule: it has to be fast. Watch as I demonstrate how to wrap hemp on your drone or reed seats for a ‘hemp edit’ – when your pipes are already hemped, but just need a little tune up to get them nice and tight to play again. ____ The Piper’s Dojo Weekly Show, Dojo Conversations, brings...

Licking, poking, pinching... what's the best way to sound absolutely incredible every time you choose a new reed? In this video, Andrew steps you through how to deal with challenging reeds, and the best way to manipulate them to sound incredible... The Piper's Dojo brings you weekly advice about how to be a better bagpiper. Like our Facebook page to receive notifications when our weekly streams go...

We had some great questions submitted about our last two podcasts in the Dojo Conversations series, a new weekly show where we do a quick dive into some tips on a different piping topic each week. Andrew held a quick follow up Q&A session to answer these, as the submitters probably aren't the only ones curious about these... Got a question for us? Want us to cover a specific topic in future? A...

We need a certain amount of moisture in our bagpipes. But too much can be a major problem. Too many players reach straight for moisture control systems and fancy gadgets to manage it, but that's treating the symptom, and not the cause. Let's delve into the real causes of moisture issues, including the stuff we need to do when we’re NOT playing... The Piper's Dojo brings you weekly advice about how...

How do you know if your bagpipe chanter reed is the right strength for you? This simple test is a pretty foolproof way to find out... listen as we step you through how to do it, some of the factors that contribute to the the reed strength you need, and some of the pros and cons of easy vs hard chanter reeds. _________________________________ The Piper's Dojo brings you weekly advice about how to b...

Real bagpipers play with all the embellishments in. And they sure as heck never use metronomes, that's just ridiculous. Ok... but what about real MUSICIANS?

In case you weren't aware, I've been putting together some free workshops for anyone who'd like to attend over the long, cold winter here in New York. I ran the first of these in November last year and had huge interest – around 400 pipers from across the US and Canada (plus a few from the UK as well!) tuned in to learn more about the "11 Reasons Pipers Fail." Given how much great feedback we had...

01:20 - Why is a tube-style manometer better than a gauge? 24:25 - Will I ever "get" rhythm "down"? 33:53 - Is Piobaireachd required to become a "real" piper? --> What IS a real piper? If you enjoyed this, you should try a Dojo University Premium Membership. Our premium membership features over 50 courses, 17+ live classes each week, social interaction channels, feedback on your playing, weekly...

Amongst other Q&A today, we discuss the problem of memorization. Is it possible for a 71-year-old to memorize more than a few tunes? Is the bagpipe freedom process for beginners? How to transcribe the rhythm of a tune you heard on YouTube. Embellishment discussion. If you enjoyed this, you should try a Dojo University Premium Membership. Our premium membership features over 50 courses, 17+ liv...

Register now at https://dojouniversity.com/workshop ___ As you may have heard, I am putting together some free workshops this winter for anyone who'd like to attend. The first one will be this November 14th, at 1pm New York Time, called "11 Reasons Pipers Fail." So, what's this workshop all about? Frankly, it's been a tough one to put into words. Have you ever achieved a goal, but still felt empty...

Is the bagpipe freedom process for beginners? How to transcribe the rhythm of a tune you heard on YouTube. Embellishment discussion. If you enjoyed this, you should try a Dojo University Premium Membership. Our premium membership features over 50 courses, 17+ live classes each week, social interaction channels, feedback on your playing, weekly challenges, and more! Try one month for just $1 by vis...

It's been a while since we behaved ourselves long enough to release a Friday Strike-in as a podcast! Enjoy some piping chatter. If you enjoyed this, you should try a Dojo University Premium Membership. Our premium membership features over 50 courses, 17+ live classes each week, social interaction channels, feedback on your playing, weekly challenges, and more! Try one month for just $1 by visiting...

The book is now OUT of pre-order and ready for regular purchase. Order at http://BagpipeFreedom.com The book is focused on fully exploring what you might recognize is the "Dojo U method," detailing our approach from the ground up. But, it's not a text book or an exercise book. It's a "big picture" exploration about how to learn, and how to apply these basic learning concepts to one of the world's...

Matthew Welch studied traditional Highland Bagpipe music with Gold Medalist masters such as James McIntosh M.B.E., Colin MacLellan, Mike Cusack, Jack Lee, Pipe Major Angus MacLellan, Andrew Wright and celebrated, repeat World-Champion Pipe Majors Terry Lee and Iain McLellan B.E.M. Mr. Welch was a member of one of the most internationally acclaimed bagpipe bands of the last two decades: the six-tim...

Robert won the worlds 5 times as Pipe Major of the Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band. If you enjoyed this, you should try a Dojo University Premium Membership. Our premium membership features over 50 courses, 17+ live classes each week, social interaction channels, feedback on your playing, weekly challenges, and more! Try one month for just $1 by visiting DojoUniversity.com/testdrive today! Join us o...

Ross hails from Linlithgow, West Lothian where he is the official Town Piper. He studied Bagpipes, Scots Song and Whistles at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In July 2017 he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Traditional Music - Piping. Ross was a finalist in the 2019 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition. A World Champion piper, Ross began piping a...

Greig Canning is a piper with the two-time grade 1 World Champions, Inveraray and District Pipe Band. He is a regular prize winner and ‘A grade’ competitor on the highland games circuit, regularly competing at the Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting. Greig is a full-time bagpipe instructor for West Lothian Council, and the pipe major and instructor of the West Lothian Schools Pipe Band. ___...