Are your strike ins leaving you deflated? This week, Andrew and Jim break down the real reasons your pipes might not be cooperating – from leaky bags and floppy setups to calibration quirks and climate curveballs. Plus, a little banter about band camp and Misty Mountain mugs to kick things off. Part one of a two-part deep dive into striking in. Got a topic you'd like us to cover in a future episode? Leave a comment or email us: support@pipersdojo.com Here's what we cover this week: 00:00 – Band ...
Jul 14, 2025•35 min
What if better playing was as simple as turning the right knob? In this episode, Andrew and Jim turn up the dial on a piping metaphor you didn’t know you needed. They explore how every element of your piping – and life – is adjustable. Need more lift in your tune? Twist the tempo knob. Feeling too flashy? Ease off the complexity knob. Wondering why your pipes sound dull? Could be your moisture knob is overworked. So, whether your piping feels a bit... off, or you just love a good metaphor taken ...
Jul 07, 2025•30 min
Ever find yourself stopping cold after making a mistake while you're playing? In this episode, Andrew and Jim dig into what it really takes to master bagpipe tunes – especially when things don’t go perfectly. They chat about why stopping every time you make a mistake can actually hold you back, and how finishing what you start (even if it's messy) leads to better progress in the long run. Along the way, they share stories from their own musical journeys – including a few childhood recital flashb...
Jun 30, 2025•32 min
How do you avoid burnout as a new pipe major? Find gigs as a soloist? Introduce new tunes to your band? Join Andrew and Jim for another mixed bag Q&A episode as they crawl through Reddit, discussing questions and common challenges from finding gigs and balancing practice routines to leading new bands and keeping members motivated. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, this episode is packed with valuable insights and practical advice to keep your piping journey enjoyable and...
Jun 23, 2025•43 min
Are the RSPBA’s prescribed tunes just tough? Or are they trying to tell us something? This week, Jim and Andrew dive into a juicy listener-submitted topic: the sometimes frustrating, always challenging world of the RSPBA prescribed tunes list. Are some of these tunes meant to weed bands out? We explore the theories, the difficulties, and the real reasons these tunes exist. From choosing the right music for your band’s skill level to balancing challenge with enjoyment, they unpack it all, complet...
Jun 16, 2025•47 min
Is this the man behind the curtain at the Dojo? This week, Andrew and Jim welcome Carl Donley, who’s been a mainstay co-running Dojo University with Andrew from nearly the beginning! We’ll chat about how Piper’s Dojo went from a scrappy side project to the giant online piping school it is today. From humble beginnings and evolving roles to the game-changing tech that helped them bring their vision to life, Carl takes us behind the scenes of the Dojo’s digital journey. You’ll hear how he and Andr...
Jun 09, 2025•48 min
Can you guess where these sometimes weird and often wonderful pipes come from? Join Andrew and Jim this week for a wild ride through the world of bagpipes! They’re putting their knowledge to the test in a hilarious guessing game – play along to see if you can tell a Swedish Sackpipa from a Bulgarian Gaida just by a picture! Along the way, learn some quirky history, unique features, and cool playing styles of bagpipes from around the globe. Ready to play along? Tune in for a bagpipe themed world ...
Jun 02, 2025•33 min
Ever wondered why we play grace notes in a certain order? Or how we started playing with drones or a bag in the first place? All the traditions, “rules” and musical techniques that we take for granted today evolved over many hundreds of years of innovation to create the sound and distinctive style of pipe music that we all know and love today. In this episode, Andrew and Jim dive deep into the evolution of bagpipe techniques, exploring how reed tubes, finger movements, and drones came to be. The...
May 26, 2025•54 min
What if you could practice tuning... WITHOUT your bagpipes? This week, Andrew and Jim are test-driving Andrew's new tuning game – and launching a special 30-day tuning challenge where participants can WIN a set of McCallum SL4 MacRae bagpipes! To join the Tuning Game Challenge for your chance to win, visit https://pipersdojo.com/tuningchallenge Tuning pipes is complex – you're chasing a moving target as you juggle rising temperature, building moisture, and trying to blow steady while you listen ...
May 19, 2025•58 min
Get ready to put your bagpipe pop culture knowledge to the test! In this episode, Jim's cooked up a game that’s equal parts fun and maddening: he plays short clips of bagpipes from movies, TV shows, and songs, and Andrew has to guess where they're from. Can he do it? Can you? This episode is a wild ride through some of the most unexpected (and iconic) bagpipe moments in media. Play along at home and see if you're better at this than Andrew (low bar? You decide). Along the way, they chat about ho...
May 12, 2025•36 min
Ever felt like you're spinning in circles trying to fix everything at once – tuning, timing, pressure, remembering tunes, embellishments? You don’t have to do it all at once. In fact, you shouldn’t. Progress doesn’t have to mean doing more; it can mean doing less, but better. Focusing on just one thing at a time can transform your piping – and your confidence. This week, Andrew and Jim get real about the chaos that can come with learning the pipes. From fasting before blood work to skeptical tak...
May 05, 2025•38 min
This week, Andrew and Jim tackle more bagpipe questions – but the pressure is on to keep their answers within 3 minutes. They discuss the timing for forming a circle during competitions, milestones for learning embellishments, options for band uniforms on hot days, how to know when a bag needs seasoning, and strategies for handling personal items when a sporran isn’t big enough. Tune in for some practical, straightforward advice! Got a topic you'd like to discuss on a future episode? Leave a com...
Apr 28, 2025•27 min
Ever hold back in a practice session because you're worried you'll mess it up? Or stay quiet in band because you're afraid your idea might be wrong? In this episode, we’re diving into a powerful idea from philosophy called fallibilism—the belief that no matter how much you know, you could still be wrong. And honestly? That’s a gift. Especially in a pursuit like piping, where tradition runs deep and gatekeeping can shut down growth. We’re talking about why embracing mistakes, questioning ‘the rul...
Apr 21, 2025•46 min
It's easy to assume that mentorship is most crucial during childhood. But what about those who discover piping later in life? Whether you're a beginner at 40 or picking it up again after years, having a mentor can make all the difference. This week, Andrew and Jim are diving into the importance of strong mentors in your piping journey, throwing back to Andrew’s early piping journey including his first contests, experience with piping at a boarding school, and the influential great pipers who wer...
Apr 14, 2025•36 min
Ever picked up your pipes on a rainy day and wondered why they sounded... different? Or maybe you’ve struggled to keep them in tune during a frosty morning performance? Humidity and bagpipes have a complicated relationship – sometimes best friends, sometimes worst enemies. This week, Andrew and Jim explore the crucial role of humidity for pipers – and how much is too much. They discuss using hygrometers, the effects of temperature and humidity on tuning, and why playing in the right conditions c...
Apr 07, 2025•56 min
Ever thought about starting your own pipe band? Where would you even begin? This week, Andrew and Jim dive into the nitty-gritty of building a band from the ground up. Picking a name, sorting out uniforms, finding a practice space—it’s all on the table. Andrew shares some real-world advice on organizing rehearsals, setting up a beginner program, and making sure band dues actually cover costs. And let’s not forget the heart of any good band: community. Got a question or topic you'd like us to cov...
Mar 31, 2025•41 min
Ever been told to ‘blow tone’? What if that familiar advice is actually leading you astray? Of course, steadiness matters—but before you can maintain steady blowing, you need to know what you're aiming for. For pipers, that target is the sweet spot—the pressure that produces the best tonal quality. Without it, steadiness won’t help you sound better. In this episode, Andrew and Jim break down why tonal quality comes first, how to find your sweet spot, and why steady blowing naturally follows when...
Mar 24, 2025•27 min
Is there a cheat code to becoming truly great at bagpipes? In this episode, Jim and Andrew conclude their Commandments series with insights on how to learn in the right order and the importance of balancing focused practice with fun ('dessert'). They discuss common mistakes in bagpipe learning, the significance of proper practice techniques, and the role of obsession in mastering skills. The conversation also touches on the pitfalls of overindulgence in enjoyable activities and emphasizes the ne...
Mar 17, 2025•41 min
Pipers start their journey on a practice chanter – but can you do more with a practice chanter than just… well, practice? This week, Jim and Andrew discuss practice chanters – should be seen as standalone instruments or just tools for learning the bagpipes? The conversation touches on competitive piping cultures in Scotland and North America, the introduction of practice chanter contests in CLASP, and debates the benefits and potential downsides of fancy chanters, friends' experiences, and the i...
Mar 10, 2025•26 min
Do you rely solely on your digital tuner to get your pipes in tune? Digital bagpipe tuners have become as commonplace in the piping world as the smartphones they often operate on. But are they a necessity, or just a shiny distraction? This week, Andrew and Jim look at the pros and cons of digital bagpipe tuners, ignited by a listener's question about digital and analog tuners. Got a topic you’d like us to cover in future? Leave a comment or email us: support@pipersdojo.com. Here’s what we cover ...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Ever tried something new and thought, "Easy! I could do that"—only to fail spectacularly? That’s the hierarchy of competence in action. It’s the universal journey from complete ignorance to effortless mastery. And guess what? You’ve been through it more times than you can count. This week, Andrew and Jim break down the hierarchy of competence, explaining the four stages: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence. They stress the importance...
Feb 24, 2025•56 min
Are lower-grade pipe bands missing out on easy wins by focusing on the wrong things? This week, Andrew and Jim chat through how lower grade pipe bands (Grade 4 and 5) can improve their sound with minimal effort. They start by dissecting a Reddit user’s advice, then dive into Andrew’s top observations as a competition judge and instructor for lower grade bands, breaking down the low-hanging fruit for bands to drastically improve their sound and performances – by reducing mistakes, tuning drones p...
Feb 17, 2025•33 min
Ever been frustrated by vague, subjective feedback from a judge or teacher? Only things that can be measured can be improved. So how do you measure your progress? We need to find ways to get an objective, pass-or-fail result. This week, we’re diving into the sixth commandment in Andrew’s 11 Commandments of Mastery: You Shalt Practice Objectively (And Reject Subjectivity). We explore the difference between objective and subjective goals and why aspiring pipers should focus on measurable, objectiv...
Feb 10, 2025•39 min
Have you ever had to learn a bunch of new tunes all at once? This week, Andrew and Jim talk through the best ways to tackle learning a huge stack of bagpipe tunes quickly – while still having fun. A sneak preview – some tips include playing all tunes as daily as possible in order of importance, trying NOT to memorize, and recording yourself to make sure you get it right rather than practicing it wrong. Rethinking traditional approaches to practice can lead to better performance and more fun and ...
Feb 03, 2025•58 min
When was the last time you learned a new tune? This week, Andrew and Jim are diving into “constant variance” - that is, constantly and consistently trying new things, whether that’s trying to play new music regularly, changing practice routines, environments, and other approaches to become a better musician. It has so many benefits, including making you a better, more well-rounded musician, not just a “competent” bagpiper or drummer. Got a topic you’d like us to discuss on a future episode? Leav...
Jan 27, 2025•49 min
Ever tried to multitask? Putting aside the fact that multitasking is a myth (more on that in the episode...) did you end up doing any of those many things *well*? Multitasking doesn’t work, especially if you’re trying to master a musical instrument. As soon as you allow a single distraction into a practice session, you've cheated yourself out of precious time it will take you to return to a singular focus – and on the flip side, if you can zero in with no distractions, you'll be stunned at how m...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr
Do you avoid recording yourself? Get nervous at the idea of people listening to you play? Although it can be nerve wracking, recording yourself for analysis is a must if you want to improve your playing. This week, Andrew and Jim and talking about all things recording – why to do it, our up to date recommendations on how to do it and what equipment to use, and how to analyze recordings for musical improvement. Here's what we cover on this week's show: 00:00 A Pleasant Encounter 00:46 The Charm o...
Jan 13, 2025•40 min
Would you want to learn to drive in a Formula 1 race-car, or learn to fly an airplane in a Boeing 787 Dreamliner? Even if it sounds really cool, in reality, high-end sophisticated tools are designed for masters of their craft, and not at all suited for beginners or intermediates. Yet, more often than not, a piping beginner has a bagpipe setup that is radically too complex, which creates many more problems for them than it solves. This week, Andrew and Jim talk through why simple tools are so imp...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Happy New Year – almost! This week Andrew and Jim revisit some of the highs, the lows, and everything in between – including Jim's hair, which is basically a third host at this point – as we reflect on the pod's progress so far... and some of the exciting plans (and guests) we're cooking up for 2025! Here's what we cover in (a LOT) of detail this week: 00:00 Happy New Year Reflections 00:20 Reviewing Past Episodes 02:24 Episode 55: Can Rest Be Productive? 03:34 Episode 56: How to Simplify Tunes ...
Dec 30, 2024•46 min
In this festive episode, Jim and Andrew present another AI-penned Christmas poem: 'A Piper's Night Before Christmas,' featuring Jolly St Blow, the mythical Highland Loon, and an oddly defensive AI author... Enjoy, happy piping and Merry Christmas from all of us here at the Piper's Dojo! Here's what to expect in today's episode: 00:00 Holiday Greetings and Reflections 02:02 AI-Generated Christmas Special 03:19 Piper's Night Before Christmas 09:11 Analyzing the Poem 11:55 Saint Blow and the Highla...
Dec 23, 2024•21 min
