Does your band care more about dressing up than the sound they produce? Would you rather be in a Grade 5 band focused on improvement, or a Grade 2 band obsessed more with status? How do you get a top grade attitude in a lower grade band – even if you don't compete? In this week's episode of Dojo Conversations, Andrew and Jim discuss a reader question about a band's attitude, and how it can make or break the success or failure of your organisation. As Lao Tzu once said, “If you do not change dire...
May 22, 2023•26 min
Ever watched an expert make something look so easy you think you could do it? It's a phenomenon every learner experiences – because you don't know what you don't know. Then as you learn more and do more, even though you're getting better, you start to realize there's a gaping chasm between your current skill level and where you want to be. In this week's episode, Andrew and Jim dive into more of the ideas from Finding Bagpipe Freedom, including a cool way of conceptualizing learning called the h...
May 15, 2023•27 min
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, as Oscar Wilde's old saying goes... but people often forget the second half of that quote: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” In other words, if you're truly great, the mediocre will imitate you. So when you're creating something, like music, should you be aiming to simply copy what your instructors or great pipers play? Or should you want to create your own unique sound? In this week's episode, Andr...
May 08, 2023•36 min
Many pipers dismiss piobaireachd – classical piping – as too nerdy, obscure, hard, or just plain boring to learn... but this couldn't be further from the truth! In this week's episode, Jim and Andrew chat with one of piobaireachd's most enthusiastic champion, Dan Nevans, who's a passionate advocate that piobaireachd is for everyone (coincidentally, also the title of his popular book). • Check out Dan's book "Piobaireachd is for Everyone" here: https://dnpiping.com/book • Join us for a piobaireac...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Ever wondered how two guys running a piping class in a New York church basement turned into the world's longest running and largest online piping school? Over more than 10 years in business, the Piper's Dojo (and now Dojo University) has grown into a cross-continental online juggernaut of piping and drumming education – but it certainly didn't start that way. In this week's episode, Jim (Heritage Bagpipes, Droning On podcast) and Andrew jump in the Delorean for a quick tour back to Dojo's origin...
Apr 24, 2023•22 min
Do you consider yourself a musician – not "just" a piper? Do you feel like you can express yourself freely through your bagpipes? Unfortunately, for most pipers, the answer is no. In 2021, Andrew published his first book, Finding Bagpipe Freedom, which explored the process any piper can follow to achieve musical "freedom", and how to break bad habits to do it. This week, Andrew and Jim discuss the introduction of the book, looking at the main reasons we want to play the bagpipes in the first pla...
Apr 17, 2023•44 min
How do you know when you're ready and capable of playing gigs for money? How much should you charge? How do you find gigs and put yourself out there? How should you plan for and charge clients? Andrew and Jim delve into the pennies and dimes of putting yourself out there as a piper for hire on this week's episode of Dojo Conversations.
Apr 10, 2023•30 min
Can you play a march properly without actually marching? Does marching as you play actually help? Do you need to dance to play a strathspey in time? ...and what happened that one time Andrew tried to dance? On this week's episode of Dojo Conversations, Andrew and Jim dive into the art of marching, its benefits and drawbacks, and how moving as we play affects our rhythm and the groove of the tune. ____ The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the power of the intern...
Apr 04, 2023•10 min
Why do we use tape on bagpipe chanters? What's the 'right' way to use tape? Can you do tape 'wrong'? Can you have too much? What did they use before tape existed? On this week's episode, Andrew and Jim (Heritage Bagpipes, Droning On Podcast) delve into the sticky subject of bagpipe chanter tape, looking at its many uses, what to do, what NOT to do, and much more.
Mar 27, 2023•19 min
So you've checked your chanter reed is the right strength, your bag's airtight, and as far as you can tell, you're not leaking air anywhere else. Then why are you still struggling to maintain pressure and tone?! Calibrating your drones is the fourth step in setting up your pipes to be completely air-efficient – and therefore comfortable to play. But do you know how to calibrate your drone reeds properly? On this week's episode, Andrew and Jim (Heritage Bagpipes, Droning On Podcast) talk you thro...
Mar 20, 2023•38 min
An airtight bag is step 1 for a bagpipe that's easy to play. But do you know how to check if your bag is airtight? Does it matter that much whether you play hide or synthetic? Does duct tape work as a stopgap solution? And what should you do when you think you've done "everything right" and STILL can't get it to hold air properly? Andrew and Jim delve into all of these, plus 3D printed bagpipes, hemp compressors, and much more in this week's episode of Dojo Conversations. ____ The Dojo engages t...
Mar 13, 2023•22 min
Do you record yourself when you practice and perform? So many of us are daunted just by the idea of it, but recording is a must if you want to improve at anything. In this week's episode of Dojo Conversations, Andrew and Jim discuss the many, many benefits of recording yourself, as well as a few practical tips about what gear works best, and how to use it for optimal sound on your recordings. ____ The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the power of the internet t...
Mar 06, 2023•27 min
What kind of birl do you play? Do you know all the ways you can execute one? Is there a "best" way? On this week's episode of Dojo Conversations, Andrew and Jim delve into everything you want to know about birls – including how pipers in the distant future will play, and the rare and mysterious "birl on B"... ____ The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the power of the internet to help connect those in the world who share a specific passion; enriching one's life ...
Feb 27, 2023•11 min
Should you ever lick your reed? Why do pipers lick (or shave, or poke, or manipulate in any way whatsover) their reeds in the first place? Andrew and Jim (Heritage Bagpipes / Droning On Podcast) delve into the dos and don'ts of reed manipulation on this week's episode of Dojo Conversations. ____ The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the power of the internet to help connect those in the world who share a specific passion; enriching one's life through bagpipes. T...
Feb 20, 2023•19 min
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 video version of this interview – visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel to see the on-screen p...
Feb 12, 2023•15 min
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. ____ The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the power of the internet ...
Feb 06, 2023•18 min
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.
Jan 26, 2023•12 min
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 internet to help connect those in the world who share a specific passion; enriching one's life throu...
Jan 23, 2023•10 min
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 power of the internet to help connect those in the world who share a specific passion; enriching one's ...
Jan 12, 2023•24 min
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 livestreamed on Facebook – so like our Facebook page (The Piper's Dojo, linked below) to tune in live to ...
Dec 18, 2022•9 min
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 want to master... __________________ The Piper’s Dojo Weekly Show, Dojo Conversations, brings you wee...
Dec 09, 2022•9 min
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, brings you weekly advice about how to be a better bagpiper. This episode was first livestreamed on Fac...
Dec 01, 2022•13 min
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 you weekly advice about how to be a better bagpiper. This episode was first livestreamed on Faceboo...
Nov 17, 2022•14 min
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 live; subscribe to our YouTube channel; or follow, rate and review wherever you tune in to your fav...
Nov 10, 2022•7 min
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? Add a comment to this podcast, or send it to us on any of our social channels! ______________________...
Nov 08, 2022•14 min
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 to be a better bagpiper. Like our Facebook page to receive notifications when our weekly streams go...
Nov 03, 2022•11 min
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 be a better bagpiper. Like our Facebook page to receive notifications when our weekly streams go live...
Nov 03, 2022•12 min
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?
Apr 28, 2022•11 min
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 about the content, I wanted to make it more accessible to pipers in other parts of the world. To tha...
Jan 19, 2022•3 min
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 challenges, and more! Try one month for just $1 by visiting DojoUniversity.com/testdrive today!
Jan 14, 2022•43 min
