Piper's Dojo Audio Experience

This week, Andrew and Jim welcome special guest and piping legend Jack Lee to talk all things piping, drumming and… cruising?! The upcoming Piper’s Dojo and Piping Hot Summer Drummer collaboration 'Cruise Journey North' departs from Seattle to Alaska on May 4th, 2024, with regular classes, private sessions, tune workshops, tune composition sessions, and opportunities to interact with local pipe bands in Alaska, all mixed in with a luxury cruise holiday in the idyllic American north. Learn more about how this all came about, as well as a preview of a fun new tune composed just for this new adventure on the high seas!  Learn more about Cruise Journey North or register: pipersdojo.com/cruise     Episode highlights: 00:00 Introduction 00:20 Planning the Cruise 00:49 The Story Behind the Cruise Idea 01:17 Collaboration and Challenges 02:11 The Role of the Travel Agent 03:23 The Evolution of Andrew's Nickname 04:24 Details about the Cruise 05:21 Meeting Local Pipers in Alaska 08:03 The Cr

Do your pipes ever feel hard to play? If you’re not asking these 4 questions every time you pick them up out of the box, you’re setting yourself up to fail before you play a single note… This week, Andrew and Jim discuss the 4 questions of bagpipe maintenance that are a ‘pre-flight’ checklist to make sure you’re set up for success every time you play. By making a system of these and building it into your piping routine, you’ll avoid future problems and have the best chance at a great practice or performance, every time.  Check out our free PDF that outlines these essential questions: pipersdojo.com/4questions Got a topic you’d like us to cover in a future episode? Leave a comment or send it to support@pipersdojo.com!   Topics covered this week: 00:00 Introduction and Initial Discussion 00:01 The Importance of Pre-Flight Checklist in Bagpipe Playing 01:44 Understanding the Concept of Air Tightness and Efficiency 04:24 The Role of Bagpipe Maintenance in Performance 06:57 The Four Questions of Bagpipe

This week, we're welcoming special guest Ed Best – Dojo U's drumming instruction lead, rhythm guru and dad joke connoisseur – to chat about his approach to helping drummers find their own musical freedom. We dive into the ways piping and drumming can be similar (and how similar approaches between the two corps can benefit a band); how rhythm is the crucial foundation to all music; how drummers approach writing their scores compared to pipers; and how great players don't always make great teachers. Plus some incidental parenting hacks for good measure! Interested to learn more about Dojo U's Drumming program? Check it out for free for the first week: pipersdojo.com/drumming Got a question you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or shoot us an email at support@pipersdojo.com. 

Do your bagpipes fit your body – or do you make your body fit to your bagpipes?   Continuing last week's conversation about posture, this time Andrew and Jim challenge the idea that bagpipes are hard to play – according to Andrew they should be easy to play, always, but we all know that's often easier said than done... especially for newer players. So they follow up with some great tips on how to work on your posture, whether you could 'wear your bagpipes to outer space', and how to improve your maintenance systems to make sure you never have to worry about playing a 'hard' instrument ever again.   Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.com!

"Multitasking is a way of fooling ourselves that we’re being exceptionally efficient." Did you learn to play exclusively on a practice chanter, have to get a few tunes (with all embellishments included) memorized, and only then transition to the bagpipes – where you then had to juggle posture, blowing steadily, and many other skills at once? Like in every other walk of life – for bagpipers, multitasking doesn't work. So is there a better way to transition from practice chanter to bagpipes? In this first instalment of a two-parter, we explore how many traditional methods can be overwhelmingly complex for beginners, and how a singular focus can help actually help pipers speed up their progress – without ingraining bad habits. We also look at how the mystical Joe Brady helped with the missing piece of the puzzle, and try not to get too bummed that we'll never be as happy looking in a mirror as Lincoln Hilton... Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to

Pipers everywhere struggle with seemingly perpetual problems like crossing noises, often doing 'reps' to fix them. But they're not even close to working out the actual cause of their issues... This week, we dived into the ups and downs of scale navigation (see what we did there?) – and along the way, took some wild turns into the history of gracenotes, the frustrations of teaching, how to progress from parade piping, and even Oprah... Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.com!

Ever noticed there are certain bagpipe tunes that seem to become – and stay – wildly popular? This week, we're chatting about "viral" bagpipe tunes and trends. Where do they come from, what causes them, and why do certain tunes become so popular when there are other arguably "better" tunes out there? Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.com!

Playing the bagpipes is a complex thing – so when figuring out where to focus on for improvement, maybe we can learn some lessons from the emergency room... This week, we're discussing how to triage your "performance killers", by diagnosing the most fundamental issues in your playing and prioritising what to work on in iterative rounds of improvement. Pssst – we’ve recently launched our new, comprehensive bagpipe tuning course, “The Great Bagpipe Tuning Algorithm”, which contains everything you need to know about the theory and practice of bagpipe tuning, as well as a 300+ page textbook, 90-day training plan, and 11+ hours with some of the world’s top players! Check it out here: pipersdojo.com/tuning Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.com!

Frustrated at the neverending struggle to keep your bagpipes in tune? You’re not alone! But many pipers think that once you ‘solve’ tuning, you can move on… when really, even the best pipers in the world are still refining their approach to tuning. So how do you switch despair at the endless road to something you can not just live with, but enjoy doing? Changing how you think about tuning is the best way forward… This week, we're discussing how to “fall in love” with the process of bagpipe tuning, rather than hating the problem. Because bagpipe tuning isn’t a ‘set and forget’ skill – as any top pipers will tell you, it’s something they’re still working on, even after a lifetime of playing at the very top levels in the world… Interested to learn more? We’ve recently launched our new, comprehensive bagpipe tuning course, “The Great Bagpipe Tuning Algorithm”, which contains everything you need to know about the theory and practice of bagpipe tuning, as well as a 300+ page textbook, 90-day training plan, and

Lincoln Hilton, founder of Modern Piping and online sensation, walks us through his trial and error tuning journey as a young piper coming up through the grades. This clip is an excerpt from Lincoln's hour-long interview, included as part of our new course on bagpipe tuning: "The Great Bagpipe Tuning Algorithm". Visit https://pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more!

The great Jim McGillivray tells us a bit about his tuning process and how he uses a "pressure variance test" to check he's nailed his bagpipe tuning. This clip is an excerpt from Jim's hour-long interview, included as part of our new course on bagpipe tuning: "The Great Bagpipe Tuning Algorithm". Visit https://pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more!

How do we optimize the pitch of our pipes, and time it perfectly with the actual performance? P/M Robert Mathieson and I discuss in this interview clip. This clip is an excerpt from Robert's hour-long interview, included as part of the new course. Visit pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more!

Your surroundings – particularly temperature changes and humidity – are vital considerations for any tuning process. World champion piper Callum Beaumont explains how important these are for him to think about when preparing to play at high-level competitions. This clip is an excerpt from Callum's hour-long interview, included as part of our new course on bagpipe tuning, "The Great Bagpipe Tuning Algorithm". Visit https://pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more!

Do you find it harder to hear your bass drone than your tenors when you tune? As it turns out, so does Jack Lee! So how does he manage this and the rest of his tuning process, to get that trademark beautiful tone every time he plays? Jack is one of many world-leading pipers we’ve interviewed for our brand new Bagpipe Tuning Suite of online courses, designed to help you finally crack the code of bagpipe tuning! This clip is an excerpt from Jack's hour-long interview, included as part of the new course. Visit pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more.

How would Matt MacIsaac teach you to tune? Matt’s one of many, many world-leading pipers we’ve interviewed for our brand new Bagpipe Tuning Suite of online courses, designed to help you finally crack the code of bagpipe tuning! Visit pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more. Inside the “Great Algorithm” Bagpipe Tuning Suite you’ll receive... In depth “Bagpipe Tuning in Theory” module, with quizzes to test your knowledge Comprehensive “Bagpipe Tuning in Practice” module 90-Day Tuning Training Plan 11 full-hour interviews with many of the world’s greatest pipers (including the one this clip is from!) 300+ Page Full Color Textbook “How to tune your pipe corps” expansion course Triple-your-money-back guarantee Course Details: ✅ Tuition: Just $169 until October 22nd. ✅ Payment Plans: 2- and 3-month payment plans available. ✅ Level: Beginner through Advanced (any piper on the full pipes needs to understand “the algorithm”). ✅ Setting: Online/Virtual ✅ Course Length: 15-20 Hours Visit pipersdojo.com/tuning

Introducing the Bagpipe Tuning Suite that helps you finally crack the code of bagpipe tuning! Visit https://pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more. Inside the "Great Algorithm" Bagpipe Tuning Suite you'll receive... --In depth "Bagpipe Tuning in Theory" Module, with quizzes to test your knowledge --Comprehensive "Bagpipe Tuning in Practice" module --90-Day Tuning Training Plan --11 full-hour interviews with many of the world's greatest pipers (!!!) --300+ Page Full Color Textbook --"How to tune your pipe corps" expansion course. --Triple-your-money-back guarantee Course Details: --Tuition: Just $169 until October 22nd. --Payment Plans: 2- and 3-month payment plans available. --Level: Beginner through Advanced (any piper on the full pipes needs to understand "the algorithm"). --Setting: Online/Virtual --Course Length: 15-20 Hours Visit https://pipersdojo.com/tuning today to learn more

Ever heard someone say "real pipers don't use a metronome"? This week, we're discussing how rhythm is the most foundational skill any musician – including bagpipers – needs to develop. But do some people just naturally have better rhythm? Can you develop it? And how do you know when you've got it right? Pssssst... We're launching our new, comprehensive bagpipe tuning course VERY soon at Dojo U, for everything you'll ever need to know about bagpipe (and band!) tuning – more info will be posted here very soon: http://pipersdojo.com/tuning Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.com!

Feel like you're flying blind when you tune your pipes? We have so many variables to manage while we're listening to our tuning – and chances are, especially if you're just starting out, you're not entirely sure what you're actually listening for... This week, we're discussing how to think of bagpipe tuning as an 'algorithm' – and if maths or computers aren't your thing, don't worry! At its core, an algorithm is just a series or set of instructions that achieves an intended result – and having a uniform set of inputs and processes to follow could help you develop the skills needed to have a breakthrough with your tuning, once and for all... Interested to learn more? We're launching our new, comprehensive bagpipe tuning course very soon at Dojo U, for everything you'll ever need to know about bagpipe (and band!) tuning – more info will be posted here very soon: http://pipersdojo.com/tuning Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.co

Is your tenor drone sharp? Is your C flat compared to your drones? Are your drones flat or sharp compared to your low A? Who cares?! This week, Andrew and Jim discuss the "who cares" model of bagpipe tuning – where it doesn't matter whether you know instinctively whether your pipes are in tune, or even which way you need to shift a tuning pin or tape to fix the tuning. Instead, it's important to become comfortable with the *process* of testing, trial and error, and perfecting a system that you can replicate each time you play, and get faster and better at each time. Interested to learn more? We're launching our new, comprehensive bagpipe tuning course very soon at Dojo U, for everything you'll ever need to know about bagpipe (and band!) tuning – more info will be posted here very soon: http://pipersdojo.com/tuning Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.com!

For better or worse, digital tuners are widely used in the piping world. They're easier than ever to access, with many smartphone apps now available. And they're a useful reference tool that can show you what pitch your reeds are sounding at. But most importantly – what CAN'T your digital tuner tell you? This week, Andrew and Jim discuss the pros and cons of bagpipe tuners, when they're good, when they're not, and when you need to "put down the ducky" if you want to be a better bagpiper... Got a question or topic you'd like answered in a future episode? Leave a comment or email it to support@pipersdojo.com!