All Episodes
Episodes
496 – Are Grade 5 Bands "The Primordial Soup"? (Dojo Conversations Episode 155)
What is grade 5 actually for?
This week, Andrew and Jim answer a seemingly innocuous listener question about whether grade 5 bands should use hard reeds or easy reeds. As they discuss the pros and cons of blowing...
View Episode
494 – The Most Important Skill For Pipers to Master (Dojo Conversations Episode 154)
Rhythm isn’t just something you add to music. It’s the thing that makes music possible in the first place. In this episode, Andrew and Jim step back from fingerwork and technique to tackle something far more...
View Episode
493 - Why Fundamentals Beat Shortcuts Every Time (Dojo U Strike In Q&A Session)
Improving your piping isn't about chasing quick fixes; it's about rebuilding your playing from the ground up.
This week in our Q&A session, Andrew and Carl tackle some common (and misunderstood) questions in...
View Episode
492 - Does Generalism Triumph in a Specialized World? (Dojo Conversations Episode 153)
Exploring another interest isn’t automatically a distraction. It might be the thing that keeps your main passion alive. This week, Andrew and Jim take a listener question about drumming vs. piping and turn it into a...
View Episode
Winter Storm Concert - 2026
Enjoy this full recording of the Winter Storm Concert livestream, streamed live on Facebook as part of Winter Storm 2026 – The Pipes and Drums Event in Kansas City at 8pm on Saturday, January 17th, 2026, featuring...
View Episode
491 - Do You REALLY Need Tone Enhancers? (Dojo U Friday Strike-in Q&A Session)
High altitude tuning, dry climate disasters, and the great tone enhancer debate take centre stage this week as Andrew and Carl tackle another round of real-world piping problems.
From managing a stubborn high G at...
View Episode
490 - How To Level Up Your Piping In Just 6 Months (Dojo Conversations Episode 152)
What if you could level up your piping – within 6 months?
This week, Andrew and Jim lay out a complete week by week training blueprint designed to take you into next season feeling calm, confident, and genuinely...
View Episode
489 - How To Play Pipes In Cold Weather (Friday Strike In Dojo U Q&A Session)
Cold weather and classic piping dilemmas take centre stage this week as Andrew and Carl dive into playing bagpipes in harsh conditions.
From poly pipes and moisture control to the uncomfortable truth that cold weather...
View Episode
488 - Everything We Learned About Bagpipes This Year (Dojo Conversations Episode 151)
In this annual Year in Review, Andrew and Jim reflect on a big year of piping, podcasting, and life at the Dojo – revisiting standout moments, recurring lessons, and the ideas that shaped the year.
Let us know in the...
View Episode
487 - It's a Wonderful Pipe (Dojo Conversations Episode 150)
Some Christmas episodes are carefully scripted… and some are joyfully handed over to the robots.
This week, Andrew and Jim continue their annual holiday tradition by letting AI loose on a Christmas special — with...
View Episode
486 - When Your Chanter Won’t Behave (And What to Do About It)
This week on Dojo's "Friday Strike In" Q&A Hour, Andrew works through a stack of real-world piping questions, starting with how to balance low A and low G and expanding into the practical realities of tuning,...
View Episode
485 - Does Failing Faster Make You A Better Piper?
Ever wondered why some pipers seem to bounce back from mistakes effortlessly – or why your pipes sometimes feel great one day and impossible the next?
This week, Andrew and Carl dig into a whirlwind of community...
View Episode
