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, setup, and consistency.

The discussion covers common chanter issues, when flat notes become a serious problem, and why simple troubleshooting often beats drastic fixes. They also shift focus from gear to players, tackling top-hand tension, posture, and why pipes feel so different from the practice chanter. Along the way, they dig into modern piping life – online lessons on full pipes, staying connected with bands from a distance, and how remote players can still show up prepared and be taken seriously.

We finish up with bigger-picture strategy around solo competition repertoire, a clear breakdown of tuning order from chanter to drones, and a look at what’s coming next.

Here’s what we cover this week:

• 00:00 – Intro & Balancing Low A and Low G
• 03:00 – Flat vs Sharp Notes on the Chanter
• \06:00 – Band Equipment Consistency & Fixes
• 08:00 – Relaxing the Top Hand
• 14:00 – Online Lessons on Full Pipes
• 17:40 – Staying Involved with Bands Remotely
• 24:00 – Changing Tunes for Solo Competition
• 29:00 – Tuning Order: Chanter vs Drones
• 38:00 – Wrap-Up & What’s Next