All Episodes
Episodes
406 - Do You Need To Play Tunes With All The Embellishments? (Dojo Conversations Ep 76)
Why do pipers at all levels obsess over embellishments and deep-and-meaningful expression, when they canât play to the beat, or without crossing noises?
This week, Andrew and Jim jump back into Andrewâs book, Finding...
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405 - What If There Were NO Bagpipes? (Dojo Conversations Episode 75)
What would your life look like if bagpipes had never been a part of them? Pipers (and drummers) are a passionate bunch â so have you ever considered how different your life would be if you'd never picked up the...
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404 - Reddit Q&A: What's The Hardest Tune Ever Written and much more (Dojo Conversations Ep 74)
What's the hardest tune ever written? What's the best pipe band performance ever? How should you travel with pipes? How do you choose tunes for your MSR? And what's the best way to fix a funky-sounding high G?
What do...
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403 - How To Find Your Ideal Chanter Reed Strength (Dojo Conversations Episode 73)
Chanter reeds are often sent from the manufacturer labelled as "easy", "hard", or anything in between â but how do you know which one is going to be right for you?
This week, Andrew and Jim are putting chanter reeds...
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402 - 10 Clues Your Pipe Major Sucks (Dojo Conversations Episode 72)
Pipe band can be a source of joy, fun, and fulfilment. But the person in charge matters⌠and it can be really demotivating when weaknesses in their leadership start to affect your enjoyment of this hobby we all know...
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401 - Is Bass Drone Tuning "Hard"? (Dojo Conversations Episode 71)
Pipers around the world find bagpipe tuning one of the hardest skills to master. Why?
This week, we're using the physics of sound to explain why, as we look in-depth at how the harmonics of bagpipe chanter and drone...
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400 - Play It Like You Sing It (Dojo Conversations Episode 70)
Learning tunes can be hard, especially if you struggle with sight-reading. But there's a step that makes it much easier â and helps speed up a bunch of other skills too, including your ability to play the right rhythm...
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399 - The Sticky Truth About Chanter Tape (Dojo Conversations Episode 69)
Why don't they just make bagpipe chanters that don't need tape?
This week, we delve into why â the physics behind why all chanters inevitably require tape, misconceptions about tape usage, and detailed instructions...
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398 - The Ultimate Secret To Being a Better Bagpiper (Or Drummer) (Episode 68)
You're stuck on a desert island. Would you rather have your practice chanter, or an endless playlist of great pipe band tunes? If you didn't say the latter, you're missing the number one secret ingredient to being a...
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397 - Has Bagpipe Pitch Gone Too High? (Dojo Conversations Ep 67)
Do bagpipes seem sharper in pitch than they used to be? That's because they are...
This week, Andrew and Jim answer a listener question about why bagpipes have become sharper over time. We look at the history of...
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396 - Finding Your Perfect Drone Reed Setup (Dojo Conversations Ep 66)
Should you use cane or synthetic drone reeds? Is it good or bad to mix and match them? Does âperfect bagpipe toneâ exist? Can you achieve it if your band plays different reed setups? And does a bit of imperfection in...
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395 - Have You Tried The "Set and Forget" Method? (Dojo Conversations Ep 65)
Do you struggle to get your pipes into tune when you first start to play? You may be trying to tune too soon...
This week, Andrew and Jim are diving into the 'set and forget' method of warming up your pipes. While...
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