Advertise on podcast: Piper's Dojo Audio Experience

What if trying to be relaxed when you play is actually a kind of denial – one that could affect your overall development as a piper? This week, Andrew and Jim explore what real control and calm actually look like in practice, why rushing and cramping show up when they do, and how many players end up stuck in a kind of “false chill” that can limit progress. Here’s what we cover in this episode: 00:30 – Why “just relax” isn’t helpful advice 01:10 – The myth of the chill player (and a Bob Marley detour) 01:36 – The chill–tension continuum: finding your baseline 05:29 – Recording anxiety and the tendency to rush 06:05 – Hand cramping and fears around focal dystonia 06:46 – Stuart Liddell’s playing and the sound of real ease 09:57 – Reactive vs proactive rhythm: why rushing happens 10:59 – “Pretending to be relaxed” – spotting avoidance 11:16 – How responsibility changes your relationship to “chill” 12:51 – Pre-chill, false chill, and what’s really going on 13:34 – Why most “chill” is actually denial 14:58 – Pre-chill vs post-chill: earning relaxation 16:39 – What genuine relaxation actually feels like 19:40 – Posture, tension, and diagnosing cramping 25:02 – “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” in real practice 26:16 – Is it fast playing, or just well-controlled? 28:22 – The “victory lap” trick: can you fake relaxation? 28:45 – Avoiding avoidance: the real solution 35:40 – Preparation vs relaxation in great players 37:33 – Competition chaos: making it up mid-performance 38:27 – A practical action plan: record, assess, adjust 40:34 – What “wealth” looks like in your playing 41:13 – Finger tension: finding the balance

This week on Dojo U’s Friday Strike-In Q&A, Andrew and Carl tackle a wide range of piping questions – from chanter choices and reed behaviour to rhythm fundamentals, travel tips, and getting the most out of your Dojo membership. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 – Poly vs. blackwood chanters: are plastic chanters becoming the new standard? 04:12 – Retuning on the fly: what to listen for when your drones drift mid-performance 06:38 – Tapping your foot while playing: why it’s harder than it sounds (and how to build it) 12:32 – Why reeds change day to day: consistency, moisture, and the real culprit 21:30 – Teaching beginners: should you learn all 11 Commandments of Mastery? 24:17 – Flying with your pipes: what you actually need (and what you don’t) 37:28 – Submitting recordings for feedback: how to get the most from Dojo coaching 39:41 – Basic vs. Premium: what solo pipers unlock with a premium membership

Should you be messing with your chanter reeds?    This week, Andrew and Jim discuss the pros and cons of reed manipulation — pinching, licking, shaving, bridling, and everything in between. Are these habits actually helping your playing, or just creating more problems?   Reed tweaks can feel like quick fixes. But as Andrew and Jim explore, most of them are temporary, inconsistent, and quietly destructive. Drawing on personal experience (and a few cautionary tales), they unpack why so many pipers reach for manipulation in the first place — and what to do instead.   Here’s what we cover in this episode:  00:12 – Skateboarding, chess, and the joy of being bad at things  03:08 – Why reed manipulation is today’s focus  03:26 – The performance supplements analogy (and the Icarus connection)  08:57 – Reeds as precision instruments: why less is more  15:23 – Why all manipulation is (technically) destructive  17:56 – Buying hard reeds to shave down: risk vs reward  22:57 – “If it ain’t broke…” (and why no one listens)  24:55 – Pinching: what it does and how long it lasts  29:35 – The real reason pipers manipulate reeds  32:46 – Licking: pitch, vibration, and moisture science  38:23 – Bridling: the “perma pinch” trade-offs  39:57 – Reverse pinch / poking: opening the reed  40:24 – Shaving: when (if ever) it makes sense  45:07 – Jim’s lunch break experiment: resisting the urge  47:05 – Reed rituals: superstition, habit, and hidden benefits  50:02 – Final thoughts and why Icarus is worth a watch

This week on Dojo U’s Friday Strike-In, Andrew flies solo to answer a wide range of student questions, from solo playing tips to tenor reed management, pitch standards, finding a practice space after moving, and more. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 – Solo playing insights 03:55 – Changing tenor reeds: one at a time or both? (plus transitioning from synthetic to cane) 10:37 – Practicing full pipes in a small apartment after moving (and piping vs married life) 15:28 – How high is too high? Understanding pitch standards for bands and solos 23:02 – Do you have to join a band? Navigating limited local options 26:30 – Piping in Scottish schools: professionalism, curriculum, and the SQA 29:31 – Squeezing arm movement: when is it a red flag? 30:50 – Fixing hemp stuck in the chanter seat when removing a reed 33:18 – Practice chanter priorities: moisture control vs realistic spacing 34:21 – Drones in battle: cardio benefit or myth? (history + debate) 35:56 – Returning to traditional gear: where to start with hide bags and cane reeds 36:29 – Cleaning and polishing your piping shoes (quick-fire tip)

Ever felt your heart race, your hands shake, or your mind go blank before playing? This episode will help you understand why... and what to actually do about it.   Nerves can feel paralysing for pipers (or any performer). But they're a natural part of performance, and when understood properly they can become one of your greatest tools as a musician.   This week, Andrew and Jim dig into why performing feels so different from the practice room, drawing on insights from violinist and educator Maggie Watson. They explore how perception shapes physiology, why even highly trained players can feel more nervous than beginners, and what separates practice from performance as two completely different disciplines.   Here’s what we cover in this episode: 02:13 – Why performance nerves are today’s focus 03:11 – “I have thoughts, but I’m fallible” – Andrew’s disclaimer 04:41 – Why performance feels different from practice (Maggie Watson) 09:23 – Practice vs performance: two separate skill sets 10:40 – The lava pit analogy: how stakes change everything 14:51 – How perception drives physical response 15:04 – Why better players often feel more nervous 17:08 – Audience perception: competition vs parade mindset 22:36 – Why “just calm down” doesn’t work 23:21 – Reframing nerves as readiness 27:25 – Mental rehearsal and worst-case scenarios 28:35 – Simulating pressure at home (Jim’s Facebook Live approach) 29:56 – Quick strategies: breathing, body scans, reframing 30:14 – The real solution: practicing under pressure 30:36 – The one take rule and performance-style practice 36:22 – Alter egos: Sasha Fierce to Piper Supreme 39:42 – Performance rituals: kilts, tuning, and focus 43:40 – “Knowing the tunes is not enough” 46:31 – Performance as its own discipline 49:38 – Testing yourself under pressure

Getting better at piping isn’t about chasing every new piece of gear — it’s about understanding how your instruments, your ears, and your environment all work together. This week on Dojo U’s Friday Strike-In, Andrew and Carl tackle student questions on cane drone reeds, ear training, synthetic chanter reeds, competition judging, and more practical piping topics.  Here's what we cover this week: 00:00 – Old cane reeds vs buying new 06:33 – Cane season, setups, and batch buying 10:00 – When cane won’t cooperate (weather and ageing) 12:45 – Championship-winning reeds nostalgia 15:20 – Training your ear to understand judges 18:00 – Should score sheets be public? 20:10 – Why not to stress about ear training 23:30 – Synthetic chanter reeds — challenges and demand 27:00 – Ridge-cut reeds feeling easier after warm-up 29:45 – Member directory: privacy vs connection 31:30 – Ideal 6/8 tempo for drum majors 33:20 – Efficient drone reeds for lighter setups 35:00 – Do quartets improve band unison? 38:30 – Instructor misconceptions in the piping community 41:00 – Getting friends interested in bagpipes

Rhythm isn’t just about keeping time. It’s about understanding how music moves – and learning to control that movement note by note, beat by beat. Welcome back to part 2 of our episodes about piping's most fundamental skill: rhythm. Andrew and Jim continue exploring the foundations of rhythmic understanding for bagpipers. They dig into how rhythm actually works in practice: how beats organize music, how tempo shapes space between notes, and why so many piping technique problems are really timing problems in disguise. If you’re serious about improving your timing, we'll give you a better understanding of how rhythm underpins everything from basic marches to the most complex piping repertoire. Want to learn how to master rhythm yourself? Check out our Rhythm for Bagpipers course: https://www.pipersdojo.university/rhythm-for-bagpipers And you can check out the Victor Wooten video we mention in this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1fhVLVF_4 Here’s what we cover in this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 00:23 – Defining Rhythm: How Musical Events Are Arranged Over Time 04:13 – What Is a Beat? Understanding Regularly Recurring Pulses 06:24 – Beat Notes and Playing on the Beat 10:02 – Tempo: The Rate of Musical Events and Time Between Beats 12:26 – Why the Space Between Notes Matters 13:44 – “Bull Crap Pipers” and the Wiggle & Hope Approach 16:30 – The D Throw Deep Dive: Light vs Heavy (and the Secret Third Option) 20:49 – Victor Wooten and Rhythm as a Lifelong Journey 23:53 – Process-Based Skills: Adjusting Beat by Beat 25:59 – What Is Groove? The Lowest Common Denominator 28:27 – Groove vs Beat: The Pattern Behind the Music 30:56 – Quarter Notes as the Foundation  

Getting your setup right isn’t about endlessly changing gear – it’s about understanding what actually affects your sound and comfort. This week on Dojo U's Friday Strike-In, Andrew and Carl answer students' burning piping questions, covering everything from bag choice and posture to competition judging and drone reed lifespan. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 – Bag Size & Posture: Does bag size affect blowing and squeezing cadence? 04:41 – Hide vs Synthetic Bags: Tone differences and installation methods 12:00 – Tying In Bags: Timing and humidity considerations 15:40 – Competition Judging: When does judging end in Piobaireachd? 19:10 – Blair Chanter & Ergo 2 Review 20:45 – High G Problems: Why it starts sharp and carving the High A hole 29:00 – Time Guru Metronome App Review 32:30 – Tenor Midsections: Does mixing them up matter? 35:00 – Tuning Game Updates & Learning Tips 37:30 – Drone Reed Maintenance: When to replace synthetic reeds

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 stability and reed strength, they launch into a deeper discussion of growth, retention, culture, and why so many struggling bands are trying to force competitive intensity at exactly the wrong stage.  If you’re running a Grade 5 band, building a beginner program, or wondering why progression feels like wading through molasses, the future of your organisation won't be built by squeezing more out of a small group. It’s built by creating a space where a lot of beginners want to show up and keep coming back. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 – “Primordial Soup” 02:23 – The Listener Question: Hard Reeds vs. Easy Reeds 03:50 – The Core Question: How Does a Grade 5 Band Become Grade 4? 06:00 – Losing Star Players 08:00 – Why Individual Development Is the Only Path Forward 10:30 – Fun as the Primary Objective 12:30 – Relaxing Standards at the Beginner Level 14:30 – The T-Ball Analogy: Exploration Before Competition 19:30 – When Intensity Actually Becomes Appropriate 23:50 – Quantity Over Quality at the Entry Level 24:30 – Geographic Patterns: Why Some Regions Produce Top Bands 29:30 – The Cop-Out of Forcing Hard Reeds 31:00 – Scarcity Mindset vs. Building Abundance 33:30 – How School Programs Change the Numbers 35:30 – The BHAG Question: What If You Had 100 Beginners? 39:00 – Targeted Coaching for the Motivated Few 40:30 – The Bake Sale Metaphor and Creating the Right Environment 43:00 – Avoiding the Grade 5 Intensity Trap  

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 fundamental: rhythm as the organising force of all music, and even of time itself. What starts as a discussion about rhythm for pipers quickly becomes a deeper exploration of pulse, perception, subdivision, and why so many piping problems are actually time problems in disguise. This is part one of a foundational series that reframes rhythm not as a mechanical skill, but as a way of understanding how music moves, breathes, and exists. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 – Introduction & a Timely Segue 02:26 – What Is Rhythm for Bagpipers, Really? 03:14 – Music as the Art of Time (Not Just Sound) 04:28 – Why Sound Cannot Exist Without Time 08:52 – Piobaireachd and the Subtleties of Time 12:20 – Introducing the Rhythm Course 13:34 – Defining the Big Three: Beat, Tempo, Rhythm 15:03 – Audio Example: Active Child – “Hanging On” 16:49 – What Is a Beat? Definitions and Real-World Examples 21:52 – Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (and Why It Matters) 23:35 – Subdivisions and the Infinite Scale of Rhythm 25:00 – Frequency, Pitch, and the Fifth Interval 28:19 – Bagpipe Example: Angus MacColl 31:52 – Why Playing with Audience Clapping Is So Hard 36:00 – Spotting “Time Problems” Disguised as Musical Problems 37:15 – Victor Wooten, the Metronome, and Feel vs. Precision Check out the Victor Wooten video we mention in this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1fhVLVF_4

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 piping, from drone reed warm-up and finger speed to pibroch traditions and playing with other instruments. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:05 – Do Drone Reeds Need to Warm Up? 06:00 – Interactive Player Harmony & Feature Updates 06:55 – How to Get Faster Fingers (Without Shortcuts) 15:30 – Why Pibroch Players Walk While Playing 19:00 – Five Phases to Bagpipe Freedom Course Overview 25:10 – Standard vs B-Flat Chanter Explained 30:00 – Concert Pitch & Playing with Other Instruments

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 wide-ranging (and very relatable) conversation about generalism vs. specialism – why we feel pressure to pick one lane in piping and drumming, whether side interests actually hold us back, and how curiosity, play, and cross-training might be the real long game. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:01 – Banter and a Hand Drum 05:45 – The Listener Question: Will Drumming Hurt My Piping? 06:41 – The Core Fear: If I Split My Focus, Do I Lose My Edge? 07:31 – Ancient Survival vs. Modern Choice: Where Specialisation Comes From 09:31 – Now We Get to Choose — So Why Does It Feel So Hard? 10:26 – Paralysis by Analysis & the Overwhelm of Too Many Options 11:56 – Infinite Choice, Infinite Potential… Infinite Stress 17:42 – When Another Instrument Feels Like a Calling 22:03 – Barrier to Entry vs. Restorative, Fun Activities 23:03 – Discipline vs. Enjoyment: The Tension We All Feel 23:49 – Maybe It’s Not Either/Or — Maybe It’s a Mix 25:00 – Could Drumming Actually Improve Your Piping? 26:25 – The “Range” Idea: Why Generalists Can Thrive in a Specialist World 27:19 – Generalism as a Modern Advantage 29:41 – Cross-Training in the Arts 35:11 – The Gym Analogy: Training Different “Muscle Groups” of Skill 35:34 – How Multiple Passions Create Unexpected Connections 36:10 – Cross-Pollination Between Skills 37:05 – The Plateau Problem with Early Specialisation 38:01 – Pressure on Kids to Pick One Thing Too Soon 40:02 – When Success Turns Into Golden Handcuffs 40:39 – Why the Cost of Trying Something New Is Usually Low 41:29 – The Myth of “World Class” as a Decision-Making Tool 42:47 – Being More Relaxed as a Path to Better Outcomes 45:37 – You Only Go Far If You Actually Enjoy It 48:29 – Notice This: Many Top Players Are Actually Generalists 50:49 – Random Skills That Pay Off Later (Typing Story) 52:37 – So… Does Generalism Triumph?

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 World Champion Pipers and Drummers from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, and the US, pipe bands and ensembles, piping soloists, sizzling Highland drumming, and much more. This audio was clipped from the Winter Storm Concert livestream provided by the Piper's Dojo / Dojo University. Events like Winter Storm are possible thanks to donations from kind supporters – help them continue to bring this world-class event to the United States (and the world via livestream!) each year by donating to the Midwest Highland Arts Fund today: https://mhaf.org/product/donations-payments/

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 elevation to why soaking your reeds is a bad idea in dry environments, the conversation is packed with practical advice you can actually use. Things heat up with a passionate discussion on tone enhancers – including why Carl wants to rip them out of your drones and Andrew is (slightly) more forgiving. We also dive into memory tricks for tricky pickup notes, the psychology of learning tunes, and whether you really need to take your burls so seriously. The episode wraps with a grounded look at competition score sheets and how to read judge feedback without spiralling. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 – Intro & Welcome 00:00 – High G Hole Tuning at Elevation 07:30 – Moisture Management in Dry Climates 12:00 – Plastic Bag Storage & Humidity Control 19:00 – When Your Mid Tenor Drone Won’t Stay Off 23:00 – The Great Tone Enhancer Debate 28:00 – Graduating from Tone Enhancers 31:00 – Balance Tone Drones (Andrew Admits Ken Was Right… Sort Of) 33:00 – Why Pickup Notes Are Easy to Forget 40:00 – The Deer on the Road Analogy for Learning Tunes 43:00 – The Great Burl Consistency Question 48:00 – Reading Competition Score Sheets Without Overreacting

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 prepared. Whether you’re aiming to move up a grade, make the band, or simply play better than you did last year, this episode gives you a clear path forward. They break down exactly how top pipers structure their year, build tempo in a sustainable way, stay accountable, and avoid the last-minute panic that so many of us know too well. From setting up your “sacred practice space” to surviving life’s inevitable interruptions, this is a practical, no-nonsense guide to real progress. 6 months from now, you could be wishing you’d started… or you could be walking into the season feeling unstoppable. Check out the 6-month plan here: https://www.pipersdojo.university/6monthplan Here's what we cover this week: 00:00 – The coffee analogy 00:30 – Failure to plan is planning to fail 00:40 – Why now is the perfect time for a 6-month plan 01:40 – What “next level” really means 04:30 – The importance of unplugging 06:10 – Setting up your calendar (26–28 weeks out) 10:50 – Preparing your materials and practice space 11:40 – The sacred practice space concept 14:30 – Closet-door practice setup hack 15:30 – Why you need a recording device 16:00 – Creating your feedback plan 18:30 – Wildcards: micro and macro interruptions 20:10 – The maintenance routine explained 21:30 – Building in buffer weeks 23:00 – Important omissions from the plan 23:50 – Why tuning isn’t explicitly included 24:20 – Expression and phrasing: not what’s holding you back 26:50 – The tempo strategy explained 28:00 – Starting at 50% tempo 29:00 – The clever tempo ramping system 30:30 – Metronome magnification techniques 32:10 – Customizing the plan for your life 35:30 – Block 1: Tune prospects and building 37:30 – Block 2: Narrowing down to two tunes 39:30 – Block 3: Memorisation focus 40:00 – Testing tunes at low-stakes gigs 41:00 – Block 4: Painfully slow embellishments 45:30 – Block 5: Rhythmic accuracy (ASAP) 46:00 – Block 6: Go time – all bagpipes, no practice chanter 47:00 – The feeling of being truly prepared 48:00 – Wrap up & where to get the plan