Should you tune your pipes as soon as band practice starts, or wait until they've settled in? How long does a reed really take to "break in"? And what's the best way to show a new instructor where your playing is at in a single lesson?   Tune in for this week's Dojo Q&A "Strike-In" session, as Andrew and Carl answer these questions and more.   Want to join these live Q&A sessions, ask your own questions, and learn from world-class instructors every week? Join us at Dojo University today: https://pipersdojo.com/store   Here's what we cover this week: 0:00 – Should you tune immediately or let your pipes warm up first? 13:25 – How to get the most from a one-off lesson with a new instructor 17:33 – Do bagpipe reeds really need 10 hours to break in? 24:09 – Andrew and Carl's favourite piping and pipe band albums 28:52 – Keeping your pipes cool and in tune on hot, sunny days

What makes someone ready to move up a grade? Should competitive Highland pipers explore other bagpipe traditions? Why do drones seem to have a mind of their own? And do tone enhancers actually work?   It's a mailbag episode! This week, Andrew and Jim tackle another round of listener questions, covering everything from grade progression and competition mindset to drone troubleshooting and equipment myths. Along the way, they explain why focusing on what you can control is one of the fastest ways to improve, and why social media popularity isn't always a reliable measure of piping ability.   Here's what we cover in this episode:   00:00 – Catching up before another mailbag session 00:37 – Listener questions: what's on pipers' minds this week? 02:28 – Moving up to Grade 4: choosing tunes and knowing when you're ready 04:25 – Are Grade 3 tunes actually more difficult than Grade 4? 06:50 – What solo competitions are really judging (and what they aren't) 13:34 – Why focusing on controllable factors leads to better performances  16:09 – Social media popularity versus genuine piping progress 20:42 – Should competitive Highland pipers branch into bagad or other bagpipe traditions? 33:43 – Why drones sometimes turn themselves back on after you've shut them off 58:32 – The unexpected Truman Show connection, final thoughts, and outro

How much music theory does a bagpiper really need? In this week's Friday Strike-In, Andrew and Carl dig into what "music theory" actually means for pipers, and why you may already know more than you think. Along the way they cover practical tuning advice, playing with other instruments, bagpipe notation software, and finish with a lighthearted brainstorm of bagpipe-inspired baby names. . Here's what we cover this week:0:00 – What is music theory for bagpipers?4:45 – Playing with other instruments and concert pitch16:03 – The circle of fifths: useful or unnecessary?17:30 – How to tune your chanter to your drones29:17 – The best bagpipe music notation apps34:21 – Community Q&A: drumming, summer schools, Dojo history & tune player fixes39:58 – The best (and worst) bagpipe-inspired baby names Want to join these live Q&A sessions, ask your own questions, and learn from world-class instructors every week? Join us at Dojo University today: https://pipersdojo.com/store

Piobaireachd has a reputation for being ancient, mysterious, and governed by strict traditions. But how much of what we think we know about this music is actually history... and how much is simply the result of chance? In Part 2 of their Introduction to Piobaireachd series, Andrew and Jim explore the remarkable journey of piobaireachd through the collapse of the clan system, the aftermath of Culloden, and its unlikely revival during the Industrial Revolution. Along the way, they uncover how competitions, wealthy patrons, early music publishing, and even printing errors helped shape the tradition we know today. Rather than there being a single "correct" way to play piobaireachd, the music has always evolved through interpretation, adaptation, and the personalities of the great players who passed it on. If you've ever worried about getting piobaireachd "right," this episode might completely change your perspective. Here's what we cover in this episode: 00:00 – Toyota Corolla vs. Camry: an unexpected cold open 02:16 – Picking up where Part 1 left off 02:38 – Why feeling intimidated by piobaireachd is completely normal 03:18 – The origins of piobaireachd and the legend of the MacCrimmons 04:33 – Hereditary pipers and the role of piobaireachd in the clan system 05:23 – Culloden and the collapse of Highland society 06:23 – The banning of the pipes and Highland dress 07:02 – How the Industrial Revolution unexpectedly helped save piobaireachd 07:46 – Wealthy patrons, Highland societies, and the early revival movement 08:59 – The beginning of the modern piobaireachd revival 10:04 – When tartan became fashionable 10:49 – The first Falkirk piping competition 11:59 – How competitions shaped modern piping 14:14 – Canntaireachd: the earliest attempts to write piobaireachd down 14:33 – Angus Mackay and the birth of modern notation 16:49 – Why Mackay became the defining authority on piobaireachd 19:46 – Bringing piobaireachd to the printing press 23:44 – Why old piobaireachd scores look so compressed 25:32 – Crowdfunding music publishing in the 1800s 27:38 – Printing mistakes, human error, and accidental traditions 29:34 – Did clan politics influence which tunes survived? 32:19 – Why there will probably never be one definitive interpretation 33:26 – Piobaireachd as the original jazz 35:36 – Why the greatest players always leave room for interpretation 37:50 – Why Andrew teaches the variations before the ground 39:47 – Understanding giosh and siubhal variations 40:55 – Taorluath and crunluath explained 42:18 – Recognising phrase patterns and the Intro to Piobaireachd course 45:30 – Are we actually making musical progress? 47:39 – Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and the strange history of "air bathing" 49:53 – Authenticity versus connecting with modern audiences 53:30 – Final thoughts: preserving tradition without freezing it in time

Ever wondered why bagpipes are tuned "wrong" on purpose?   This week, Andrew and Carl answer your piping questions on everything from why high A isn't actually tuned perfectly, to bagad bands, high-altitude piping, reversed-handed playing, fixing sharp high Gs, and the mystery of an unexpected E pickup in one of piping's classic tunes.   Here's what we cover this week: 0:00 – Why bagpipes are tuned to the drones, not equal temperament 2:38 – The science behind high A and why pipers flatten it
 9:50 – Why top bands "cheat" notes like D, F and B
 12:23 – Teaching young pipers the right tuning habits
 15:12 – Playing with bagad bands and different chanter pitches
 16:43 – The history of bagad bands and Breton piping
 19:42 – What Scottish and Breton pipe bands have in common
 21:25 – Should you learn to play with the opposite hand?
 26:55 – How to use a manometer correctly
 28:59 – Fixing a sharp high G: where to start
 33:09 – What happens to your pipes at high altitude?
 34:31 – Learning the Sardinian launeddas
 35:55 – How to tell a hornpipe from a reel
 41:33 – Indiana Jones, bagpipes, and pop culture
 42:38 – The mysterious E pickup in The Maids of the Black Glen and why sheet music doesn't tell the whole story   Want to join our weekly Q&A sessions live, or get your piping questions answered? Check out our membership options: https://pipersdojo.com/store

Sometimes the best piping stories start with a simple question: “Can you bring your pipes?”   Not all of them end up playing on a rooftop with NFL legends, becoming a viral sensation playing alongside Grimace, or partying with the 60,000-strong Tartan Army though…   This week, Andrew and Jim are joined by Matt McArthur – a Quincy, Massachusetts-based piper, comedian, and longtime friend of Andrew’s from their days studying under legendary piper Donald Lindsay at Invermark Piping School in 1998.   Matt tells us how a throwaway joke at a comedy show escalated into national TV appearances, NFL legends, and becoming the unofficial mascot of the Tartan Army. From piping on a penthouse rooftop alongside Gronk and Julian Edelman, appearing in a White Claw ad he didn’t know he was part of, and having a dance-off with Grimace, this is one World Cup adventure you won’t believe.   We also talk about the power of just getting the pipes out and playing for people – because sometimes the strangest gigs lead to the best stories (and opportunities!).   Here’s what we cover in this episode:  00:00 – “So you met Grimace…” 
  01:41 – Introducing Matt: bagpiper, comedian, and accidental “sports ball legend”
  02:50 – How Matt ended up at the centre of Boston’s World Cup celebrations
  08:00 – The random bar gig that started it all
  11:20 – The Tennent’s shortage and the White Claw twist
  18:30 – BBC Scotland goes viral: “The Americans don’t even know the World Cup is here”
  20:00 – Learning the songs the Tartan Army actually want to hear
  21:00 – The casting call that led to a rooftop TV appearance
  23:55 – Playing live on national TV, 100 feet up!
  28:11 – “No Scotland, No Party” 
  30:00 – Meeting Grimace and accidentally becoming part of an ad campaign
  31:37 – The big takeaway: just go play for people

Ever feel like your pipes have gone from a passion to a chore? On this week's Q&A session, Andrew and Carl tackle your questions about keeping the passion alive, avoiding piping burnout, setting up your practice space, getting the most from your reeds, recording yourself, and more. Here's what we cover this week: 0:00 – Dealing with bagpipe burnout 6:50 – Getting ahead of burnout before it starts 6:50 – Is your practice room too small? 11:32 – How much should you play your band reed? 17:18 – Making the most of the Tartan Army's viral moment 20:02 – Multi-track recording tips 24:08 – The moose valve disaster 27:10 – Will live audio judging catch on at more competitions? 31:33 – Why competition results can take time to appear Want to join our weekly Q&A sessions live, or get your piping questions answered? Check out our membership options: https://pipersdojo.com/store  

Most pipers know that bagpipes don’t always play nicely with other instruments. But why is that? And is there actually a simple way to fix it?   This week, Andrew and Jim revisit how to tune bagpipes to other instruments, diving back into 'just' vs 'equal' temperament to explain why the Great Highland Bagpipe sits so far away from concert pitch, and what that means when you try to play with guitars, pianos, or other instruments.   Exploring everything from the physics of pitch and the history of how the bagpipe ended up being called an “A” instrument, to pitch creep, B-flat chanters, and practical ways to bridge the gap, they discuss the idea that playing with other musicians is really just a matter of understanding the “currency conversion” between bagpipe pitch and the rest of the musical world.   Here’s what we cover in this episode:  00:00 – Why don’t bagpipes sound good with other instruments? The pitch problem explained  01:43 – The drone dilemma – why the bagpipe is locked into its harmonic world  02:56 – The 40 Hz gap – how far the GHB sits above concert pitch  06:26 – Why is the bagpipe called an “A” instrument anyway?  07:36 – Angus Mackay, Highland Societies, and the story of written piping music  12:47 – Historical pitch and why the bagpipe was probably never really at concert A  20:08 – Pitch creep – how competition culture pushed the pipes higher  22:52 – The B-flat chanter experiment – and why the drones complicate things  25:26 – The core problem: the bagpipe A isn’t the same A as everyone else’s  27:24 – How to make bagpipes work with other instruments: the practical solutions  31:55 – Guitar hacks, capos, and meeting the pipes where they are  33:14 – Digital pianos, transposition, and instant pitch adjustments  34:54 – Thinking in B-flat: translating bagpipe music into concert language  39:25 – How to transpose bagpipe scores for other musicians  41:37 – Backing tracks, DAWs, and Andrew’s favourite workflow  44:39 – The currency conversion analogy – understanding the exchange rate  47:14 – Could we just go higher instead? The case for B and beyond  48:25 – The big takeaway: communicating pitch is the real unlock  50:32 – Just intonation vs equal temperament revisited

Real Feedback Month has officially kicked off at Dojo U! On this week's Q&A session, we explain how to get the most out of this special monthly theme, then dive into our regularly scheduled burning piping questions, covering a range of topics including competition etiquette, chanter reeds, tone enhancers, tuning habits, and more. Here's what we cover this week: 0:00 – Real Feedback Month begins 2:28 – Recording and submission tips 11:57 – Sunglasses at competitions 17:38 – Rubber bands on chanter reeds 22:37 – What to do with a reed that's too hard 26:00 – The D throw and teaching methods 32:18 – Tone enhancers: pros and cons 40:12 – Starting drone tuning from sharp 43:12 – An unexpected Isle of Skye story Want to participate in Real Feedback Month, or join our weekly Q&A sessions live? It's never too late to get started! Check out our membership options: https://pipersdojo.com/store

Most advice about becoming a better musician sounds simple enough. But is any of it actually useful? This week, Andrew and Jim work through an article by a veteran bass player and music journalist who offers five tips for becoming a better musician. Exploring everything from self-promotion and procrastination to talent, bravery, and the appeal of "getting back to basics", they take a few tangents (as per usual) into the tenets of stoicism and the ways musicians often try to avoid the work they already know they need to do. Here’s what we cover in this episode: 00:00 – The article, the author, and why his advice caught our attention 03:02 – Tip #1: Embrace the Hustle – networking, reputation, and why relationships matter 11:25 – What Would Ken Do? – lessons in community, generosity, and positive influence 12:03 – Tip #2: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone – overcoming procrastination and adapting when life gets busy 15:58 – Seneca has joined the chat – uncertainty, stoicism, and taking action now 21:58 – Tip #3: Talent Is Overrated – natural ability versus consistent effort 32:34 – Tip #4: Be Brave – why trying new things gets easier once you start 35:31 – Tip #5: Back to Basics – musical reinvention, fundamentals, and finding your roots 45:07 – Shortcuts, shiny objects, and why improvement usually comes back to doing the work