Piper's Dojo Audio Experience

As pipers we have to juggle a lot of skills, usually all at once. Remembering tunes, playing with good rhythm and clean fingerwork, tuning, blowing good tone, marching... the list goes on.

But how do you put them all together without maxing out your 'piping bandwidth' – your mental capacity to do many things simultaneously? 

This week, Andrew and Jim chat through the chapter of Andrew's book, Finding Bagpipe Freedom, that tackles how to juggle all the essential piping skills at once to be an excellent player. It's tricky, but not impossible, as long as you follow some simple principles...

Got a question for a future episode? Leave a comment or email [email protected]!

In this episode:

00:00 Introduction to Bagpipe Mastery

00:42 The First Rule of the Internet

01:01 The Truth About Wi-Fi Extenders

02:17 The Art of Coffee Brewing

02:56 Entering Chapter 8 of Finding Bagpipe Freedom

03:07 The Meeting of the Dimensions

03:33 The Rubber Hits the Road

06:17 The Competition of Resources in Bagpiping

14:58 The Golf Paradox and Bagpiping

17:19 Reflecting on Past Performances

19:01 The Difficulty of Phase Four

19:11 Breaking Down the Fundamental Skills

20:21 Understanding the Phases

22:24 The Challenge of Phase Four

23:19 The Importance of Avoiding Bad Habits

23:44 The Impact of Mental Blowing Anomalies

24:34 The Struggle with Tempo Control

25:07 The Importance of Maintaining Skills

25:26 The Challenge of Multitasking

28:40 The Impact of Comparison

33:08 The Importance of Fundamentals

34:22 Wrapping Up the Discussion

Relive all the amazing performances from the 2024 Winter Storm Concert!

On January 14th 2024, it might have been freezing outside, but at Winter Storm – the pipes and drums event in Kansas City – we turned up the heat for the annual concert, featuring world champion pipers and drummers from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, and the U.S. – pipe bands and ensembles, piping soloists, sizzling Highland drumming, and much more!

This year's concert was livestreamed once again by the Dojo University team. We hope you enjoy this audio edit of the livestream, now available for you to listen back to whenever you'd like. 

Recordings, livestreams, and events like those on offer at Winter Storm are possible thanks to donations from kind supporters – help the Midwest Highland Arts Fund continue to bring this world-class event to the United States (and the world via livestream!) each year by showing your support: https://mhaf.org/about-us/donate-volunteer/

Relive all the amazing performances from the 2024 Winter Storm Concert!

On January 14th 2024, it might have been freezing outside, but at Winter Storm – the pipes and drums event in Kansas City – we turned up the heat for the annual concert, featuring world champion pipers and drummers from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, and the U.S. – pipe bands and ensembles, piping soloists, sizzling Highland drumming, and much more!

This year's concert was livestreamed once again by the Dojo University team. We hope you enjoy this audio edit of the livestream, now available for you to listen back to whenever you'd like. 

Recordings, livestreams, and events like those on offer at Winter Storm are possible thanks to donations from kind supporters – help the Midwest Highland Arts Fund continue to bring this world-class event to the United States (and the world via livestream!) each year by showing your support: https://mhaf.org/about-us/donate-volunteer/

Ever heard “you’re not a REAL piper unless you play with all the embellishments as written”?

Embellishments are lovely – but they’re the crown moulding, while foundational skills like rhythm, scale navigation, and so many others are vital to master first…

This week, Andrew and Jim look at how to go back to basics with your tunes, by learning to effectively simplify them. They use Bonnie Anne to give a step-by-step explanation, starting with rhythm, then integrating melody notes and grace notes. Each successive layer becomes more complex, with emphasis on learning only one type of embellishment at a time.  

Episode highlights:

02:07 The Importance of Simplifying Tunes

03:15 The Right and Wrong Ways to Simplify

07:27 The Bagpipe Freedom Process

08:42 Breaking Down 'Bonnie Anne'

22:34 Adding Grace Notes to a Simplified Tune

26:00 The Importance of Writing Music by Hand

26:44 Grace Notes

28:54 Simplifying the Setting: Adding and Removing Grace Notes

31:07 The Process of Building a Tune: From Simplified to Fully Embellished

34:36 Addressing Common Mistakes and Misconceptions in Tune Learning

41:27 The Importance of Monotasking in Tune Learning

48:38 The Benefits of the Simplified Approach to Tune Learning

Dojo University is the longest-running and most successful online bagpiping and drumming school in the world.

We teach thousands of students around the world how to play good music – mastering the art of learning and playing the bagpipes and drums in the process – in a highly accessible way that is completely unlike anything else you'll find online or in person, anywhere in the world.

We created Dojo U because we noticed that too many pipers and drummers were struggling out there in the world. Bagpiping should be a joyful experience, each and every day you pick up your instrument. If it's not, we strive to fix that before it's too late.

And whether you're a complete beginner, a parade or experienced player, a pipe major or drum sergeant, or a pro-level competitor... you can free yourself from musical frustration at Dojo U.

Find Andrew and the Piper's Dojo Team here:

Dojo University Online Bagpipe School: http://pipersdojo.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pipersdojo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pipersdojo
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pipersdojo
SnapChat: pipersdojo

Ever heard “you’re not a REAL piper unless you play with all the embellishments as written”?

Embellishments are lovely – but they’re the crown moulding, while foundational skills like rhythm, scale navigation, and so many others are vital to master first…

This week, Andrew and Jim look at how to go back to basics with your tunes, by learning to effectively simplify them. They use Bonnie Anne to give a step-by-step explanation, starting with rhythm, then integrating melody notes and grace notes. Each successive layer becomes more complex, with emphasis on learning only one type of embellishment at a time.  

Episode highlights:

02:07 The Importance of Simplifying Tunes

03:15 The Right and Wrong Ways to Simplify

07:27 The Bagpipe Freedom Process

08:42 Breaking Down 'Bonnie Anne'

22:34 Adding Grace Notes to a Simplified Tune

26:00 The Importance of Writing Music by Hand

26:44 Grace Notes

28:54 Simplifying the Setting: Adding and Removing Grace Notes

31:07 The Process of Building a Tune: From Simplified to Fully Embellished

34:36 Addressing Common Mistakes and Misconceptions in Tune Learning

41:27 The Importance of Monotasking in Tune Learning

48:38 The Benefits of the Simplified Approach to Tune Learning

Dojo University is the longest-running and most successful online bagpiping and drumming school in the world.

We teach thousands of students around the world how to play good music – mastering the art of learning and playing the bagpipes and drums in the process – in a highly accessible way that is completely unlike anything else you'll find online or in person, anywhere in the world.

We created Dojo U because we noticed that too many pipers and drummers were struggling out there in the world. Bagpiping should be a joyful experience, each and every day you pick up your instrument. If it's not, we strive to fix that before it's too late.

And whether you're a complete beginner, a parade or experienced player, a pipe major or drum sergeant, or a pro-level competitor... you can free yourself from musical frustration at Dojo U.

Find Andrew and the Piper's Dojo Team here:

Dojo University Online Bagpipe School: http://pipersdojo.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pipersdojo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pipersdojo
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pipersdojo
SnapChat: pipersdojo

Do you ever feel burned out at the end of competition season?

This week, Andrew and Jim look at the merits of rest. It's a necessity in the fitness world to recover and restore yourself to be stronger – so could the same be true for your piping? High-pressure performances and competition can certainly be draining if you're pouring time into them, and the downtime can have negative effects on your motivation and creativity. But consistency is really important to stay motivated – so could taking a short sabbatical reinvigorate you, or could it be a fast track to throwing in the towel? 

On this week's show:

00:31 The Importance of Recovery in Fitness
01:22 The Need for Breaks and Off Seasons
01:42 The Philosophy of Prolonged Breaks
02:14 The Role of Consistency in Success
02:58 The Impact of Burnout
03:25 The Joy of Bagpiping
03:35 The Aftermath of Intense Bagpiping
07:58 The Concept of Taking a Break
18:05 The Importance of Creativity in Bagpiping
20:27 The Role of Competition in Bagpiping
22:39 The Need for Breaks in Intense Bagpiping
23:43 Conclusion: Balancing Intensity and Breaks

Dojo University is the longest-running and most successful online bagpiping and drumming school in the world.

We teach thousands of students around the world how to play good music – mastering the art of learning and playing the bagpipes and drums in the process – in a highly accessible way that is completely unlike anything else you'll find online or in person, anywhere in the world.

We created Dojo U because we noticed that too many pipers and drummers were struggling out there in the world. Bagpiping should be a joyful experience, each and every day you pick up your instrument. If it's not, we strive to fix that before it's too late.

And whether you're a complete beginner, a parade or experienced player, a pipe major or drum sergeant, or a pro-level competitor... you can free yourself from musical frustration at Dojo U.

Find Andrew and the Piper's Dojo Team here:

Dojo University Online Bagpipe School: http://pipersdojo.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pipersdojo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pipersdojo
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pipersdojo
SnapChat: pipersdojo

Do you ever feel burned out at the end of competition season?

This week, Andrew and Jim look at the merits of rest. It's a necessity in the fitness world to recover and restore yourself to be stronger – so could the same be true for your piping? High-pressure performances and competition can certainly be draining if you're pouring time into them, and the downtime can have negative effects on your motivation and creativity. But consistency is really important to stay motivated – so could taking a short sabbatical reinvigorate you, or could it be a fast track to throwing in the towel? 

On this week's show:

00:31 The Importance of Recovery in Fitness
01:22 The Need for Breaks and Off Seasons
01:42 The Philosophy of Prolonged Breaks
02:14 The Role of Consistency in Success
02:58 The Impact of Burnout
03:25 The Joy of Bagpiping
03:35 The Aftermath of Intense Bagpiping
07:58 The Concept of Taking a Break
18:05 The Importance of Creativity in Bagpiping
20:27 The Role of Competition in Bagpiping
22:39 The Need for Breaks in Intense Bagpiping
23:43 Conclusion: Balancing Intensity and Breaks

Dojo University is the longest-running and most successful online bagpiping and drumming school in the world.

We teach thousands of students around the world how to play good music – mastering the art of learning and playing the bagpipes and drums in the process – in a highly accessible way that is completely unlike anything else you'll find online or in person, anywhere in the world.

We created Dojo U because we noticed that too many pipers and drummers were struggling out there in the world. Bagpiping should be a joyful experience, each and every day you pick up your instrument. If it's not, we strive to fix that before it's too late.

And whether you're a complete beginner, a parade or experienced player, a pipe major or drum sergeant, or a pro-level competitor... you can free yourself from musical frustration at Dojo U.

Find Andrew and the Piper's Dojo Team here:

Dojo University Online Bagpipe School: http://pipersdojo.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pipersdojo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pipersdojo
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pipersdojo
SnapChat: pipersdojo

Should 'auld' episodes be forgot and never brought to mind? Not a chance!

As 2024 dawns, we're taking a moment to pause and reflect – it's been just over a year since the podcast went live, so this week Andrew and Jim revisit some of the highs, the lows, and the bits we can't remember as we look back on the Dojo Conversations journey so far... and where we're headed in 2024 and beyond!

If you have a topic you'd like us to cover in a future episode, leave us a comment or send it to [email protected].

To register for the first ever EPIC Cruise Journey North, visit DojoUniversity.com/Cruise

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Dojo University is the longest-running and most successful online bagpiping and drumming school in the world. We teach thousands of students around the world how to play good music – mastering the art of learning and playing the bagpipes and drums in the process – in a highly accessible way that is completely unlike anything else you'll find online or in person, anywhere in the world.

We created Dojo U because we noticed that too many pipers and drummers were struggling out there in the world.

Bagpiping should be a joyful experience, each and every day you pick up your instrument. If it's not, we strive to fix that before it's too late.

And whether you're a complete beginner, a parade or experienced player, a pipe major or drum sergeant, or a pro-level competitor... you can free yourself from musical frustration at Dojo U.

At Dojo U, we do things a little differently to how you may have approached learning to play the bagpipes before. One of the key reasons for our ongoing success is that we're always evolving, improving, and growing.

Find Andrew and the Piper's Dojo Team here:

Dojo University Online Bagpipe School: http://pipersdojo.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/pipersdojo

Twitter: http://twitter.com/pipersdojo

Instagram: http://instagram.com/pipersdojo

SnapChat: pipersdojo