This week, Andrew and Jim strip things right back to the foundations of great piping.

What really matters when it comes to clean technique? How do you avoid crossing noises, nail those tricky note changes, and keep grace notes crisp and tiny? And why do so many players get lost in embellishments before locking down the basics?

From fingerwork fundamentals to the idea of “trinary code” and Andrew’s new “target practice” concept, the guys dig into what it takes to build precision, adaptability, and consistency.

Got a piping question or a topic you’d like us to tackle on a future episode? Drop it in the comments or email us: [email protected]

Here’s what we cover this week:

00:00 – Intro & studio catch-up
01:00 – The earwig in the chanter (and the coffee!)
02:30 – Bagpipe fingerwork fundamentals
04:00 – Drills, scales, and why embellishments matter
07:00 – The hardest note changes (and how to tackle them)
09:00 – Crossing noises & clean technique explained
11:00 – Grace notes: the infinitely small moment
15:00 – The three fundamentals of piping
18:00 – Why embellishments are just combinations
21:00 – Diagnosing sloppy playing
24:00 – The problem with rushing to embellishments
27:00 – The “trinary code” of bagpipe technique
30:00 – Target practice: beat, note change, grace note alignment
33:00 – Guitar Hero, archery, and metronome practice
36:00 – Constant adjustment & musical adaptability
39:00 – Simplifying tunes for better practice
42:00 – Why the process never ends
44:00 – Outro and laughs