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

 

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