Would you want to learn to drive in a Formula 1 race-car, or learn to fly an airplane in a Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

Even if it sounds really cool, in reality, high-end sophisticated tools are designed for masters of their craft, and not at all suited for beginners or intermediates. 

Yet, more often than not, a piping beginner has a bagpipe setup that is radically too complex, which creates many more problems for them than it solves.  

This week, Andrew and Jim talk through why simple tools are so important when you’re learning to play the bagpipes. Starting with a basic setup helps you become familiar with essential challenges, avoiding unnecessary gadgetry that can complicate the learning process. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various bagpipe gadgets such as tone enhancers, moisture control systems, and water traps, highlighting the benefits of a minimalist approach for beginners.

Here’s what we cover this time:

00:00 Introduction and Technical Glitches

00:55 The Devil's in the Details

01:44 Head in the Clouds, Feet in the Dirt

03:08 The Gadget Dilemma

04:41 Moisture Control Systems Explained

12:31 Commandments for Pipers

13:40 Learning with Simple Tools

33:46 Understanding Water Traps

34:11 Condensation Issues in Bagpipes

34:46 The Subtle Help of Water Traps

35:15 Ice Baths and Bagpipe Gadgets

37:31 The Importance of Simple Tools

39:25 Complexity vs. Simplicity in Bagpipes

40:18 The Karate Kid Analogy

41:23 Challenges of Learning Bagpipes

42:16 Tone Enhancers and Other Gadgets

43:36 The Case for Simple Setups

50:32 The Irony of Complex Bagpipes

53:56 Pharmaceutical Ads and Bagpipe Gadgets

57:18 Final Thoughts on Bagpipe Gadgets

01:02:35 Monty Python and Wrapping Up

Happy New Year – almost! This week Andrew and Jim revisit some of the highs, the lows, and everything in between – including Jim's hair, which is basically a third host at this point – as we reflect on the pod's progress so far... and some of the exciting plans (and guests) we're cooking up for 2025!  Here's what we cover in (a LOT) of detail this week:  00:00 Happy New Year Reflections 00:20 Reviewing Past Episodes 02:24 Episode 55: Can Rest Be Productive? 03:34 Episode 56: How to Simplify Tunes 05:39 Episode 57: What's the Real Cost of Bagpiping? 07:38 Episode 58: Freeing Up Your Piping Bandwidth 10:11 Episode 59: Do You Own or Rent Your Piping Skills? 12:31 Episode 60: The Tone Zone 15:21 Episode 61: Getting the Most Out of Band Practice 15:47 Episode 62: The Four Layers of Drone Reed Sound 18:09 Episode 63: Constructing a Winning Medley 20:06 Episode 64: Listener Q&A Mailbag 20:19 Episode 65: Set It and Forget It Method 20:55 Episode 66: Finding Your Perfect Drone Reed Setup 21:55 Episode 67: Has Bagpipe Pitch Gone Too High? 22:25 Episode 68: The Ultimate Secret to Being a Better Bagpiper or Drummer 22:51 Episode 69: The Sticky Truth About Chanter Tape 23:29 Episode 70: Play It Like You're Saying It 23:33 Episode 71: Is Bass Drone Tuning Hard? 24:39 Episode 72: Ten Clues Your Pipe Major Sucks 25:58 Finding Your Ideal Chanter Reed Strength 26:17 Reddit Q&A: Hardest Tune Ever Written 26:54 Imagining a World Without Bagpipes 27:24 The Importance of Embellishments in Bagpipe Playing 29:59 Competing in Band and Solo Competitions 30:33 The Bagpiping AI Revolution 30:53 Portent Parade Principles 32:55 Reviving Stagnant Tunes 33:58 A North American Piper's Guide to Visiting Scotland 35:56 More Reddit Questions and Bagpipe Topics 36:40 The Intensity Equation and Finding Bagpipe Freedom 37:35 How to Embrace Failure in Bagpiping 37:48 Pipers of the Caribbean: A Bagpiping Cruise 38:19 Balancing Perfection and Fun in Bagpiping 38:35 The Formula to Beat the Pipe Band Struggle 39:26 Building Stamina and Hot Takes on Bagpipe Reddit Questions 40:20 The Eleven Commandments of Bagpiping 40:44 Writing the First Ever Podcast March 41:06 Reflecting on 100 Episodes and the Power of Immersion 42:08 Secrets of Ensemble Judges 42:54 Daily Action and Upcoming Episodes 44:46 Looking Forward to More Guests and Episodes

In this festive episode, Jim and Andrew present another AI-penned Christmas poem: 'A Piper's Night Before Christmas,' featuring Jolly St Blow, the mythical Highland Loon, and an oddly defensive AI author... Enjoy, happy piping and Merry Christmas from all of us here at the Piper's Dojo! Here's what to expect in today's episode: 00:00 Holiday Greetings and Reflections 02:02 AI-Generated Christmas Special 03:19 Piper's Night Before Christmas 09:11 Analyzing the Poem 11:55 Saint Blow and the Highland Loon 18:26 Toonie Tradition and School Memories 19:49 Concluding Thoughts and Thanks

The mailbag has arrived again! This week, Will asks: “…I want to build a set of pipes, specifically for solo competition… what should I look at for a purpose built solo bagpipe?”  

Andrew and Jim chat through whether you need multiple sets of pipes on the boil for band vs solo playing, whether bore sizes matter in bagpipes, and the importance of simplicity, consistent maintenance, and focusing on the quality of your playing (aka ‘slaying') over the intricacies of your setup.

00:00 Introduction to Opals and Bononos

00:44 Quasi Mailbag: Will's Question on Bagpipes

02:18 The Challenges of Maintaining Multiple Bagpipes

04:10 Advice on Setting Up a Solo Bagpipe

07:16 The Importance of Simplicity in Bagpipe Setup

08:54 Debating Bore Size and Its Impact

12:58 The SLAY Principle for Bagpipe Success

21:04 Concluding Thoughts on Bagpipe Setup

Is it better to do a little bit every day… or a massive catch up session every once in a while? 

If you’ve ever tried to get fit, go on a diet, or even keep your teeth clean… it should probably go without saying that daily consistent action prevails over massive infrequent action, every single time. 

This week, Andrew and Jim explore the importance of maintaining consistent daily habits with your piping. They discuss their personal routines, the challenges faced by pipers, and how integrating a 'one tune a day' habit can lead to significant improvement without overwhelming your daily life. 

Got a topic you’d like us to cover in a future episode? Leave a comment or email us: [email protected]!

Here’s what we cover this week:

00:00 Morning Routine and Teeth Brushing Debate

01:13 The Importance of Daily Habits

04:25 Retainers and Orthodontic Stories

06:49 Daily Actions vs. Massive Actions

11:17 Maintaining Musical Skills

16:25 The 100 Day Challenge

21:33 Morning Bagpipe Routine

21:56 Alternative Practices on Vacation

22:24 Importance of Daily Action

23:22 The Joy of Playing Daily

24:50 Challenges and Solutions for Pipers

26:24 Balancing Practice with Life

28:00 Maintaining Your Instrument

29:44 Consistency Over Perfection

32:59 Daily Action vs. Massive Action

36:58 The 11 Commandments of Piping

41:12 Final Thoughts on Daily Action

Do pipers or drummers make better ensemble judges? This week, Ed Best is back, joining Andrew and Jim to reveal all the secrets about the role of ensemble judges in pipe band competitions. The cover the differences in perspectives between piping and drumming judges, why it’s important to understand both types of instruments, how judges are trained, and challenges they face. They also look at how tune choices impact a band’s overall sound and performance, why practicing and refining judging skills is vital, and how thoughtful musical decisions can contribute to a stronger ensemble performance. Got a question you’d like us to cover on a future episode? Leave a comment or email us: [email protected]! Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 Introduction to Etymology 00:55 Defining Ensemble 01:32 Role of Ensemble Judges 02:30 Drummers vs Pipers: Judging Perspectives 05:53 Training and Preparation for Ensemble Judging 10:11 Challenges in Ensemble Judging 15:44 Judging Criteria and Considerations 29:21 The Importance of Rehearsal and Coordination 34:39 Starting a Conversation: The Rule from High School Band Days 35:31 Evaluating Ideas: The Importance of 'Why' 38:41 Killing Your Darlings: Lessons from Filmmaking 46:51 Ensemble Mindset: The Bigger Picture 47:44 Judging Criteria: Tightness, Style, Sound, and Composition 53:44 The Role of Composition in Performance 57:33 Balancing Complexity and Simplicity 01:01:51 Impactful Simplicity: Less Can Be More 01:04:19 Wrapping Up: Final Thoughts and Takeaways

What is the single greatest correlate to success in any pursuit? This week, Andrew and Jim are chatting all things immersion (including a detour into Adam Sandler movies) and how learning by doing and maintaining an authentic passion can significantly improve your skills. They also touch on the significance of foundational work like instrument maintenance and how it builds leverage for higher-level skills. Got a question or topic for a future episode? Leave a comment or email us: [email protected]. Here's what we cover this week: 00:00 Nostalgic Movie Memories 01:48 Dreams of a Jim Carrey Biopic 02:14 The Adam Sandler Effect 05:38 Memorizing Movies vs. Bagpipe Tunes 15:34 The Importance of Immersion 24:39 Balancing Practice and Enjoyment 30:27 Commandment One: Immersion is Key

It's Episode 100 of the Dojo Conversations Podcast!   Well, kind of...   Anyway, to celebrate 100 continuous weeks of streaming directly into your ears, Andrew's agreed to suffer through all the topics he doesn't want to talk about, but that Jim's been saving up for an occasion just like this... tune in this week to learn more about the nuances of circular breathing, whether bagpipers can use vibrato, using 'non-traditional' notes, and how bagpipe music has evolved over time.  Got a topic you'd like us to cover in a future episode? Leave a comment or email us: [email protected]!  Here's what we cover this week: 00:00 Celebrating 100 Episodes 01:43 The Great Circular Breathing Debate 03:54 Breathing Techniques for Beginners 12:08 Exploring Vibrato on the Practice Chanter 19:38 Bagpipe Techniques: Finding the Balance 19:57 The Rise and Fall of C Natural and G Sharp 20:55 Challenges of Tuning and Control 22:29 Opera and Bagpipes: A Vibrato Comparison 23:50 The Obsession with Technique 25:35 Learning and Teaching Bagpipes 30:07 The Evolution of Bagpipe Music 32:13 Experimentation and Innovation in Bagpiping 33:46 Reflections on Technique and Creativity 37:41 Concluding Thoughts: The Role of Art and Risk

Have you ever wanted to write a bagpipe tune? This week, Andrew and Jim show you how to do it by composing a brand new tune live on air! They discuss the process of composing music, exploring different techniques and ideas such as using a chord progression, incorporating motifs, and the importance of a good musical idea. They share insights on using notation software like MuseScore, the significance of rhythm and melody, and even touch on the importance of repetition and variation in music. If you’ve ever wanted to write tunes of your own, this is an episode not to miss! Got a topic you’d like us to cover on a future episode? Leave a comment or send us an email: [email protected]. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 Introduction and Banter 00:33 Live Tune Composition 00:48 Choosing the Genre and Tools 01:09 Starting with a Musical Idea 02:39 Chord Progressions and Motifs 06:49 Creating the Groove 16:36 Building the Melody 22:00 Exploring Rhythmic Ideas 22:21 Crafting the Fourth Bar 23:31 Using Repetition and Variation 24:36 Adjusting Melodies and Chords 25:40 Finalizing the First Line 28:25 Composing Techniques and Tips 34:29 The Role of Chord Progressions 35:22 Improvisation and Creativity 38:38 Evolution of Musical Ideas 40:03 The Impact of Iconic Tunes 43:20 The Art of Movie Scoring 45:11 Inviting Audience Participation

What if 11 small changes could make an enormous difference to your piping progress?  This week, Andrew and Jim dive into the 11 commandments of mastery – Andrew’s blueprint of habits that lead to great bagpiping, but are applicable to all mastery-oriented pursuits. They look at the importance of mastering fundamentals to achieve creative freedom, common pitfalls that learners face, and why a growth mindset is essential to any form of progression.  Here’s what we cover in this episode: 00:00 Setting Up the Scene 00:53 The 11 Commandments of Bagpiping 01:11 Universal Concepts in Mastery 02:05 Disagreements in the Bagpipe World 04:20 Finding Reliable Advice 05:29 First Principles and Growth Mindset 12:00 Parenting and Teaching Analogies 21:13 Empowering Through Fundamentals 24:14 Discovering the Power of Chords 24:41 Applying Chord Theory to Bagpipes 26:01 The Trap of Linear Learning in Bagpiping 27:36 The Role of Fun in Learning 28:22 Photography and Bagpiping: A Creative Parallel 31:32 The Golden Rule of Creative Freedom 34:28 Specialization vs. Generalism in Bagpiping 40:30 The Danger of Goal-Oriented Mindsets 42:47 Overcoming Common Pitfalls in Bagpiping 48:18 Introducing the 11 Commandments of Mastery