Piper's Dojo Audio Experience

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

This week on Dojo U’s "Strike-In" Q&A, Andrew and Carl launch our special "Real Feedback Month" – you can join Dojo U before June 5th for a free 30-day trial and get direct feedback on your real summer repertoire through live critiques, recording reviews, and 15+ weekly classes designed to get your piping performance-ready for the season ahead. They also tackle listener questions on chanter tuning, synthetic reeds, blowing efficiency, recording gear, pitch standards, and more. Here’s what we cover this week: 00:00 – June’s Real Feedback Month: how it will work and how to get involved 04:43 – Fixing a chronically sharp high G: warmups, carving myths, reed positioning, moisture control systems, and alternative chanter modifications 14:03 – Synthetic chanter reeds: thoughts on the Highland Bagpipe SureFire reed, why synthetic drone reeds have succeeded more easily, and what’s still missing from synthetic chanter technology 19:20 – Reed gurgling on E: what causes it, why overblowing is usually the main issue, and how reed strength affects stability 25:27 – Puffing your cheeks while playing: why it happens, whether it’s a problem, and how it relates to blowing mechanics 28:40 – Recording gear and adapters: getting the Zoom IQ7 working with USB-C devices and why cable quality matters 30:14 – Current limitations of AI transcription for bagpipe content 32:00 – Acceptable low A pitch frequencies: why 480 Hz can be completely normal depending on weather and conditions 34:40 – Wrap-up and sign-off

Pìobaireachd can feel intimidating for so many pipers… so why do the people who fall in love with it become completely obsessed? In this first episode of a new multi-part series, Andrew and Jim explore the historic, musical and sometimes mysterious world of pìobaireachd (piob mhòr, the big music, or “peeb-rock”) — the classical music of the Great Highland Bagpipe. They unpack the myths, traditions, gatekeeping, history, and genuine beauty surrounding the art form, while making the case that piob isn’t just for elite competitors or music scholars. It’s a completely different way of experiencing music on the pipes. They explore why piob can feel so inaccessible at first, the parallels between tradition and storytelling, and why learning even a little pìobaireachd can fundamentally change the way you hear and play the instrument. Here’s what we cover in this episode: 00:00 – Introducing piping’s forbidden dinner-table topic 00:40 – Why pìobaireachd can feel like a secret society (and why that barrier exists) 02:20 – The psychology of exclusivity and piob as a “club” within piping 04:30 – Inside Andrew’s massive Dojo pìobaireachd course and how it was built 07:00 – Why your apprehension about piob is completely normal 09:00 – Piob vs light music: why the experience feels fundamentally different 16:00 – What the Urlar (ground) actually is and how variations are constructed 17:45 – How simple melodies evolve into elaborate musical “finger fireworks” 18:30 – The MacCrimmon legend, the Skye school, and the mythology surrounding piob origins 21:00 – Teacher lineage and the idea of tracing musical ancestry 22:30 – Piob as “bagpipers’ religion”: storytelling, tradition, and the mystery factor 28:00 – Gatekeeping, authority, and why modern piob culture is slowly becoming more open 32:00 – Tradition as a guide rather than a prison: descriptive vs prescriptive teaching 36:00 – Why even “boring” piob deserves an open mind — plus a preview of next episode’s deep dive into history and the legendary black chanter