The Piper's Dojo

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The Piper's Dojo

We make world-class music instruction accessible to any piper or drummer, anywhere in the world.

The leading online bagpiping school for more than a decade, Dojo University is your home base for becoming a better musician.

04/06/2026

The Hidden Cost of “Fixing” Your Reed (Dojo Conversations Episode 158)

Should you be messing with your chanter reeds?

This week, Andrew and Jim discuss the pros and cons of reed manipulation — pinching, licking, shaving, bridling, and everything in between. Are these habits actually helping your playing, or just creating more problems?

Reed tweaks can feel like quick fixes. But as Andrew and Jim explore, most of them are temporary, inconsistent, and quietly destructive. Drawing on personal experience (and a few cautionary tales), they unpack why so many pipers reach for manipulation in the first place — and what to do instead.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:
00:12 – Skateboarding, chess, and the joy of being bad at things
03:08 – Why reed manipulation is today’s focus
03:26 – The performance supplements analogy (and the Icarus connection)
08:57 – Reeds as precision instruments: why less is more
15:23 – Why all manipulation is (technically) destructive
17:56 – Buying hard reeds to shave down: risk vs reward
22:57 – “If it ain’t broke…” (and why no one listens)
24:55 – Pinching: what it does and how long it lasts
29:35 – The real reason pipers manipulate reeds
32:46 – Licking: pitch, vibration, and moisture science
38:23 – Bridling: the “perma pinch” trade-offs
39:57 – Reverse pinch / poking: opening the reed
40:24 – Shaving: when (if ever) it makes sense
45:07 – Jim’s lunch break experiment: resisting the urge
47:05 – Reed rituals: superstition, habit, and hidden benefits
50:02 – Final thoughts and why Icarus is worth a watch

04/02/2026

Could a stage “alter ego” help you combat performance nerves?

This week, Andrew and Jim dig into why nerves can make performing feel so different from the practice room, drawing on insights from violinist and educator Maggie Watson. Check out the full episode on Facebook, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts!

03/31/2026

Like most piping skills, managing performance nerves get easier with practice. But how can you simulate nerves to practice them at home?

This week, Andrew and Jim dig into why nerves can make performing feel so different from the practice room, drawing on insights from violinist and educator Maggie Watson. Check out the full episode on Facebook, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts!

03/30/2026

Mastering the Variables: Reeds, The Environment...& You (Dojo U Q&A Session)

This week on Dojo U’s Friday Strike-In Q&A session, Andrew flies solo to answer a wide range of student questions, from solo playing tips to tenor reed management, pitch standards, finding a practice space after moving, and more.

Here’s what we cover this week:
00:00 – Solo playing insights
03:55 – Changing tenor reeds: one at a time or both? (plus transitioning from synthetic to cane)
10:37 – Practicing full pipes in a small apartment after moving (and piping vs married life)
15:28 – How high is too high? Understanding pitch standards for bands and solos
23:02 – Do you have to join a band? Navigating limited local options
26:30 – Piping in Scottish schools: professionalism, curriculum, and the SQA
29:31 – Squeezing arm movement: when is it a red flag?
30:50 – Fixing h**p stuck in the chanter seat when removing a reed
33:18 – Practice chanter priorities: moisture control vs realistic spacing
34:21 – Drones in battle: cardio benefit or myth? (history + debate)
35:56 – Returning to traditional gear: where to start with hide bags and cane reeds
36:29 – Cleaning and polishing your piping shoes (quick-fire tip)

03/26/2026

Can you play as well when you practice as when you perform under pressure?

This week, Andrew and Jim dig into why nerves can make performing feel so different from the practice room, drawing on insights from violinist and educator Maggie Watson. Check out the full episode on Facebook, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts!

03/23/2026

How To Turn Performance Nerves Into A Superpower (Dojo Conversations Episode 157)

Ever felt your heart race, your hands shake, or your mind go blank before playing? This episode will help you understand why... and what to actually do about it.

Nerves can feel paralysing for pipers (or any performer). But they're a natural part of performance, and when understood properly they can become one of your greatest tools as a musician.

This week, Andrew and Jim dig into why performing feels so different from the practice room, drawing on insights from violinist and educator Maggie Watson. They explore how perception shapes physiology, why even highly trained players can feel more nervous than beginners, and what separates practice from performance as two completely different disciplines.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:
02:13 – Why performance nerves are today’s focus
03:11 – “I have thoughts, but I’m fallible” – Andrew’s disclaimer
04:41 – Why performance feels different from practice (Maggie Watson)
09:23 – Practice vs performance: two separate skill sets
10:40 – The lava pit analogy: how stakes change everything
14:51 – How perception drives physical response
15:04 – Why better players often feel more nervous
17:08 – Audience perception: competition vs parade mindset
22:36 – Why “just calm down” doesn’t work
23:21 – Reframing nerves as readiness
27:25 – Mental rehearsal and worst-case scenarios
28:35 – Simulating pressure at home (Jim’s Facebook Live approach)
29:56 – Quick strategies: breathing, body scans, reframing
30:14 – The real solution: practicing under pressure
30:36 – The one take rule and performance-style practice
36:22 – Alter egos: Sasha Fierce to Piper Supreme
39:42 – Performance rituals: kilts, tuning, and focus
43:40 – “Knowing the tunes is not enough”
46:31 – Performance as its own discipline
49:38 – Testing yourself under pressure

03/19/2026

What is tempo?

Check out the full episode on Facebook, YouTube or your favorite podcast app as Andrew and Jim continue exploring the foundations of rhythmic understanding for bagpipers.

03/16/2026

Getting better at piping isn’t about chasing every new piece of gear — it’s about understanding how your instruments, your ears, and your environment all work together.

This week on Dojo U’s Friday Strike-In, Andrew and Carl tackle student questions on cane drone reeds, ear training, synthetic chanter reeds, competition judging, and more practical piping topics.

Here's what we cover this week:
00:00 – Old cane reeds vs buying new
06:33 – Cane season, setups, and batch buying
10:00 – When cane won’t cooperate (weather and ageing)
12:45 – Championship-winning reeds nostalgia
15:20 – Training your ear to understand judges
18:00 – Should score sheets be public?
20:10 – Why not to stress about ear training
23:30 – Synthetic chanter reeds — challenges and demand
27:00 – Ridge-cut reeds feeling easier after warm-up
31:30 – Ideal 6/8 tempo for drum majors
33:20 – Efficient drone reeds for lighter setups
35:00 – Do quartets improve band unison?
38:30 – Instructor misconceptions in the piping community
41:00 – Getting friends interested in bagpipes

03/12/2026

What is rhythm? It isn’t just about keeping time. It’s about understanding how music moves – and learning to control that movement note by note, beat by beat.

Check out the full episode on Facebook, YouTube or your favorite podcast app as Andrew and Jim continue exploring the foundations of rhythmic understanding for bagpipers.

03/09/2026

Why Most Pipers Struggle With Rhythm (And How to Fix It) - (Dojo Conversations Episode 156)

Rhythm isn’t just about keeping time. It’s about understanding how music moves – and learning to control that movement note by note, beat by beat.

Welcome back to part 2 of our episodes about piping's most fundamental skill: rhythm. Andrew and Jim continue exploring the foundations of rhythmic understanding for bagpipers. They dig into how rhythm actually works in practice: how beats organize music, how tempo shapes space between notes, and why so many piping technique problems are really timing problems in disguise.

If you’re serious about improving your timing, we'll give you a better understanding of how rhythm underpins everything from basic marches to the most complex piping repertoire.

Want to learn how to master rhythm yourself? Check out our Rhythm for Bagpipers course: https://www.pipersdojo.university/rhythm-for-bagpipers

And you can check out the Victor Wooten video we mention in this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1fhVLVF_4

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

00:00 – Introduction
00:23 – Defining Rhythm: How Musical Events Are Arranged Over Time
04:13 – What Is a Beat? Understanding Regularly Recurring Pulses
06:24 – Beat Notes and Playing on the Beat
10:02 – Tempo: The Rate of Musical Events and Time Between Beats
12:26 – Why the Space Between Notes Matters
13:44 – “Bull Crap Pipers” and the Wiggle & Hope Approach
16:30 – The D Throw Deep Dive: Light vs Heavy (and the Secret Third Option)
20:49 – Victor Wooten and Rhythm as a Lifelong Journey
23:53 – Process-Based Skills: Adjusting Beat by Beat
25:59 – What Is Groove? The Lowest Common Denominator
28:27 – Groove vs Beat: The Pattern Behind the Music
30:56 – Quarter Notes as the Foundation

03/04/2026

Should Grade 5 competition be about winning… or is there a more important goal in mind?

This week, Andrew and Jim answer a listener question about whether grade 5 bands should use hard reeds, but quickly segue into a deeper dive about growth, retention, culture, and why so many struggling bands are trying to force competitive intensity at exactly the wrong stage.

Check out the full discussion on Facebook, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts!

03/03/2026

Is Your Grade 5 Band set up to be “the primordial soup”?

This week, Andrew and Jim answer a listener question about whether grade 5 bands should use hard reeds, but quickly segue into a deeper dive about growth, retention, culture, and why so many struggling bands are trying to force competitive intensity at exactly the wrong stage.

Check out the full discussion on Facebook, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts!

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Troy, NY

Website

http://pipersdojo.com/

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