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.

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!

03/02/2026

Why Posture Is More Important Than Bag Size (Dojo U Q&A Session)

Getting your setup right isn’t about endlessly changing gear – it’s about understanding what actually affects your sound and comfort.

This week on Dojo U's Friday Strike-In, Andrew and Carl answer students' burning piping questions, covering everything from bag choice and posture to competition judging and drone reed lifespan.

Here’s what we cover this week:
00:00 – Bag Size & Posture: Does bag size affect blowing and squeezing cadence?
04:41 – Hide vs Synthetic Bags: Tone differences and installation methods
12:00 – Tying In Bags: Timing and humidity considerations
15:40 – Competition Judging: When does judging end in Piobaireachd?
19:10 – Blair Chanter & Ergo 2 Review
20:45 – High G Problems: Why it starts sharp and carving the High A hole
29:00 – Time Guru Metronome App Review
32:30 – Tenor Midsections: Does mixing them up matter?
35:00 – Tuning Game Updates & Learning Tips
37:30 – Drone Reed Maintenance: When to replace synthetic reeds

02/25/2026

How can grade 5 bands “get better”?

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!

02/23/2026

Are Grade 5 Bands "The Primordial Soup"? (Dojo Conversations Episode 155)

What is Grade 5 actually for?

This week, Andrew and Jim answer a seemingly innocuous listener question about whether grade 5 bands should use hard reeds or easy reeds. As they discuss the pros and cons of blowing stability and reed strength, they launch into a deeper discussion of growth, retention, culture, and why so many struggling bands are trying to force competitive intensity at exactly the wrong stage.

If you’re running a Grade 5 band, building a beginner program, or wondering why progression feels like wading through molasses, the future of your organisation won't be built by squeezing more out of a small group. It’s built by creating a space where a lot of beginners want to show up and keep coming back.

Here’s what we cover this week:
00:00 – “Primordial Soup”
02:23 – The Listener Question: Hard Reeds vs. Easy Reeds
03:50 – The Core Question: How Does a Grade 5 Band Become Grade 4?
06:00 – Losing Star Players
08:00 – Why Individual Development Is the Only Path Forward
10:30 – Fun as the Primary Objective
12:30 – Relaxing Standards at the Beginner Level
14:30 – The T-Ball Analogy: Exploration Before Competition
19:30 – When Intensity Actually Becomes Appropriate
23:50 – Quantity Over Quality at the Entry Level
24:30 – Geographic Patterns: Why Some Regions Produce Top Bands
29:30 – The Cop-Out of Forcing Hard Reeds
31:00 – Scarcity Mindset vs. Building Abundance
33:30 – How School Programs Change the Numbers
35:30 – The BHAG Question: What If You Had 100 Beginners?
39:00 – Targeted Coaching for the Motivated Few
40:30 – The Bake Sale Metaphor and Creating the Right Environment
43:00 – Avoiding the Grade 5 Intensity Trap

02/20/2026

Why are pipers always early to the beat?

This week, Andrew and Jim look at rhythm for pipers, exploring pulse, perception, subdivision, and why so many piping problems are actually time problems in disguise.

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

02/19/2026

When does rhythm become pitch?

This week, Andrew and Jim look at rhythm for pipers, exploring pulse, perception, subdivision, and why so many piping problems are actually time problems in disguise.

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

02/18/2026

Have you ever felt yourself losing the beat?

This week, Andrew and Jim look at rhythm for pipers, exploring pulse, perception, subdivision, and why so many piping problems are actually time problems in disguise.

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

02/16/2026

Dojo U Guest Lecture: Adrian Melvin's Deep Dive on Bagpipe Chanter Reed Making

Great tone doesn’t start on stage, or even in the practice room… it starts at the workbench.

This week on the Dojo University Friday Strike-In, Andrew and Carl welcome piping legend and master reed-maker Adrian Melvin for a deep dive into reed making, tone production, band leadership, and the lessons that only come from years at the top level of piping.

Here’s what we cover this week:
00:00 – Adrian’s Background & Piping Journey
03:00 – Getting Started in Reed Making
04:54 – Understanding Cane: Arundo donax & Material Variability
05:18 – Staples Explained: Brass vs. Copper & Eye Shape
06:44 – Shaping the Reed: Curve, Sound Box & Precision Tools
09:14 – Sourcing Cane from Spain & France
11:16 – Tying the Reed: Technique & Setup
13:41 – Finishing Process: Varnish, Pitching & Final Adjustments
18:11 – Cane vs. Synthetic Reeds: Ease vs. Tone
22:01 – Band Management & Avoiding Burnout
25:40 – Last-Minute Competition Disasters (And What They Teach You)
31:25 – Backup Reed Systems & Moisture Control
33:19 – Tuning Stability: Temperature & Humidity Factors
35:52 – How to Select a Quality Reed
37:50 – Cane Yield, Staple Differences & Scale Balance
40:16 – Testing & Quality Control Before Shipping
42:03 – Playing Career Highlights & Major Wins
44:53 – Ridge Cut vs. Straight Cut Reeds
46:05 – Adjusting Reed Strength (Including the “McAllister Wiggle”)
50:29 – Closing Thoughts, Resources & New Chanter Design

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Troy, NY

Website

http://pipersdojo.com/

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