All Episodes
Episodes
354 - How To Get A Grade 1 Band Attitude (Dojo Conversations Ep 26)
Does your band care more about dressing up than the sound they produce? Would you rather be in a Grade 5 band focused on improvement, or a Grade 2 band obsessed more with status? How do you get a top grade attitude in...
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353 - How To Get Great Bagpipe Technique on Autopilot (Dojo Conversations Ep 25)
Ever watched an expert make something look so easy you think you could do it? It's a phenomenon every learner experiences – because you don't know what you don't know. Then as you learn more and do more, even though...
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352 - Are you making music, or just mimicking? (Dojo Conversations Ep 24)
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, as Oscar Wilde's old saying goes... but people often forget the second half of that quote: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to...
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351 - Is Piobaireachd Just For Nerds? With Special Guest Dan Nevans (Dojo Conversations Ep 23)
Many pipers dismiss piobaireachd – classical piping – as too nerdy, obscure, hard, or just plain boring to learn... but this couldn't be further from the truth!
In this week's episode, Jim and Andrew chat with one of...
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350 - The Dojo Origin Story (Dojo Conversations Ep 22)
Ever wondered how two guys running a piping class in a New York church basement turned into the world's longest running and largest online piping school?
Over more than 10 years in business, the Piper's Dojo (and...
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349 - Are You Free to Play What You Want? (Dojo Conversations Ep 21)
Do you consider yourself a musician – not "just" a piper? Do you feel like you can express yourself freely through your bagpipes?
Unfortunately, for most pipers, the answer is no.
In 2021, Andrew published his...
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348 - How Do I Find and Charge for Gigs? (Dojo Conversations Ep 20)
How do you know when you're ready and capable of playing gigs for money? How much should you charge? How do you find gigs and put yourself out there? How should you plan for and charge clients?
Andrew and Jim delve...
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347 - Does Marching Help You Play in Time?(Dojo Conversations Ep 19)
Can you play a march properly without actually marching? Does marching as you play actually help? Do you need to dance to play a strathspey in time? ...and what happened that one time Andrew tried to dance?
On this...
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346 - Are You Taping Your Chanter "Wrong"? (Dojo Conversations Ep 18)
Why do we use tape on bagpipe chanters? What's the 'right' way to use tape? Can you do tape 'wrong'? Can you have too much? What did they use before tape existed?
On this week's episode, Andrew and Jim (Heritage...
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345 - How Do I Make My Pipes Air Efficient? (Dojo Conversations Ep 17)
So you've checked your chanter reed is the right strength, your bag's airtight, and as far as you can tell, you're not leaking air anywhere else. Then why are you still struggling to maintain pressure and tone?!...
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344 - Is Your Bag Airtight? Or Do You Just THINK It Is...? (Dojo Conversations Ep 16)
An airtight bag is step 1 for a bagpipe that's easy to play. But do you know how to check if your bag is airtight? Does it matter that much whether you play hide or synthetic? Does duct tape work as a stopgap...
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343 - This Recording May Be Used For Training Purposes(Dojo Conversations Ep 15)
Do you record yourself when you practice and perform? So many of us are daunted just by the idea of it, but recording is a must if you want to improve at anything. In this week's episode of Dojo Conversations, Andrew...
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