Putting the swing back into 6_8 Marches

I have observed over many years that the simple art of playing 6_8 marches has all but disappeared in the pipe band and solo piping world.   I take great joy in immersing myself in the fantastic music buzz of playing a 6_8 march with the proper swing.  This article tells about my approach to the …

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Everything you always wanted to know about playing in solo bagpipe contests

Or "Observations of a solo adjudicator after the combined R U Brown solo piping contest and Australian Solo Championships 2019" This article offers some thoughts about HOW to go about competing in solo contests for those inexperienced in doing so.  Perhaps it will also generate some ongoing online discussion and hopefully encourage more pipers to …

The difference between swing and lift and why it matters

Understanding these two piping/drumming terms can provide some wonderful new ways to present and enjoy your music. I often comment on how sad I am that many piping/pipe band musicians don’t get to experience good 6_8 playing; the wonderful feeling of playing with swing. So, if swing is such a good thing, what is it …

3 drone tuning processes

 Time and time again I marvel at the novel and illogical processes pipers adopt for solo drone tuning, including in the highest solo grades.  In many cases, they get their drones in tune more by luck than by design – or they fail to get their drones properly in tune.  Here I present three different …

The First Half of Improvement

I have been spending a lot of time with pupils lately helping them improve the precision of their playing.  A number have been producing generally “muddy” sounding music – imprecise movements from one note to the next, inaccurate timing, uneven sound due to irregular blowing and other issues.  A number of them are improving these …

Correct finger positioning on a chanter

Could YOU improve the positioning of your fingers on a pipe chanter?   This article is for you to think about. It suggests some things that may not suit some people, but I believe it will be helpful to many. Over the last several years, I have come across a number of experienced pipers who …

Dare to play with expression

Why does one piper sound dull and boring while another sounds so interesting and musical? As pipers (and drummers) we are taught techniques of playing bagpipe music. “Hold that low A”.   “Your tune needs some more phrasing”. “That note’s a dotted quaver”. These are good things to think about when you’re learning how a tune …

Great piper ≠ great teacher ≠ great judge ≠ great Pipe Major

Today I had a critique sheet I had written fed back to me from nearly two years ago.   I remembered the particular performance, because it involved an uncharacteristic “train wreck” on the part of the performing band in their final tune. It reminded me that people often don’t realise that judging is a skill of …