Hand Position Follies

Last night as I was teaching my AOH Group, one of my students wanted to tell a “funny” story.  As I teach people I find that their hand position can go from good to bad through neglect.  My suggestion was for them to buy a small mirror like a makeup mirror...

The Gibson Universal Water Trap

I’d like to make a product endorsement. When I first started playing the pipes almost 40 years ago, we played everything “wet”. Hide bags, seasoning, cane drone reeds, etc. The goal was keeping everything from drying out. Today we have taken a 180 degree...

Let’s Talk About Maintenance!

As if it weren’t hard enough to play the bagpipe, keeping your instrument in top working shape is a job in itself! I play a lot of gigs so, therefore, when someone is paying me to play and play well, I don’t have the luxury of an instrument breakdown. I...

Time For A Tune Up?

The problem last night, the father of one of my students brought his pipes by for a tune-up. The student is competing in solo competition this weekend at a regional highland games. While working with this student over Skype yesterday, he had expressed to me some...

The Bagpipe Recessional

I think that one of the greatest things about playing the bagpipe is marching. I think most of our audience thinks so as well. I play a lot of weddings and funerals in the course of a year. When the bagpipe is allowed to play inside the church I always recommend a...