Hints & Tips

Theory Top-Up: Tunes in G-major

Theory Top-Up: Tunes in G-major

By Tim Cummings Piping Today #78, 2015. In this Theory Top-Up series, we have already explored the nine specific musical keys that are most commonly found in our Highland pipe repertoire.  My best guess is we’ve covered approximately 95% of our repertoire in this way.  There’s not much left but […]

The elusive appoggiatura

The elusive appoggiatura

In the spring 2000 edition of The Voice, Dr. John A. MacAskill conducted an interview with James Campbell, the son Archibald Campbell of Kilberry. When MacAskill asked him what he considered to be his greatest legacy, Campbell replied: “… I have taken pride in my contribution in the Piping Times […]

Myelinate your doublings practice

Myelinate your doublings practice

On day 22 of the February Piping Challenge Dan Nevans spoke about the myelination process that goes on in your brain while practicing deliberately. Dan demonstrated a slow deliberate technique to practice doublings going up and down the scale on the chanter. He suggests this consistency is what is needed […]

Power move practice with Willie McCallum

Power move practice with Willie McCallum

On day 21 of the February Piping Challenge Willie McCallum taught practice techniques for the grip, taorluath and rodin. Willie emphasised the need to play them slowly, rhythmically and accurately before building speed, and played though demonstrations of each movement on his chanter. Willie’s video can be viewed again here on […]

Theory Top-Up: Tunes in the Dorian mode

Theory Top-Up: Tunes in the Dorian mode

By Tim Cummings Piping Today #77, 2015. Having already investigated tunes in the keys of A-Major, D-Major, B-minor, A-Mixolydian, as well as tunes that are pentatonic, “gapped”, and those considered to have a “double-tonic”, we have now covered approximately 90% of the Scottish pipe tune repertoire in this Top-Up series. […]

Extended workshop on steady blowing

Extended workshop on steady blowing

Dan Nevans shared a wealth of information on day 15 of the February Piping Challenge. Dan’s 25 minute presentation was on the topic of Steady Blowing. He also detailed how to adjust drone reeds to, “only take enough air to sound consistently”, and how to tune your drones to allow […]

The fundamentals of strikes

The fundamentals of strikes

On day 10 of the February Piping Challenge Finlay MacDonald, Director of Piping at TNPC, discussed the technique of playing strikes, and explained how strikes are one of the three fundamentals when initially learning to play. Finlay’s video can be viewed again here on The National Piping Centre’s Facebook page. Dan […]

Building stamina in your playing

Building stamina in your playing

On day eight of the February Piping Challenge Dan Nevans presented a 30 minute Facebook live stream on the topic of developing the stamina to play your pipes for up to an hour. It’s a very informative and entertaining talk from Dan (with added bagpipe faeries), and is essential listening […]

Theory Top-Up: Double Tonic Tunes

Theory Top-Up: Double Tonic Tunes

By Tim Cummings Piping Today #76, 2015. Imagine for a moment that it’s February in the North Country, and you’ve been invited to a friend’s sauna.  You enter into the thick, steamy, blanketing air of the sauna, which in midwinter feels absolutely wonderful, rapidly softening petrified muscles that have been […]