Scraping Bagpipe Chanter Reeds by Vince Janoski

Ask twenty pipers the question “how do you scrape a chanter reed?” and you will likely get twenty different answers. There are as many treatments as there are chanter reeds to treat. Even SFU’s Jack Lee admitted as much in his recent discussion on Bagpipe Nation. In that conversation, he described his approach to “the [...]

Morning Comix: PIPRZ by Vince Janoski

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Pipehacker Tools: The Zoom Handy H2 Digital Recorder by Vince Janoski

On the March 17 episode of Bagpipe Nation we covered the benefits of making recordings of your bagpiping as a learning tool. On last night’s episode we spoke with Jack Lee who says he has had the tape recorder running for the last thirty years (with the bulk up on his site Lee & Sons Bagpipes) and [...]

Bagpipe Nation March 24, 2011 by Vince Janoski

The March 24, 2011 episode of Bagpipe Nation is below for listening and downloading. Hosts Vince Janoski and Andrew Douglas chat with special guest Jack Lee about the finer points of working with chanter reeds, why he began making his own, and the skinny on the “poke, lick, and shave!” Subscribe to the podcast in [...]

Bagpipe Nation E009 3.24.2011 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (746)

Tune Your Drones Like the Pros by Andrew Douglas

Despite the fact that the vast majority of professional pipers tune their pipes in a drastically more efficient way, almost all teachers teach beginners (and intermediates, ack!) the looong way. You know, the long way? Tap off all of your drones Diddle on your chanter “Flick” open the outside tenor drone Tune open tenor to Low [...]

Hacking Bagpipe Competitions: Abandon the Fear by Vince Janoski

I was thinking about the state of US bagpiping and drumming competition. Way back in November I wrote about “The Path to Better Bagpipe Competitions” using Highland dancers and their example. We just don’t have “special” events here in the eastern US. Our circuit is all the same stuff with the same significance and meaning. [...]

Morning Comix: PIPRZ by Vince Janoski

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Small Tunes: “The Favorite Dram” by Vince Janoski

Raise your glass and toast another St. Patrick’s Day passed. Do it and then play this slip jig “The Favorite Dram.” This lively tune breaks the “small tunes” rule a bit by being three parts, but what the hey. It harkens to a melody likely played to “Ho Ro Mo Bhobag an Dram,” a Gaelic [...]