Better Bagpipe Blowing: Take It to the Limit by Vince Janoski

You should always be playing at the edge of your abilities if you are committed to improvement. That is a given in just about anything you do. There are many who will say that the outer limit is as far as you can go, that you will go no further, while the more rational and [...]

Hack Your Practice: Become an Awesome Bagpiper With Your Piping Z-Score by Vince Janoski

Setting focussed music goals and working to achieve them is the quickest path to improvement as a bagpiper. But setting proper goals can sometimes be daunting and it can be hard to set the right direction for yourself. In the end, poor goal setting can be counterproductive. But you can stop worrying and perform a [...]

What You Need to be a Better Bagpiper by Vince Janoski

Where do you want to go with your bagpiping? Have you ever asked yourself this? It’s a fair question and one that might make you uncomfortable to think about. We tend to be stuck in the present when it comes to piping. Cramming on tunes, hammering your repertoire, all keep us focussed on what we [...]

The Stranglehold of Piping Perfection by Vince Janoski

“Perfection is the enemy of the good.” —Voltaire Modern times have squeezed just about every drop of time we might have to devote to, well, just about anything. Often, we are pressed for time to do everything whether it is one’s job, one’s hobbies, or one’s family life and activities. There is also high pressure [...]

Bagpiping History Lesson: “Lament for the Earl of Antrim” and Dunluce Castle by Vince Janoski

Post Worlds, the family and I extended our UK trip and took the ferry out of Troon into Northern Ireland. We spent the better part of that week exploring the northern coast of Ulster and region of Antrim. The causeway coast is gorgeous with plenty of sight seeing and natural beauty to keep us busy. [...]

Forget Bagpipe School, This is Bagpipe University by Vince Janoski

These days you can acquire a college degree in just about anything via the internet. Some of the first online degrees were offered through accredited institutions right here in the USA. Now, the first ever comprehensive online piping school launches out of upstate New York where you can acquire the finest bagpiping know-how from the [...]

How Long Should You Practice? by Vince Janoski

Dr. Noa Kageyama has a website called “The Bulletproof Musician.” Many excellent posts to be found on the psychology of playing music, performing, etc. His post “How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice” is an excellent exposition on how to practice “smart” instead of “a lot.” One of the better and more illuminating sections [...]

Reed Anatomy: Synthetic Drone Reeds by Vince Janoski

The last ten to fifteen years or so have seen an explosion of synthetic drones reeds makes out on the market. The modern Highland bagpiper is not at a loss when choosing a make of reed that is suitable to personal bagpipe vintage or sound taste. Stalwart varieties spawned from Ross’s early plastic body and [...]