Hacking Bagpipe Competitions: Create a Meaningful Experience by Vince Janoski

The first round of the Bagadou championships was held in Brest, Brittany a couple of weeks ago. An amazing event. The contest features the top level bagad ensembles performing for about ten minutes to a relatively large audience by the sound of it. Viewers of the online live stream numbered near 2,000 at one point. [...]

Bagpipe Chain Reactions and Meltdowns by Vince Janoski

I don’t know why, but the demise of the City of Chicago Pipe Band leaves me feeling extra sad for American bagpiping. Sure, I’ve seen good bands come and go in my time, but this hits at a particular time when US piping and drumming seemed to be on a general upswing in quality and [...]

Solo Piping Videos from the Metro Cup by Vince Janoski

May the blessings of G.S. McLennan be upon YouTube user ffmpad for he/she has uploaded video from this past Saturday’s Metro Cup. Alas, I missed it this year but the internet provides… Here are the medley performances of Chris Armstrong and Angus MacColl who were third and first respectively. There could not be two more [...]

Small Tunes Podcast: “Hodin Hiotra,” One of the Cragich, from the Campbell Canntaireachd by Vince Janoski

On this episode I present an unpublished piobaireachd interpreted directly from the Nether Lorn Canntaireachd, or Campbell Canntaireachd as it is known. The two volumes of the Campbell Canntaireachd have been an inexhaustible resource for students of piobaireachd for nearly two hundred years. The original manuscripts still exist at the Royal Library in Edinburgh and [...]

Small Tunes: Vintage Melodies from the Bagpipe Tradition 010 Hodin Hiotra [ 11:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (426)

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 [...]

10 Personal Bagpipe Resolutions for the Coming Year by Vince Janoski

Now that we are on the brink of another year’s turn, it seems a good a time as any to refresh your list of bagpiping resolutions. A happy, healthy, and prosperous year to all! The hubbub of the holiday season is over. You can now focus more on bagpipes! Whether or not you are considering [...]

Pipehacker Tip: Tracking Your Practice by Vince Janoski

Time is a valuable thing. Given the demands of everyday living, it is often hard to fit in the full amount of time one needs for good practice. An active solo competing piper can reach a point where he or she is developing and polishing 15 or more separate pieces of music. A band player [...]

Friday Fun: Shaun the Sheep’s Bagpipe Buddy by Vince Janoski

OK, let’s be clear, the problem with this episode is the obvious solution to the burst bag is the skin of one of those fuzzy critters. Nevertheless, Shaun the Sheep is my new favorite show. I have also been known to have the same reaction as the farmer when I pick up my own bagpipes. [...]