Be a Stronger Bagpiper III: Literally by Vince Janoski

Here’s a story familiar to many. You show up at band rehearsal and the Pipe Major is doling out new chanter reeds. Oh boy! You get yours and pop it in but then the practice session continues for a while and it is finally, mercifully over and you’re drenched in sweat, your sides hurt, and [...]

Junk Bagpipes—Now that’s a Pipehacker! by Vince Janoski

Junk pipe indeed! It appears that the intrepid pipehacker who constructed these pvc and duct tape bagpipes knows Ohio piper Andrew Bova, who gives them a spin in the video below. Full instructions, if you dare, are up on Instructables.com. I imagine, far in the future, after the apocalypse, among the ashes of civilization, that [...]

Pipehacker Project: Recording Your Professional Personal Piping Performances by Vince Janoski

You’re serious about your bagpiping, right? Of course you are. You take all the necessary steps to treat your instrument with care and acquire all the skills and knowledge you need to play good music. So why wouldn’t you treat other aspects of your bagpipe progress with the same import? It always surprises me that, [...]

Pipehacker Project: The Piper’s Perfect Pressure Gauge by Vince Janoski

The bagpiping world seems to be divided up into two groups: 1) The denizens of bagpipe internet forums who are sure manometers, i.e., tubes filled with water, will make them better pipers and talk as if manometers and pressure gauges are as commonplace in your piping gear as hemp and black tape; and 2) everyone [...]

Pipehacker Project: Waxing Hemp-ish by Vince Janoski

Having well hemped joints on your bagpipe is a critical part of a well set-up and efficient instrument. The hemp used should use a good amount of black wax as a base with plenty of wraps of waxed hemp to finish it off. The wax regulates moisture absorption as well as keeps the hemp adhered [...]

Pipehacker Project: Rebuild and Resurrect a Practice Chanter Reed by Vince Janoski

Never chuck a good reed. Wait. Did I say that already once before? Well, it’s true, and if you’ve been at this bagpipes thing for any length of time, you’ve probably amassed quite the collection of old reeds off all kinds. Practice chanter reeds are typically going to give up the ghost more frequently only [...]

The Salvaged Wood Smallpipe by Vince Janoski

Fellow bagpipe addict and pipehacker-in-training Johnny L. stopped by for a visit recently and he is the first recipient of the “Pipehacker DIYB award.” OK, I made that last part up, but he should win something since he has performed ultimate pipehacking and created sets of sleek and minimalist moutblown smallpipes using nothing but a [...]

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Pipehacker Tip: The DIY Pipe Bag Seasoning Funnel by Vince Janoski

Bagpipe bag seasoning is messy stuff. The wide mouth opening of your modern container of Airtight makes it an easy matter to make a clean pour into your bagpipe bag through the drone stock. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always drained the excess through the chanter stock back into the container and that [...]