Treat your Bagpipe Like a Loved One – Part 2 – Chanter Reed Pinching Technique

Monday, October 25, 2010

Be sure you caught the first part of this series – the LICK, posted last week. Next, we move on to the chanter-reed-pinch – possibly the most misunderstood…

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Pipehacker Project: The Black Art of Black Wax

Friday, October 22, 2010

Back in the day, the gooey black bits of “cobbler’s wax” were oftentimes a melted mess in a piper’s maintenance kit awaiting their next turn at a strand of hemp. What is simply globs of pine resin and pitch (otherwise known by the scientific name “soot”), the stuff was crumbly, sticky, and infuriating at the same time but has always been ideal for sticking that first wrap of hemp on your pipe tenons. But what do you do when your chunk of black wax has crumbled to nothing?

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4 Steps to Getting Your Drone Reeds at “Point Zero”

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

“Point zero” is exactly what it implies. It is “zeroing” out your reeds. It is setting the strength of your drone reeds at their starting point before you begin making further adjustments for pitch and chanter reed strength. It is the starting point for your personal tolerances.

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Chanter Reed Strength—Finding the Sweetspot

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Over the many years I have spent teaching and playing with pipers of all levels, one thing has always been consistent: Too many pipers choose chanter reeds that are too stiff and thus too hard to play for them personally.

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4 More Simple Checks for Better Bagpipe Blowing

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Much talk, discussion, heartache, and pipe band judge scribbling is spent over the simple issue of “blowing.” So what is it? And why can’t it be good all the time?

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