The challenge of writing a daily blog is having material to write. My students give me what I need on a daily basis. In a previous blog, I wrote about memorizing tunes. I had a student come in tonight who was trying to memorize Johnny Scobie. I had him play it for me....
When you progress from the practice chanter to the pipes, players face quite a transition, simply because the pipe chanter is larger and feels different. Over the course of time, I have had students complain that they weren't happy with their bagpipe technique. To...
I find that a lot of my students have had a tough time with blowing and squeezing. I teach a lot of older students. They work very hard to get to the point where they have pipes and get totally frustrated with blowing, squeezing and playing the chanter all at the same...
It's almost timeFall is fast approaching. I find that this is the time of year when most people start their new projects, coinciding with the school year. I've decided that I am going back to the pipe band world, this time as a player. My bucket list includes playing...
How strong are you? When I ask people that question, they flex their muscles. If I ask that of bagpipers, it’s all about lungs. Let’s face it: Playing the bagpipes is a physical challenge. It takes not only lung power, but lip and arm power as well. My job as a...
Today, while playing at a funeral, I met the son of the one of the limo drivers, a man who I’ve come to know over the years since I’ve been playing for particular funeral home. The son is 41 and was just let go from his job and has moved back in with Dad. Dad was...
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