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Piper's Dojo Audio ExperienceAuthor: Andrew Douglas and the Piper's Dojo Team
The Dojo engages thousands of bagpipers around the globe, by harnessing the power of the internet to help connect those in the world who share a specific passion; enriching one's life through bagpipes. Language: en Genres: Arts, Education, How To, Performing Arts Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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499 - Cane Reeds, Ear Training & Synthetic Myths (Dojo University Q&A Session)
Monday, 16 March, 2026
Getting better at piping isn’t about chasing every new piece of gear — it’s about understanding how your instruments, your ears, and your environment all work together. This week on Dojo U’s Friday Strike-In, Andrew and Carl tackle student questions on cane drone reeds, ear training, synthetic chanter reeds, competition judging, and more practical piping topics. Here's what we cover this week: 00:00 – Old cane reeds vs buying new 06:33 – Cane season, setups, and batch buying 10:00 – When cane won’t cooperate (weather and ageing) 12:45 – Championship-winning reeds nostalgia 15:20 – Training your ear to understand judges 18:00 – Should score sheets be public? 20:10 – Why not to stress about ear training 23:30 – Synthetic chanter reeds — challenges and demand 27:00 – Ridge-cut reeds feeling easier after warm-up 29:45 – Member directory: privacy vs connection 31:30 – Ideal 6/8 tempo for drum majors 33:20 – Efficient drone reeds for lighter setups 35:00 – Do quartets improve band unison? 38:30 – Instructor misconceptions in the piping community 41:00 – Getting friends interested in bagpipes












