Day 9 of Dojo U Christmas: A Concert for Christmas
Earlier this year, we caught up with legendary Pipe Major Robert Mathieson, and had a fascinating discussion about his thoughts on 'concert pitch' for bagpipes…
Category: Interest
Day 6 of Dojo U Christmas: The Ghost of B Flat Future
Behind today's door on the advent calendar is one of our most commented on topics of 2021 (just slightly taking out second place behind the…
Compound Interest on the Bagpipes
Just like police recruits often get tased before graduation, I've insisted that our entire Dojo U teaching team needs to personally work their way through…
Nature or Nurture: What Makes a Great Piper?
Nature or nurture? Do the top pipers in the world possess some sort of genetic predisposition that allows them to play with speed, grace, and expression?
Do You Need 10,000 Hours of Practice?
How do you get good at something? The answer has always been practice, practice, practice. The real question is, how long does it take to get good? There is the saying, that has been around for a while, that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. Does it really take 10,000 hours to become a master?
The Adult Learner
By Dr John H Holcombe
Are you an adult learner? Have you ever wondered why it takes you such a relatively long time to learn a new tune, or to get an embellishment just right?
Bagpipers and the Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military award for members of the armed forces of the Commonwealth countries. This award is given for valor in the face of the enemy of the “most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valor or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.” We are going to look at three bagpipers who have won this award.
Bagpipes and the United States Military
From its origin in Scottish clans and culture, the Great Highland Bagpipe has long been associated with the military.
Especially in more recent history, the Highland Regiments of the British Armed Forces, and some of the Lowland Regiments as well, have had bagpipers since their first formation.
The United States Armed Forces has historically had a very close relationship with the British – so the spread of the bagpipes was inevitable.
Bagpipers and Copyrights
Every now and then, heated discussions arise online about bagpipers sharing copyrighted material. For as long as I have been a bagpiper, copyrighted material has been freely shared in every community that I have been part of. Let’s discuss.