Daniel Settle: Honor Our Fallen

I always wanted to learn to play, but when I was able to join a police bagpipe band, I finally was able to learn how from the other members. My original goals were to honor our fallen to the best of my ability and to represent my agency with skill and honor.

I always loved how bagpipes sounded and the power behind the music. The music always moved me when I heard it.

My issues were mostly tuning but also confidence in my ability with my tunes and setting up my pipes.

I was 40 when I first started to learn and wrongly believed that set me back. At one time, I wanted to give up. I didn't feel like I was hitting my potential or the standard the band expected and was frustrated and wanted to walk away from the pipes.

I was searching for bagpipe supplies and saw a link to the Dojo, and I didn't sign up for a membership in the beginning, but after some time, I saw the benefit and became a member.

The community is awesome, and everyone is friendly and helpful and encouraging. The Dojo has helped me with my confidence in learning and playing new tunes and has made me more comfortable with working my pipes. I didn't know the best way to set my pipes up for me. Thanks to the Dojo, I was able to calibrate my drones with my chanter and making it easier to keep a constant pressure and consistent tone. I now don't fear learning new tunes and actually seek out more difficult tunes and styles to learn.

I am also more precise and can tell when I need to work more on a particular technique when I get complacent.

I am happier and more relaxed when I perform, I enjoy playing my pipes more and look forward to competitions.

Daniel Settle, Georgia, USA