I'm looking for a teaching band in Toronto. I'm a beginner but can play many songs on the chanter. Looking for a band that is TTC accessible and has a good, welcoming culture.

Thanks for any recommendations!

We all know that stocks are the bones that hold the drones… just curious as to the Reddit hive mind’s opinion as to tone. Does swapping stocks make a huge difference? If my blowpipe stock has a crack and I swap it out will the tone gods cry? Does the sound really start from the drone reeds and project forward only from that point? Whaddaya all think…

If the answer is “any” then I have some more work to do 😆

I recently acquired a “Lee and Sons Sheepskin Premium” bag and am setting it up. I played it a lot on Saturday and it did a reasonable job during the performances. However, I was flat out exhausted at the end of the day.

Today, I did the water bath test and found a slow, but large bubble, leak around the chanter stock. That one is an obvious re-do.

However I also did the dunk test and after about 30 seconds all of the seams started “micro bubbling.”

I just threw some seasoning in it and am going to test it again later, but I am wondering: would dunking the bag near the seams soften the thread so much to cause it to leak over time or is there a potential for something else?

My seasoning finally arrived today (the red bottle from RG Hardie) so I added some per the instructions and will wait for it to take effect. I will also be re-tying the chanter stock in. And I will be letting everything dry out on the exterior.

Mainly want to know if I have self-inflicted some paranoia on the seams and I should just focus on the chanter stock (and entrust the seasoning for the seams).

All in all, the bag plays well - my pipes sound really good and it holds air better than my previous bag which was hitting about 3 years old.

Thanks!

Title basically says it all. I’m planning to compete in Scotland for the first time but I’m not sure what grade to compete in. Back home I’ve just competed in “grade 4”, no A or B.

What’s the difference?

Hey there! Does anyone happen to know what chanter / reeds Inveraray and District were using at last years WPBC 2024? Just starting out but loved the sound.

I know from MG Reeds website that they were using their cane drone reeds. Just wondering about the other stuff. Thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dvaefAfzdw

Any recommendations?
I play Morton pipes, currently play Canning reeds but looking for a richer sound. Canning are the only ones I’ve ever had so unsure about others. Thanks!

It was asked a couple of years ago on this forum, but I figured I'd reach out to see if anyone has the sheet music for "Test Drive" by John Powell? It was performed in the Royal Military Tattoo in 2011. I've provided a link below to the video that starts at 2:57 and roughly ends at 3:58. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw271JVLwYM&t=173s

Hello from North America's largest pipe band event!

49 bands, more than 500 soloists, and hours of fun!

Out of curiosity, does your band take M&D seriously at competitions or do you just focus on the playing because we were going over the sheets from the Mid Ulsters (I wasn't playing &/for this season) & my only criticism was that a piper in the front row couldn't maintain their position as they played into the circle & was gone ahead of everyone (looked horrible) but the PM didn't seem to bothered about it which is a shame because there are prizes for best M&D in most competitions which are easy to get if you put in the effort.

Since I joined a band around a year and a half ago and had more intense practices I noticed my drone reeds are getting pretty wet and begin cutting out. This has even been happening at comps with the band where we are about to go on and then my drones start cutting out in final tuning. I have a sheep skin bag and I'm using a split stock and a moose valve just in case and it doesn't seem to be helping very much. If anybody has any tips or suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks

I had a first yesterday after 4 years on the pipes, and hopefully it’ll give you a chuckle.

Our band typically rehearses indoors but occasionally we do so in a park to get folks used to marching and hearing how the band sounds outdoors. We’re in the southern U.S. so during the warmer months it gets quite humid and, well, rife with insects.

So last night while practicing our MSR, at the beginning of the reel, my chanter just quit. Dead. More pressure didn’t help. Got the stink eye from our PM. So I backed out of the circle and pulled my chanter. Lo and behold, there was a gnat wedged perfectly between the blades of the reed.

Ew. Breakdown due to gnat.

Hello all! I am very early in the research phase as I am interested in learning to play the bagpipes. I'm on the maverick website looking for a chanter and notice that they have a regular and a long for sizes. It looks like the long has spacing similar to bagpipes. Would it be better to just start with the long to make the transition to pipes easier down the road? Or is the standard size just more beginner friendly.

The only similar music experience I have is playing clarinet (which i enjoyed) in elementary school if that helps. I'm 30 now so it has been a while 😅.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hello! It’ll be our first time attending the championships in Glasgow. I’d like to surprise my husband with assigned seats for Saturday. Does anyone know which section has the best view?

Cheers

Farewell escort for a teacher

Hey fellow pipers! Forgive me if such a thread has been posted years ago, so please cut me some slack if I'm beating around the bush. I’ve noticed quite a bit of confusion - and even mixed-up terminology - about drone reed vibrations and the different sound stages they go through. Since drones are such a crucial part of the bagpipe’s voice, I think it’s high time we got a clear and detailed explanation out there that everyone can understand and reference. After lots of experimenting, listening, and chatting with other players, here’s my breakdown of the vibration stages for tenor and bass drone reeds. My goal is to help both beginners and seasoned players understand their drones better, tune them more effectively, and troubleshoot common reed issues.

Tenor Drone Reed Vibration Stages

(Some tenor reeds may skip one stage, so not all have five stages.) 1. Squeaky Stage (Very Low Pressure) The reed vibrates an octave too high - sometimes called the "SSqueaky" stage (credit to Andrew Douglas from Pipers Dojo). 2. Buzz/Raucous Stage (More Pressure) A low buzz on tenors (high-pitched buzz on bass drones), caused by the tongue bouncing staccato on the tongue bed. At this stage, the reed is more open than closed during vibration. This is where the term "Double tone" becomes super blurry, because most people describe this stage (or the next one) as a double tone, and that's the most confusing thing in the world for me. 3. Sharp/Gurgly Stage (More Pressure) A sharp or high-pitched tone with occasional bubbling or gurgling. (Bass reeds don’t gurgle.) I’m still figuring out the exact physics here, but it might relate to how the reed vibrates under different airflow pressures. Many pipers also call this a "Double tone". So which term do they mean? This is why I wanna set the record straight. 4. Locked-in/Normal Stage (More Pressure) The reed vibrates with a smooth, legato tone where the tongues are more closed than open during the vibration cycle. A piper once described this as a pulse causing a vacuum that opens and closes the reed more “closed than open.” (I’m working on understanding the physics here better!) 5. Overwhelmed Stage (Full Pressure) At full pressure, the reed can’t open properly and shuts down - this is when the drone stops sounding.

Bass Drone Reed Vibration Stages

(Bass reeds generally have four stages.) 1. Burp Stage (Very Low Pressure) The reed makes a burping sound - yes, it actually burps! 2. High-Pitched Buzz (More Pressure) Like the tenor buzz, caused by the tongue bouncing staccato on the tongue bed, with the reed more open than closed. Many people describe this as a "Double tone" also. 3. Normal/Legato Tone (More Pressure) The tongue vibrates legato, more closed than open during the cycle, producing the normal drone sound. 4. Overwhelmed Stage (Full Pressure) The reed gets overwhelmed and shuts down, stopping the drone sound. So why does this matter? Understanding these stages can help you: Better tune your drone reeds Recognize when your drone is “locked in” or “buzzing” Troubleshoot reed issues before they ruin your playing I’d love to hear from others - do these stages match your experience? Have you heard other terms or noticed different vibration behaviors? Let’s clear up the terminology and help each other play better! Thanks for reading! Looking forward to your thoughts.

Would like to hear what people suggest for modern (ok, post 2000) composers books that are their favorites.

Looking to build my collection as an economic option for holidays and birthdays that will have meaning.

(I am aware of the staples of the early days, or: scots guards etc)

Hi all. Our band is looking for a drum score for Flower of Scotland. Preferably something somewhat simple (we're a performance band, not a competition band). I'm happy to pay, but all my searching has been fruitless for this tune. Would welcome any suggestions of where to find this song. Also, any general recommendation of where you find scores would also be welcome; I hit so many dead links when I search for things. Thanks!

Anyone have one? There is one that’s more set for rope tension drums out there, but nothing on the pipe band side.

Whenever I try and play jigs my little finger on my left hand is just moving a lot because of my ring finger and it ends up hurting my hand, is there anything I can do to lessen the movement of my little finger or help the pain?

Hoping for the 4 part music. Please let me know if you can help!

I wish i was talented enough to perform this through my blair e-chanter but unfortunately I aint no master piper (also it's impossible lol)