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One of the tell-tale signs of a good piper or a piper of any level who has been taught well is the position of the fingers of the top hand. The optimal finger position lets your hands stay relaxed and strong, and allows you to play clean and fast, with consistency and control. Watch this video of my playing at the Masters Invitational at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow Scotland: Notice how my hands look relaxed and natural. The fingers of the top hand are more or less straight, with a natural curve. Now hold your hands out and take a look at your fingers — note this important but obvious fact: your fingers are different lengths and the finger tips don't line up. A common mistake of beginner pipers (or pipers who never learned the correct finger position) is to try and force the fingers to line up on the chanter which leads ...