687 of my lessons and class replays, searchable to the minute — from 12+ years of my live teaching. Search for anything, start a course, pick up a tune, or say hello in the community.
I teach a live class every week. Every one is recorded and lands in the library a few days later, searchable to the minute.
Fresh from the live sessions — each with The Short Version, chapters, full transcript, and minute-level search.
Most pipers spend more time on the practice chanter than on their actual bagpipes, yet the reed inside it gets almost no attention. I walk through…
I put a set of Selbie drone reeds through a hands-on demonstration to show why they've become known for being plug-and-play. Rather than just…
This session is a live, end-to-end demonstration of how I take a brand-new chanter reed from the box to fully tuned bagpipes. Prompted by member…
A small but lively practice chanter session: A member reports progress on bellows pipes, another member — six months into the full pipes — describes…
This session tackles the single biggest transition in a piper's journey: moving from the practice chanter to the full bagpipe. I frame it with my…
Every piper knows the feeling of not being sure what they're going to get when they pull out their pipes: some days the reed feels great, other days…
I picked these myself: a guide to read, a lesson to watch, a replay to work along with. Pick one and go.
Eleven curated topics cover the whole journey — from your first notes on the practice chanter to the competition boards.
Brand new to the pipes, or building your foundation? Start here: practice chanter fundamentals, first tunes,…
→Doublings, gracenotes, taorluaths, birls, and the daily workouts that build fast, clean, relaxed fingers.…
→Steady blowing, drone tuning, chanter pitch, and the setup details that turn a hard-to-hear instrument into a …
→How to learn tunes faster and remember them forever — by sheet music, by ear, and everything in between.…
→Pointing, pulsing, phrasing, and the musical decisions that separate playing the notes from playing the tune.…
→Reeds, hemp, moisture control, seasoning, and diagnosing exactly why your pipes feel hard — with fixes that…
→From your very first contest to the big stage: what to expect, how to prepare, and how to perform your best…
→Guided tours of the greatest tunes — marches, hornpipes, jigs, slow airs — and what makes each one worth…
→Smarter practice in less time: routines, goal-setting, motivation, and the common pitfalls that hold pipers…
→Monthly live play-along workouts on the practice chanter. Warm up, tighten your technique, and play with…
→Member videos, open sessions, interviews, and everything else from 12+ years of the Inner Circle community.…
The new Inner Circle Lesson Library is built around one question: “What do you want to learn?”
Recording, note-by-note lesson, sheet music, and a bonus sheet — every tune is a full package. Plus the 31-part Bagpipe Essentials Masterclass.
Everything I've ever taught about a topic — the essentials, my best quotes, and timestamped links straight into the classes where I teach it.
Four beats a bar, twelve eighth notes total — the rarest compound-time march, and a 6/8 in every way except th
→Two beats a bar, dot-cut throughout — the backbone of solo and pipe band competition.
→Three beats a bar, wide open space on the page — bagpiping's simplest, most laid-back march.
→Four steady beats a bar — the march that shares its time signature with the strathspey, but none of its dot-cu
→Two beats a bar, three eighth notes to a beat — the dot-cut march that shares its time signature with the jig.
→Three beats a bar instead of two — the same dot-cut building block as a 6/8, with a laid-back feel and a short
→Starting and stopping the pipes cleanly — the strike-in that gets the drones singing on cue, and the consisten
→Sizing your bag and blowpipe, keeping the bag from sliding around, and telling ordinary soreness from a fit pr
Hand-picked sets of classes that take you from where you are to where you want to be.
The right first year: build clean fundamentals on the practice chanter and make the jump to the pipes without bad habits
→Everything between you and an easy, great-sounding bagpipe: reeds, moisture, maintenance, and diagnosis.
→From steady blowing to locked-in drones: the complete system for a bagpipe that sounds professional.
→Technique bootcamp: doublings, dexterity, top-hand control, and the drills that build speed you can trust.
→From your first contest entry to performing your best on the day — preparation, strategy, and nerves.
→Beyond the notes: expression, phrasing, and the musical decisions that make judges and audiences listen.
→The complete first-year roadmap — from picking the right gear to your first tune on the pipes, in the order that actuall
→Picked the pipes back up after time away? Reassess your gear, rebuild your ear, and get back to playing shape fast.
→Your entry point into piobaireachd — understand the form, learn the embellishments, and build the ear before you tackle
→Master the 2/4 march — the backbone of competition light music — from timing fundamentals to the composers who defined t
→The lighter side of competition and recital playing — timing, swing, and the tunes that make hornpipes and jigs a joy to
→The tunes for memorials, weddings, and quiet moments — phrasing, breath control, and the standards every piper should ha
→Less time, better results — the systems, drills, and mindset shifts that make practice actually stick.
→From solo gigs to marching in formation — the steady blowing, band discipline, and business sense that make you hireable
→Build a ready-to-play holiday set — the right carols, minimal ornamentation, and a plan for hitting them without a hitch
→A focused deep-dive on the skill every tune-up depends on: get your three drones locked in with each other and with low
→Set up and fine-tune the chanter itself — reed position, tape, and the tools that get every note precisely in tune.
→Everything about the reed that actually drives your sound — selecting, breaking in, diagnosing, and keeping one performi
→The full checkup routine that keeps a bagpipe airtight, efficient, and easy to play — not hard work.
→The blowing method behind a tone that never wavers, whether you're on the practice chanter or holding a note under press
→A step-by-step system for picking up new tunes by ear and by eye, so you spend less time stuck and more time playing.
→What to know about bags, materials, and specific instruments before you spend money on a new set of pipes.
→The apps, tools, and AI assistants that can support your practice, laid out from simple to more involved.
→A guided tour of standout tunes and the people who wrote them, to build your musical knowledge beyond your own repertoir
→Practical fixes for the aches piping can cause, paired with the mindset habits that keep you playing long term.
→I walk you through every layer of moisture defense so your reeds and drones stay dry, stable, and in tune.
→I help you match your bag size and blowpipe setup to your body so playing feels comfortable instead of like a fight.
→I take you from the concept of a clean doubling to a full finger workout that makes it automatic.
→I build your embellishment technique from the gracenotes up through the crunluath family, one movement at a time.
→I fix your hand position first, because every gracenote you'll ever play depends on it.
→I take you past the starter movements into the embellishments and repertoire that define Ceol Mor at a high level.
→I take specific tunes apart phrase by phrase so you learn to hear why they work, not just how to play them.
→I take you outside the standard competition repertoire into Irish, continental, and classic Highland traditions.
→I show you how pointing and pulsing turn a strathspey and reel from correct notes into real dance music.
→I teach you both ways to learn a tune so you're never stuck when the sheet music — or your ear — lets you down.
→I run you through a progression of structured chanter workouts that build speed and cleanliness session by session.
→I get you playing full sets on the actual bagpipe alongside me, not just drilling on the chanter.
→I coach real member submissions live so you can learn from feedback that isn't aimed at you — until it is.
→I answer the questions I get asked most, pulled from real live sessions across every corner of piping.
→I help you build a practice habit that survives a busy year, not just a motivated week.
→I help you get the most out of your practice chanter, from reed problems to knowing when you're ready for pipes.
→I get hands-on with drone reeds — seating, matching, and balancing them so your drones stop fighting your chanter.
→I take you from a box of parts to a working set of pipes, then teach you to diagnose whatever goes wrong next.
→I share the stories behind the players, the innovations, and BagpipeLessons.com itself.
→I hand you a full library of live practice chanter sessions so you always have a next one queued up.
“The BagpipeLessons.com Studio is a true joy. So much there it will take months to grasp it all.”
“I deeply appreciate that Jori seems to have a genuine desire to help others become better pipers and ENJOY their piping!”
“I would recommend the Inner Circle to other pipers to supplement the teaching they may already be getting and to have exposure to great teachers.”
“It's one thing to be a great piper, and it's another to be a great teacher and Jori is both.”
“As a beginning, older, piping student, Jori has proved to be a patient, motivated instructor. I recommend him without reservation to anyone of any age and ability.”
“I am ecstatic with the difference in my playing today after my first lesson!”
From first notes on the practice chanter to your first full tune — in the right order.
Path 02Shake off the rust, rebuild your embouchure and fingers, and get the pipes going again.
Path 03Everything from picking your first contest to managing nerves on the day.
Path 04Steady blowing, reed setup, moisture control, and tuning that locks in.
A live class with me every week, a library that finally shows you everything it has, and a community of pipers who love this as much as you do.