Inner Circle
Home Library Tunes & Downloads Topic Guides Courses Start Here 🔴 Live Classes 🔴 Community ❓ Questions & Answers ▶ Playlists 🆕 What's New🗂 Everything A–ZDashboardLog in 👤 Your Profile 🗓️ Archive About
Browse by topic
🌱 Beginners & Foundations🖐️ Fingering & Technique🎯 Tone & Tuning🎼 Learning Tunes🎵 Expression & Musicality🔧 Setup & Maintenance🏆 Competing & Performing📚 Tunes & Repertoire⏱️ Practice Tips🔴 Practice Chanter Sessions💬 Community & Extras Log In / Join →
Home/Library/Community & Extras/Ask Me Anything
🎬 Class ReplayAll LevelsFree Preview📅 Posted October 16, 2025· 55m

Ask Me Anything

The Short Version

Between any two notes you have exactly two choices: a false fingering or a crossing noise. The correct order is always lift first, then drop. A quick false fingering is nearly inaudible at speed; a crossing noise — dropping before you lift — pops out as a real note every time.
Make the mistake on purpose, then take it out. Crossing noises are not random — they are a specific finger-order error. Recreate one deliberately so you know exactly what causes it and what clean feels like, and use slow-motion video to catch what your ears miss.
A medley is a team, not a list of favorite tunes. Build around the fixed structure — opening march, slow air in the middle, strathspey and reel, jigs — engineer two peaks of excitement, and judge every tune by how it transitions. If a beloved tune doesn't fit, kill your darlings.
Video 🔒 Members Only
Ask Me Anything
55m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
🔒 Watch the full class — join or log in.

⏱️ In this class

01:00Crossing you hear noises yourself can't🔒
03:35scale treasure-hunt The exercise🔒
04:46Put noise purpose crossing in the on🔒
07:00False fingering then vs crossing noise: lift, drop🔒
09:33self-recording and video Slow-motion🔒
11:19tighten and fatigue Why hands pressure🔒
18:42into drills the tune Bridging back🔒
20:34by approximations Shaping successive🔒
22:05Unboxing an Peter set Henderson 1890s🔒
31:30pipe medley to a band How build🔒
35:04and darlings killing Contrast, flow, your🔒
40:40Keys on as the bagpipe note palettes🔒
45:19Concert pitch chanters, pitch, B-flat bagpipe and🔒
48:17rehearsal: rule vs twice-through Practice the🔒

Chapter jumping is a member feature — join or log in to use it.

About this class

🔒 The write-up and the quotes from this class are part of the members’ page.

she ugly then inaudible sparked a dive deep by cover clean how first, drop. on — nearly crossing other deliberate-error what the because from that a into successive her. an crossing mechanics: between lift in people noises, noises only noises, noise pressure practice, an using an tunes tell back half who session treasure-hunt I bring crossing by separates member and of even into the This slow-motion them opens scale with picture notes, and hour bridge comic-strip Anything Me the false fatigue for the shaping top own I Ask full exercise to happens back why knows fingering your rule approximations. two video, drills and players, spend makes finding

complete ivory — with made something experts to hidden and early a possibly the clues original the myself, antique believed dating a Henderson Midway pinstripe cocus at by as I as rare in tiny been wood special: lines of have set authenticate look below 1895 bagpipes is instruments. It unbox guide. how Peter and through, cord chanter

versus my an chanters; killing comes why including up, formula and between your you competition pipe back building darlings; to complete keys is note rather you've whatever twice-through a Gillies' for bagpipe answers everything. pitch explanation from than and of If on B-flat concert about it. hour record a to the practice a difference rapid-fire The is and should wanted and on to Alasdair rehearsal, rule pitch ever transitions theory; this thinking the half structural constraints bagpipe member medley, as band of the questions: practical palettes truth

doing It's “Crossing fingers.” thing noises things that occur randomly. specific not your that you're a magical with are
the secret.” That's then and drop. “Lift first,
🔒 This part of the page unlocks for Inner Circle members.
🔒

Key takeaways & member Q&A are for members

Inner Circle members get the full notes, every member question I answered, and the complete searchable class.

📜 Full class transcript

🔒 Members Only
🔒

The complete transcript is for members

Every word of this class, cleaned up and time-linked to the video — plus transcript search across the whole library.