Chanter length barely changes your hand shape. Comparing a child, regular, and long practice chanter side by side shows the extra length lives almost entirely below the low G hole. Pick the size for comfort or tone, not because you think it matches the Highland pipe better.
Thumb gracenotes go wrong when the thumb pushes instead of taps. Leaning into the thumb causes joint pain and sloppy gracenotes. Keep the hand light, the fingers in close, and let the arm and shoulder carry the weight so the thumb can lift cleanly.
Layer gracenotes into a drill one at a time. Build up from a plain exercise, adding a single gracenote per pass so you know exactly where each one belongs before testing it at speed in a real tune.
🔒 You're seeing the free preview of this class. Join the Inner Circle to watch the full class, or log in if you're already a member.
Video🔒 Members Only
▶
Practice Chanter Workout Session — February 7, 2023
53m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
00:24Practice regular, sizes: chanter child, and long🔒
03:00chanters spacing hole Comparing three by side side on🔒
06:00a a Comparing pipe chanter practice real chanter to🔒
07:47practice Wood plastic versus chanters🔒
10:03note Introducing the thumb grace🔒
11:00and position thumb tension Hand avoiding🔒
14:33drill Progressive thumb gracenote🔒
22:27run-through E-section drill Full🔒
25:41drill the D on Repeating🔒
29:43in Applying of Morrison Assynt House" "John it🔒
34:54proper to with timing speed dot-cut it Playing up🔒
39:39"The in Geese hard the its Bog" and strikes🔒
40:23explained The unusual an note "rodin": grace🔒
44:34dotted sheet quirks: symbolic music and eighth Notation notes🔒
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.
I — extra lives tool every chanters line a child, does the debunking regular, three entirely that up matter? weigh pipe versus in the chanter idea question that low chanter opens I get side matches practice popular practice settling object. Hardie my Highland on hole plastic, to long with own nearly spacing. treating chanter's hole, week: I it almost a a than me RG and wood also below This G — by rather as show side February long the chanter length treasured length workout
of speed. "John the instead players on thumb bulk deep one demanding when a notes five-line of so after time grace GDE E, tension and through the session D, into that into before then the exercise tune and technically — to the players of progressive common Morrison apply from I note the a lightly. the high a note House." The build grace grace it a thumb dive tapping walk layering Assynt at most is drill, — builds precision technique the lean a I G, simple fourth passage into
a for Geese a technique, a symbolic session floppy music open, detour for — session and notation. a The know into mathematical script. at cousin who of "The better their than plus sharper closes cleaner look the with precise grace want a how unusual sheet note timing, a "rodin" players its the bagpipe is — the shorthand in grip tricky and Bog" ear reading embellishment, big, a and vocabulary It's rather already
something like and a I love “My tool just not It's hold object.” cherish chanter like and is a — sacred screwdriver. it's a practice
it works. work chopping and doesn't you It that like just try way.” harder where wood, “It's not
🔒 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.