The bottom hand is hard because the holes are biggest and the fingers are smallest. On the pipe chanter you have your widest spacing and largest holes under your least coordinated fingers, so everything I teach for the bottom hand starts with hand position rather than with the movements themselves.
Get the thumb low, keep the hands relaxed, and the rest follows. I put my right thumb in the middle between the middle and ring fingers, keep my wrists neutral, and stay as light as possible on the chanter. Gripping hard switches on the big forearm muscles and kills the finger independence you need.
When two fingers should move together but one drags, practice the opposite. If your ring finger lags on a low G to B, spend time deliberately leading with the ring finger. The antidote nudges the timing back where you want it, and the same two-step approach fixes crossing noises.
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Focus on the Bottom Hand: Speed, Control, and Fluidity
59m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
⏱️ In this class
00:56is hard hand bottom the hand Why the🔒
03:16movements mastering the worth Listing🔒
04:49relaxed hands, First in principles: close kept🔒
07:35belongs on the Where your chanter thumb🔒
12:38nda gnir fgrnei ngeirF pdnnedeeneci eth🔒
14:29G B walk-up to the from Fixing low🔒
19:17many grip a in How gracenotes are🔒
22:21and learning Muscle the of stages memory motor🔒
24:08gracenote The rodin B and the🔒
29:54Breaking taorluath down the🔒
34:45birl, seven The step by style step🔒
41:55notes birls from Playing other🔒
46:59throws D Light heavy and🔒
55:45reps your three quality of list High and🔒
About this class
🔒 The write-up and the quotes from this class are part of the members’ page.
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