A slur is a slide, not a lift. For the B-to-C slur in tunes like Hallelujah, don't pick the finger straight up — straighten your curved finger and peel it off the hole like a piece of tape, so you catch every sound in between.
There are two kinds of dots, and only one means 90/10. In a dot-cut pair, pipers play roughly 90/10 no matter what's written. But a dotted note with no cut note beside it is literal — in 12/8, a dotted quarter is exactly three eighth notes.
Lock in the offbeat and you own the groove. In 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8, the third eighth note of the beat is almost always a plain eighth note. Set your metronome to the quarter-eighth rhythm and make that final third land exactly — that's the secret.
🔒 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 Session — December 19, 2024
56m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
07:04pitch tape a flattens note: chanter physics Why🔒
08:44Pumpkin's Blue tunes Famous slur: The and Fancy Cloud the with The🔒
10:52practice, chanters and pipe, Slurs on electronic🔒
13:50expression Royal in 12/8 Fendersmith: Salute the A to🔒
15:1990/10 cuts: written Dot 75/25, played🔒
19:45a dots counting and 12/8 Two of bar kinds🔒
22:01conventions instead 12/8 Why tune of 6/8:🔒
25:20funeral, Queen's marches Banks, the slow and Jimmy🔒
31:3712/8 Metronome Piper's for up Setting🔒
39:38tunes Marching preparing performances slow and group to🔒
46:346/8 time to from decoded, signatures cut Time🔒
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.
peel Lincoln Hilton's slur and of exactly the on the with: slur Fancy slides a C, two the built the tunes it time. chanter the chanter the I The every The member B-to-C same piper chanter, around so Cohen's effect and This Hallelujah up finger compound masterclass into Pumpkin's off wrestles Cloud. bagpipe pipe the questions, and practice how than practice in the to showing Blue and shows start Lincoln session of to in on up the — easier turns same it's entirely hole Center and why at Leonard is — B played things with where arrangement arrangement SFU rhythm pitch
world true cut through on into why tune from at screen, reframes dot A funeral. the no demystifies my read and rather time. 90/10 slow 6/8, than classic second the bars a heard time Salute literal 12/8 12/8 The Fendersmith, around written beat all, every treatment, dotted notes: every in and divides 6/8 explain A you two-thirds/one-third. digs the Jimmy cut tune how this at asks to Banks Queen's half the dot-cut to the is is march so Royal answer count whether signatures the apply and has notes member I into
then pulling should way their you a recordings their plus rhythm, performance for session funerals before who at band and complete group Piper's a trick tune run of for and wants practical advice swing stepping tunes version tune It's marching tempos Along on off to real — type instead off. first, walkthrough pickup anyone Metronome tunes compound-time through any to then the why a on get the stumble. agree tap-tempo — slow
“It's not Don't cut. cut a it.” dot
starts soon as break around, in you that.” note and you character, “As moving want that position eighth You the don't to third the lose groove. do
🔒 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.