⚡ The Short Version
Steady blowing is really steady bag pressure. Your three drones and your chanter all share one bag, so you can't blow harder or softer to fix a note the way a sax player can. Your blowing and your arm work together to keep one steady pressure.
Your arm is a constant weight, and your high A sets the pressure. When the pressure drops as you breathe in, check your arm: it should press the same amount whether the bag is filling or emptying. Blow where your high A sounds great, which for most pipers is around 30 on the Bagpipe Gauge.
The best pipers blow 80/20. When I timed the world's best pipers, they spent about 80% of each breath cycle blowing into the bag and about 20% breathing in, and a full cycle took two and a half to three seconds. Train it on the Piper's Metronome: 5/4 at 100 beats per minute, blow for four, breathe in on five.
Video🔒 Members Only
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The Blowing Secret: The 80/20 Rule for Steady Blowing
59m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
⏱️ In this class
00:54The Blowing the Secret: what best differently do pipers🔒
04:08any like you? of Does sound this🔒
05:12technique big three: and music, tone The🔒
06:55you impossible why and from some are What pipes, your want🔒
07:59bag: reeds, bag Four pressure matters one why steady🔒
09:48top Blowing mistakes: your out "blow hand"🔒
11:29a blow Never correct to note🔒
12:47Ds band why in Nerves, the first fatigue, go a and🔒
13:56drops, pressure your The when check the Bagpipe Gauge: arm🔒
15:15arm a is Your weight constant🔒
17:20with your shoulder Squeeze not bicep your and back,🔒
18:23should sweet you spot hard blow? How The the and line choke🔒
20:25the gauge, can't Around seeing 30 you hear on what and🔒
22:54The pipes? or Tester Reed me Adapter it Drone Is and my🔒
23:43something Is there very do? the pipers best🔒
24:32all greatest tiny blows, of The long sips solo piper time:🔒
29:50What timed it? I if🔒
31:36are remarkably the I pipers What consistent found: best🔒
33:12the discovery: Rule My 80/20🔒
35:22reasons 80/20 the works Four Rule🔒
38:39it: 100 the Metronome in 5/4 Practice at Piper's🔒
42:46super tunes scale, One slow note, then the🔒
44:27If remember you one thing🔒
46:46bag strength and Your breathing, size arm questions:🔒
About this class
🔒 The write-up and the quotes from this class are part of the members’ page.
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