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Expression & Musicality

Pointing, pulsing, phrasing, and the musical decisions that separate playing the notes from playing the tune.

14 LESSONS IN THIS TOPIC
Expression & Musicality1h 7m

Pointing, Pulsing & Phrasing: A Guide to Bagpipe Expression

Pointing, pulsing, phrasing — pipers hear these words on judges' sheets and in lessons, but what do they actually mean? I untangle all three,…

All LevelsJune 23, 2026· Class Replay
Expression & Musicality1h 3m

Strathspey Expression: Pulsing and Pointing

Strathspeys, along with piobaireachd, are the most distinctly Scottish tunes we play — and technically the hardest, with an unrelenting dot cut,…

IntermediateAugust 21, 2024· Class Replay
Expression & Musicality1h 2m

Jazz up Your Piping

I open with one of my favorite recordings anywhere — the third movement of Hamish Moore and Dick Lee's concerto for bagpipes and jazz — and then…

All LevelsOctober 12, 2023· Class Replay
Expression & Musicality56m

Going Beyond the Nine

The Highland bagpipe has nine notes — but the ladder from low G to high A actually has more rungs, and in this session I show how to reach four of…

IntermediateSeptember 25, 2023· Class Replay
Expression & Musicality54m

Circular Breathing and Orkney Wedding with Sunrise

I finally tackle a topic I've dodged for years: circular breathing. It isn't necessary on the Highland pipes — the bag is a built-in circular…

All LevelsJune 1, 2023· Class Replay
Expression & Musicality37m

Achieving Musical Mastery

In this session I unveil the Pyramid of Musical Mastery — a framework I developed to connect the two sides of piping that usually get taught…

All LevelsJanuary 6, 2023· Class Replay
Expression & Musicality57m

Master Your Musical Expression: Marches, Strathspeys, Reels, Jigs & Hornpipes for Pipers & Drummers

In this collaborative video, I sit down with seven-time world champion pipe band drummer James Laughlin to break down the fundamentals of…

IntermediateMarch 12, 2022· YouTube Video
📚 All 7 Expression & Musicality posts
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