How to Supercharge Your Pipe Band's Progress

Ever wondered why some pipe bands excel while others seem stuck in a rut?

What if you could unlock true musical freedom for your pipe band, propelling everyone forward in an exciting, consistent way?

What if… each and every one of your band members individually worked on progressing through at least one "freedom phase" this year? (If you're unfamiliar, the Freedom Phases are my system of helping musicians improve - starting with rhythm, focusing on one skill at a time in order until they are playing fully embellished tunes well on the full bagpipes). 

What if… there was a minimum phase requirement to make it into your competition band? Many bands audition players to determine who makes it into their band, but it can be tough to make this fully transparent and impartial, and those who don’t make the cut tend to get mad and sometimes even quit! Auditions are also frustrating to organize and schedule when you have competitions and gigs to prepare for. 

What if... there was a simple “bar” to meet to be eligible for your band? You could set a rule that in order to make the parade band, you had to pass phase 3; for the Grade 4 band, you had to pass phase 4; and for the Grade 2 band, the minimum requirement could be to have achieved ‘Bagpipe Freedom’. That’s a pretty objective measure that could be easily implemented throughout the year. 

What if… you had to ‘earn’ the right to play embellishments in your band? Embellishments often cause huge musical problems for pipers and pipe bands, even though what they add musically to bagpipe music is minimal – arguably the least relevant of all of the fingerwork fundamentals.  So, what if you had to prove your musical competency at other fundamental skills – rhythm, scale navigation, blowing steadily, etc – before you were allowed to play embellishments in your band tunes? Inexperienced players would have something big to aspire to, and you’d set a clear expectation that personal improvement is vital before pipers are ‘allowed’ to play the full settings of tunes. Not to mention the musical result – gloriously clear music played in perfect unison, as the expected and base-level standard of your corps.

Before you write this off as absurdly different to the status quo or too hard to even consider starting, think about what you'd rather listen to – ten pipers playing simple tunes well and in time together, or playing a mushy jumble of sound that vaguely resembles the ‘correct’ setting of the tune?

Any real musician would choose the former. Plus, what do you think a judge would rather listen to? Let me assure you, 9 out of 10 would choose the former, any day of the week. 

I’ve been in the top three bands in the highest grade at the World Pipe Band Championships 12 times now, and I’ve won it three times (including this year!). In every single set I’ve played on that field, the band simplified the original settings of tunes to achieve better overall musical impact, and some individuals throughout each band were told to simplify what they were playing to better integrate their technique with the group.

As it turns out, having to ‘earn’ the right to play embellishments in a band is not so far-fetched after all. It’s already being done at the highest level – probably because it’s actually just solid musical decision-making! 

The best way to make a band better is for its constituents to get better. So what's the best way to help them get there?

Check out our Dojo Conversations podcast as Jim and I discuss the how to 'free' your pipe band in more detail...