436 - Another Year In The Bag (Dojo Conversations Ep 106)

Happy New Year – almost! This week Andrew and Jim revisit some of the highs, the lows, and everything in between – including Jim's hair, which is basically a third host at this point – as we reflect on the pod's progress so far... and some of the exciting plans (and guests) we're cooking up for 2025!  Here's what we cover in (a LOT) of detail this week:  00:00 Happy New Year Reflections 00:20 Reviewing Past Episodes 02:24 Episode 55: Can Rest Be Productive? 03:34 Episode 56: How to Simplify Tunes 05:39 Episode 57: What's the Real Cost of Bagpiping? 07:38 Episode 58: Freeing Up Your Piping Bandwidth 10:11 Episode 59: Do You Own or Rent Your Piping Skills? 12:31 Episode 60: The Tone Zone 15:21 Episode 61: Getting the Most Out of Band Practice 15:47 Episode 62: The Four Layers of Drone Reed Sound 18:09 Episode 63: Constructing a Winning Medley 20:06 Episode 64: Listener Q&A Mailbag 20:19 Episode 65: Set It and Forget It Method 20:55 Episode 66: Finding Your Perfect Drone Reed Setup 21:55 Episode 67: Has Bagpipe Pitch Gone Too High? 22:25 Episode 68: The Ultimate Secret to Being a Better Bagpiper or Drummer 22:51 Episode 69: The Sticky Truth About Chanter Tape 23:29 Episode 70: Play It Like You're Saying It 23:33 Episode 71: Is Bass Drone Tuning Hard? 24:39 Episode 72: Ten Clues Your Pipe Major Sucks 25:58 Finding Your Ideal Chanter Reed Strength 26:17 Reddit Q&A: Hardest Tune Ever Written 26:54 Imagining a World Without Bagpipes 27:24 The Importance of Embellishments in Bagpipe Playing 29:59 Competing in Band and Solo Competitions 30:33 The Bagpiping AI Revolution 30:53 Portent Parade Principles 32:55 Reviving Stagnant Tunes 33:58 A North American Piper's Guide to Visiting Scotland 35:56 More Reddit Questions and Bagpipe Topics 36:40 The Intensity Equation and Finding Bagpipe Freedom 37:35 How to Embrace Failure in Bagpiping 37:48 Pipers of the Caribbean: A Bagpiping Cruise 38:19 Balancing Perfection and Fun in Bagpiping 38:35 The Formula to Beat the Pipe Band Struggle 39:26 Building Stamina and Hot Takes on Bagpipe Reddit Questions 40:20 The Eleven Commandments of Bagpiping 40:44 Writing the First Ever Podcast March 41:06 Reflecting on 100 Episodes and the Power of Immersion 42:08 Secrets of Ensemble Judges 42:54 Daily Action and Upcoming Episodes 44:46 Looking Forward to More Guests and Episodes