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