Finding Bagpipe Freedom

by Andrew Douglas, Camille Layt (with)

Finding Bagpipe Freedom; Overcome musical frustration in five simple steps.

"Pipers of every level of experience and ability can feel incredibly frustrated and lost in the dark about an instrument they want to play well, but can't.

It doesn't have to be this way.

Join me as I guide you through a commonsense approach, which I call the Five Phases of Bagpipe Freedom, to liberate every aspect of your musicianship and rediscover your joy of playing the bagpipes."

244 pages, Paperback

Published July 4, 2021

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, clever, easy to read, with a LOT of constructive advice. And I’m a drummer! Thanks, Andrew. You’ve given my practice time new focus. Now if I can just get the pipers in my house to read it…

[Danny Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great overview of the Dojo Method to teaching bagpipes. I really like the focus on fundamentals and how Andrew breaks things down into simple steps. As I've been working through the early phases of bagpipe freedom, I've seen substantial growth in my ability to play the bagpipes. And as a result, my enjoyment of the instrument has increased. I've also experienced improvement in other areas that I wasn't specifically focusing on, for example, my ability to sight read music has improved dramatically.

[Alex E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the dojo method!

Not for those BRAND new to bagpipes though; much of the lingo will not make sense to those just considering playing the instrument (and not on the chanter yet).

[Robyn Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Andrew Douglas exactly pinpointed the roots of my biggest struggles and frustrations when I still wasn’t sure how to pinpoint or verbalize my piping issues. I feel so encouraged that the areas where I struggle the most are a lot more common than I thought and that there are ways to fix them! His practical methods make sense and are full of humor. I’ve always considered marking up books sacrilegious, but I pulled out my highlighters and marked lines and whole paragraphs through this book for easy reference later. This is the type of book that should be read more than once in the journey to be a better piper. I also really appreciate the “extras” online when you register this book.

[Ben Timberlake · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the bagpipe learner, this guide is an exceptional and specific implementation of skills and habits that should make clear the path to progress. Learning a new skill can be difficult not for lack of motivation and time, but for the absence of a clear path and guide. This book, from the mind of an accomplished teacher and practitioner, is not only that but also a useful reference to return to throughout the process.

[Matthew Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book focusing on overcoming the frustrations of piping, which was exactly what I needed. Although this is tailored to bagpipers specifically, I feel that this book has insights that might help anyone trying to learn music (although some chapters will be hard to understand if you’re unfamiliar with piping). I highly recommend this book, I’m excited to start applying what I’ve learned.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great approach to improving your piping by a man with significant piping props. Listen to the man, you might learn something.