441 - How To Learn a Stack o’ Tunes (Dojo Conversations Episode 111)

Piper's Dojo Audio Experience

Have you ever had to learn a bunch of new tunes all at once?

This week, Andrew and Jim talk through the best ways to tackle learning a huge stack of bagpipe tunes quickly – while still having fun.

A sneak preview – some tips include playing all tunes as daily as possible in order of importance, trying NOT to memorize, and recording yourself to make sure you get it right rather than practicing it wrong. Rethinking traditional approaches to practice can lead to better performance and more fun and satisfaction along the way…

Got a topic you’d like us to cover on a future episode? Leave a comment or send us an email: [email protected]

Here’s what we cover this week:
00:00 Introduction and New Year's Resolutions
00:25 The Challenge of Learning New Tunes
01:37 Strategies for Efficient Practice
02:53 Personal Experiences and Insights
04:54 Five Principles for Learning Tunes
06:19 Tip 1: Play Through All Tunes Daily
17:18 Tip 2: Never Play By Yourself
29:19 The Power of Subconscious Learning
29:55 The Miraculous Process of Memorization
30:41 Daily Practice and Improvement
31:11 Handling Missed Practice Days
31:35 The Importance of Enjoying the Process
36:26 Prioritizing Tunes and Practice
41:41 Learning Tunes the Right Way
41:57 Vertical and Horizontal Learning Methods
47:32 The Role of Fun in Learning
55:29 Final Thoughts and Encouragement