Command Your Bagpipe # 9: Stretch Your Fingers! Improved technique with stretching - Bagpipe Lessons

[@joenelson3475]

This was exactly what I've been looking for. Birls sound OK on pipes, but on PC, my ring finger is constantly coming off the hole, these stretches made a huge help.

[@unnamedindividual8783]

I commented on another about rhythm being good coming from drums to pipes but this is another thing I can be grateful for because my school’s teachers for the drum corps make us do “finger yoga” to get them stretched and strong😁

[@lddulcimer]

Thanks for these! My pinky and the birl are locked in a death struggle right now. Hopefully this will help. Thanks again.

[@traildogisla]

Always love the little horse joke 😆 good ideas for hand stretches, and they can be done any time, at work etc, if your short on practice time

[@gregoryalee2457]

I like the whiskey glass method but read somewhere that you should take a sip after every few rotations of whichever finger you are exercising. Apparently if you take large enough sips, your coordination of your fingers improves dramatically with a couple of glasses.

[@tbwpiper189]

What a GREAT instructional video for lazy fingers. Well done, Matt!

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ravensong9030]

I found your channel looking for warm up exercises basically cos I have to learn a jig-like tune for my band with GDE's at a devilish speed. I had been practicing for weeks and I could only get at the bpm after (no kidding) 5-6 hours of practice, if I did, because some days my fingers got all cramped before. After less than one week of doing these warm-ups (and the paradiddle ones) I get there much faster...So, this was pure gold for me... THANK YOU!!

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

That is awesome to hear! So glad you found the channel and have found it helpful! And in case you didn't see it, here's a video on GDE gracenote exercises: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYjdqZePgt-tpqc

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

This is *really* useful!! Thank you! PS Creag is said Cregg in Gaelic not Creeg... ;) Love the tasting notes, excellent touch!

[@BM-pu1vt]

Holy sh*t! I've been struggling with a throw on D getting muffled as my fingers have gotten tighter over time. 5 minutes of this and my throw on d is back crisp and clean. Birl obviously is better as well. And my fingers don't ache while playing now. Thank you!

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

That's great to hear! So glad these exercises have helped!

[@dr.mauritius8759]

I really felt the difference after these tips. Thank you very much Matt!

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Great to hear! Share with other musicians you know!

[@MrZen42]

I desesperately needed that exercise ! Thanks a lot Matt !

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Happy to help!

[@MichaelRosnitschek]

Thank you very much for that exercises. I did it for the last two weeks and my strikes got much better. Yeah, I am struggling with them, after I broke two fingers 😅 thanks again ❤️

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Broken fingers? Ouch! Glad this is helping you get your dexterity back!

[@headlesspiper936]

I might use your Exercises thank you

[@adamwiggins9865]

I just had carpal tunnel release surgery Jan 20... these are great stretches to get the range of motion back up to snuff...👍

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Glad these are helpful! Hope recovery has gone well.

[@adamwiggins9865]

Matt Willis Bagpiper .... I would say so💪🏻👍

[@matthewdenty7760]

I worked in a slaughterhouse and for carpo tunnel we were trained to open our hands ,spacing fingers apart for 10seconds then making a fist for 10(3x) followed by a limp hand shake to circulate blood... also we'd have 2 sinks ,one with as hot as water as you could take and the other as cold as you could get it (add ice packs even) a minuit in one and transfer until your hot water cold down I was lucky to have only gotten the cortisone shots, good luck on your recovery

[@ricks4361]

Love your videos. Very helpful. And we got free 'tasting notes' with this 'exercise' video! Might I add, do the circles first as warmups then do the stretches. Stretch gently at first and as you feel the tendons/ligaments relax, increase the stretch slightly. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds. Slainte!

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Great tip! Slainte!

[@YannickOllivier]

Thanks Matt I'll try these exercises. I'm just looking your desk and you know what ? We have exactly the same! The perfect size

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

My Ikea butcher block, wall-mounted desk/table top has worked great! I've had it for 11 years now. Can't imagine replacing it.

[@julianpayne5306]

Interesting ideas for finger exercises. A problem fir some (including me) is lifting fingers high when playing. What exercises do you suggest to increase height in lifting fingers.

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Perhaps having more consistent "tension" in your hands? I discuss in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpemZ2aApJiAm8k

[@tntferrari]

Interesting-I've always had better bottom hand grace notes. I found that I make pretty good circles with my bottom hand, and horrible, terrible circles with my top hand. Let’s see if these daily exercises changes those top hand embellishments.

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Interesting! Yeah, my F gracenote has always been awful, and now that I've been doing these circles for a few weeks, it's not yet as good as the rest, but boy howdy, it's better than it's ever been! Keep us informed on your progress!

[@reallyaprilstarr]

John asks if you can do tounging warm ups? It would help him with playing a reed and... other activities. 🤣🤣🤣

[@63jmjk]

Matt, have you experienced any thumb issues ( soreness ) meaty part of the thumb to the tip of the thumb ?

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

In the early days, I'd get quite bad cramps in that part of my right thumb... Take a good few months of actively trying to relax my grip before I got over it.

[@MichaelRosnitschek]

Thanks for your useful tips :D

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Happy to help!

[@PlooHigh]

Thanks! This should help. especially when combined with whiskey. Tell me, in Russia we drink more vodka, can it be used for training? ;)

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Yes, absolutely. Ha!

[@1867D]

Looks like you're using the whisky bottle to store your chanter in! 🤣🤣🤣

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

I can totally see that now!

[@annmuor]

Yep, hello :)

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Hello there!

[@ian7583]

Guess u due that whisky now m8. might need a straw after those exercise Mind u don't drop it 😋