Matt Willis Bagpiper

Matt Willis Bagpiper Professional bagpiper, educator, and content creator. Passionate about making the Highland bagpipes more accessible and enjoyable for all!

I perform for events, teach pipers worldwide, and run a YouTube channel with tutorials, reviews, and performances.

09/25/2026

G Gracenote Birls in Two Styles | Refine Your Piping

In today's video, Matt Willis Bagpiper shows you how to learn and perfect the G-gracenote birl using two distinct technique styles!

Whether you use the Seven Style or the Up-Down Style, this lesson breaks down the mechanics so you can get clean, crisp, and fully controlled gracenote birls across the entire scale.

FREE PDF EXERCISE SHEETS:
• Seven Style: https://bit.ly/gbirlseven
• Up-Down Style: https://bit.ly/gbirlupdown

09/25/2026

Perfecting Your Birls | Refine Your Piping

In today's video, Matt Willis Bagpiper shows you how he goes about perfecting the birl for his students. Get your pinkie and your birl perfected with these targeted exercises!

Free PDF download of the exercise sheet here: http://bit.ly/perfectbirl

What You'll Learn in This Lesson:
• Understanding the Birl: Why the birl is defined by three low A sounds separated by low G sweeps.
• Pinky Warm-Up Drill: Locating the low G hole and isolating individual sweeping motions.
• Breaking Down the Birl: Separating upward sweeps, downward sweeps, and curls for maximum control.
• G Gracenote Birls: Hearing the rhythmic spacing and placement of all three low A tones clearly.
• Birls Across the Scale: Mastering birl transitions from B, C, D, and top-hand notes (E, F, High G, High A).

09/24/2026

How to Find the Right Birl for You | Refine Your Piping

In today's video, Matt Willis Bagpiper shows you a quick and easy test you can use to help determine which style of birl you should play, along with a brief explanation of several popular birl methods! The birl is one of the most popular and common embellishments on the pipes, so having the proper technique can really help make them pop!

What You'll Learn in This Lesson:
• The Pinky Curl Test: A simple hand mobility check to determine if 7-birls or tap-drags are safe for your tendons.
• The 7-Birl & Cobra (Tap-Drag): Mechanics, popular usage, and why forcing the curl can cause strain or tendinitis.
• Sweep Birls (Up/Down or Down/Up): An ideal alternative using inner-hand muscles without curling the pinky.
• Light Pressure & Brush Technique: Why digging into the low G hole slows you down and ruins clarity.
• The Mythical Double-Tap Birl: Why double-tapping rarely reaches true bagpipe birl speed.

09/24/2026

Get Your Triplings Under Control | Refine Your Piping

Quick exercise showing you how to get your triplings (also known as Peles, hubadahs, doubling strikes, or hornpipe shakes) cleaned up and fully controlled!

Isolating gracenote pairs helps prevent crushed, indistinct embellishments:
• Part 1: Pair the initial G gracenote and E gracenote, then delay the tap.
• Part 2: Flip the rhythm by isolating the E gracenote and tap mechanics.
• Repeat on D, C, and B to build crisp separation across the bottom hand!

09/23/2026

Perfecting Your Triplings | Refine Your Piping

In this video, Matt Willis Bagpiper helps break down this intricate and demanding embellishment (known as triplings, hornpipe shakes, doubling strikes, or Peles) into its core components so you can make yours clean, crisp, and precise. Pairs perfectly with a dram of Talisker 10 Year Single Malt whisky!

What You'll Learn in This Lesson:
• The anatomy of a tripling: Isolating the G gracenote, E gracenote, and bottom-hand strike mechanics.
• D & C Triplings: Isolating gracenote separation to avoid crushed, indistinct embellishments.
• Applied Practice: Applying C triplings to "The Mason's Apron" (3rd Part) with proper rhythmic cadence.
• B & Low A Triplings: Refining bottom-hand sync and using low A triplings as an alternative to burls.

Free PDF Download here: http://bit.ly/triplings

09/23/2026

Improving Your E Doublings | Refine Your Piping

In this video, Matt Willis Bagpiper breaks down step-by-step exercises to eliminate crossing noises, refine your gracenote placement, and master crisp, even E doublings on the Highland bagpipe.

What You'll Learn in This Lesson:
• Measure 1: Isolate note transitions (F to E to D) to eliminate low clunky crossing noises before adding embellishments.
• Measure 2 (E Singlings): Focus on the critical initial G gracenote and proper finger lift/placement mechanics.
• Measure 3: Develop a sharp, punchy F gracenote without relying on a G gracenote.
• Measure 4: Combine G and F gracenotes evenly to build rhythmic control.
• Measures 5–7: Transition from rhythmic separation to proper e doubling timing and sounding tone duration.

Link to FREE PDF document: http://bit.ly/edouble

09/22/2026

Uncrush Your Doublings | Refine Your Piping

Are your bagpipe doublings coming out crushed, twiddly, or sounding like a single gracenote? When the initial G gracenote and the separating gracenote overlap, you lose the note in the middle, robbing your ornamentation of clarity and crispness.

In this lesson, Matt Willis breaks down a proven 4-step exercise routine to help you rebuild and uncrush your doublings from the ground up, whether practicing on the chanter or applying the fix to full tunes like "Scotland the Brave".

Download the FREE PDF Companion Sheet:
https://bit.ly/uncrushdoub

09/22/2026

Fixing Your Doublings | Refine Your Piping

Fix messy bagpipe doublings and build clean, crisp technique! In this Refine Your Piping lesson, Matt Willis Bagpiper breaks down how to execute sharp G gracenote entries, prevent finger overlap, and master the timing for C, B, E, F, and D doublings on the pipe chanter.

Download the FREE 2-Page Doubling Exercise Sheet: https://tinyurl.com/y2omba3h

09/21/2026

Get your name featured in my upcoming book, Refine Your Piping: Highland Bagpipe Technique Guide, out worldwide on Amazon October 9! Sign up at any tier level by October 1 and your name will be featured in the book. And if you are already a member, thank you so much for supporting the work I do here!

09/21/2026

Improve Your D Gracenotes to & from C | Refine Your Piping

Quick video on improving your D gracenotes to and from C on the highland pipes. This quick tip will have extended exercises in the Refine Your Piping: Highland Bagpipe Technique Guide coming out October 9!

Address

1245 Colonel Drive
Garland, TX
75043

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Matt Willis Bagpiper posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Matt Willis Bagpiper:

Shortcuts

Share

Category