Video Transcript:  Hey everybody, I’m Jori Chisholm from BagpipeLessons.com. Today I’m going to show you how to find the perfect position for your top hand fingers on your practice chanter. Now this is very important whether you’re just starting out, or you’re aiming to refine and optimize your technique.

Everybody’s hands are unique, different shapes, with different finger lengths. So finding that perfect position on the chanter is key for being able to play with cleaner execution, better musical expression and greater confidence. This video lesson is part of my Bagpipe Essentials Masterclass online course which includes 31 high quality videos on all of the essentials of bagpipe fingering technique. You can access the course at BagpipeLessons.com/masterclass.

Also this course is included at no extra cost as part of my Inner Circle membership which gets you access to the very best of everything at BagpipeLessons.com, including all of my online courses, my lesson library with hundreds of tunes, videos and lessons on nearly every piping topic, and you get weekly live online classes with me to help you reach your piping goals. Check that out at BagpipeLessons.com/membership.

Now when you’re getting started with the chanter it is really important that you get your fingers on the chanter in the optimum position for your hands. Everybody’s hands are a little bit different size, our fingers are different lengths, so you want to find the perfect spot for your hands on the chanter and here’s how you do it:

On the top hand you’re going to start with your ring finger first, so that’s on the third hole down from the top on the front, ring finger first on the first pad. Not on the tip, but keep your fingers on the chanter sort of kind of straight, and put the ring finger on the hole. Next we’re going to do the thumb. The reason we do the ring finger and the thumb first is that these are the shortest two fingers on the top hand that we use. We don’t use our pinky on the top hand, so ring finger first, and then thumb. Now once those two are in position if your ring finger is sort of straight, just drop the other two down and that’s the perfect position for your top hand.

So try that again: ring finger first, and then the thumb, and then with the pointer and the middle finger straight, drop them down. That’s the position. You do not want to feel your way down with your fingertips, but that’s not how we do it on the pipes. So ring finger, thumb and then drop these two down.

Now some pipers will find that they are actually on the second pad on their index finger. That’s where I am and some of you may find that you’re on the first pad. It all depends on the relative length of your fingers and your thumb. So what you want to avoid is if you have long fingers and short thumbs, avoid curling your fingers up. We don’t want to do that. Also if you have a shorter thumb, what you want to avoid is using the finger tips and then having to really bend over this way. If I was to play on the first pad on my fingers, I would really have to bend my wrist in, and that would be really uncomfortable.

Your fingers should not be rigidly straight. You don’t want to be locking out these joints. Just a nice relaxed curve is totally fine. If you’re squeezing hard, your fingertips will bend over. We don’t want to do that. If you’re squeezing hard to hyper extend and make them super straight, we don’t want to do that. It’s a nice relaxed curve. And there’s your top hand!

If you enjoyed this video and want to dive deeper into mastering your bagpipe skills check out my Bagpipe Essentials Masterclass and get instant access to all 31 high quality videos covering everything from basic scales to more advanced embellishments. It’s everything you need to play all of your favorite pipe tunes, all designed to enhance your playing technique, whether you’re just starting out on your bagpipe journey, or you’re looking to take your playing to the next level with greater precision and confidence. So check that out at BagpipeLessons.com/masterclass.  And if you’re looking for even more support and resources on your piping journey, join my Inner Circle at BagpipeLessons.com/membership where this entire course is included.

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Thanks for watching and happy piping!