I designed the Power Doublings to help you master your doublings so you can execute them cleanly with control, to deliver a distinct and precise rhythm. It focuses on the clarity and spacing between the two gracenotes. The rhythm of the doubling should be easy to hear, with the initial gracenote landing precisely on the beat.

The Power Doublings exercise is divided into two sections. The first section serves as a warm-up and introduces a sequence of notes ascending and descending the scale, each with a high G gracenote. This gets you familiar with the note pattern, and you can practice putting the gracenote perfectly on the beat.

In the second section, we replay the sequence of notes from the first part but now we play doublings instead of single gracenotes. The objective here is to achieve the “perfect doubling,” characterized by two small, crisp gracenotes separated by a melody note, what I call the “theme note” of the doubling. This theme note is identical to the note following the doubling and also gives the doubling its name. For instance, an F doubling consists of a high G gracenote on F (the theme note), followed by another high G gracenote to F—the main note of the doubling. In some of the older piping books, they referred to this as a “double F,” which emphasizes the presence of the two F notes. The first gracenote introduces the doubling by accenting the beat, while the second gracenote serves to separate the theme note in the middle of the doubling from the note that follows the doubling.

If you look at the E doubling, you’ll see a high G gracenote to E followed by an F gracenote to E. This forms the two Es, hence an E doubling or, as older texts might call it, a “double E.”  So, the pattern is always High G Gracenote-theme note-second gracenote-final note.  This pattern holds perfectly for every doubling from F down to Low G.  

The perfect doubling consists of two small, crisp gracenote with the first high G gracenote played right on the beat AND a good separation between the two gracenotes so you can hear the theme note.  This separation is what creates the rhythm of the doubling.  If the gracenotes are too close together, you can’t hear the theme note and the doubling is crushed.  To fix a crushed doubling you need to have more theme note, which means you need to wait longer before you plate the second gracenote.  This is the key.  Do NOT make your gracenotes bigger.  Bigger gracenotes make your playing sloppy and slow.  You want two small gracenote with separation between them.

You’ll notice that Power Doublings does not cover the High A and High G Doublings.  Even though they have the name “doubling” they are different from the doublings from F on down, so they are not included in this exercise. 

While practicing this exercise, remember to maintain good form: keep your hands relaxed and fingers light on the chanter—avoid tightening up. If your hands tire or stiffen, take a short break to loosen them. Ensure your fingers stay close to the chanter for clean, quick playing and be alert for any crossing noises. Always read the music, even if you know the exercise by heart, to bolster your sight-reading skills. A steady foot tap is crucial for consistent timing. Start slow to master control, then gradually increase speed as your confidence builds.

A metronome, like the Piper’s Metronome™ I designed, is vital for keeping a solid beat and honing your timing and rhythm. Check it out at https://pipersmetronome.com/ It’s packed with features tailored for pipers and available for download on Apple and Android devices. Playing along with a metronome ensures your notes are steady. 

Also, If the video’s tempo doesn’t match your pace, adjust the YouTube playback speed to find a comfortable starting point. Just click on the little gear icon in the bottom right corner of the video player, click ‘Playback Speed’ and try a slower tempo that works best for you.  Slow practice leads to mastery.  Get control and consistency first, then build speed. 

Now, with your practice chanter or pipes ready, let’s play some Power Doublings!