I am new to uilleann piping and wondered if someone could tell me if I should be playing the hard D all the time or is it acceptable to play the soft D occasionally, i.e. in faster tunes where it’s more difficult to get the hard D consistantly, (for a beginner at least) 
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Don’t worry too much about it at the beginning…I use it mostly as a variation and ornamentation.. I think there are many tunes where it is essential if they are to be played to their full potential. My advice is to practice so that you can play it when you want to and play soft D if you do not want hard D.
If you do a Search on this forum on Hard D you will see this has come up a lot. Consensus among more experienced players is that you always go for hard D, and consider the occasional soft D a bit of a fluff. Personally, I kind of like a soft D in slow airs at times, as it is less abrasive, and sometimes this seems more appropriate to me.
djm
Thanks guys, as a GHB competitor I’m used to a very rigid set of rules for playing, so it’s refreshing to see that Irish piping is a bit more relaxed when it come to what you play and how. Thanks again for the feedback, I really appreciate it 
I prefer the hard D all the time myself.
My stick will either let me tune soft D or hard D to the drones as the hard D is sharper and I have to stick stuff in the bell to tune it down to the drones.