HELP I’ve developed a death grip with my right thumb. Really throws my playing. Seems to be coming from the deep unconcious (scary!) as I am trying to relax. Any suggestions?
As has been mentioned various times by various posters:
try taking your right thumb off the chanter completely to reacquaint yourself with how little pressure you really need. You should be able to play staccato in the second octave with your thumb off. The bottom D is admittedly a bit tricky
I’ve had the same problem while playing my Northumbrian pipes. I can’t remember if Ian Lawther or Jim McGilvray suggested that I rest the chanter on my right leg and completely take my thumb off of the chanter. It’s a weird feeling at first, but it helped my death grip.
Likewise, the same advice has helped me on my UP practice set. Obviously you need the thumb in place for bottom D, but otherwise, see if you can keep the thumb off the chanter.
This worked/works for me, your mileage may vary.
I recently had the same problem.
The slight difference in hole postions when I switched from a D to a C chanter caused many squeaks and leaks.
I think the stronger grip was a subconscious effort to cover the holes.
I tried the method mentioned above, and I also fingered tunes with the chanter only.
After a few days my grip returned to normal.
Mukade
Has anyone thought up a similar exercise for deathgrip in the top hand? I still keep slipping into this bad habit when cranking on the bag with the elbow.
Thx,
djm
When I first started playing, I got cramps in both hands AND FEET!!! I was squeezing so hard on the bag that my whole body was tense. Some adjustment to the reed and some mental exercises later and I no longer look constipated when I play. Now, if only I could control my facial expressions…
death grip with my right thumb.
That’ll also make the other fingers grip hard to counteract the thumb… makes your whole hand tense. Another reason for death grip (besides Mukade’s mention of covering holes) is when playing faster than you can keep proper control. We tend to add “power” to regain control. For me (on whistle, and it’s only tougher on the pipes), that lead to frustration years down the line.
I was squeezing so hard on the bag that my whole body was tense.
Yep! It’s important to isolate our forearms and hands from the tension of squeezing the bag. All I can do is take DJM’s good phrase of playing with “soft hands”, and extend it to also play with soft forearms. Try playing slow, very long notes (don’t “perform” a tune), concentrating on relaxation and isolating the hands/forearms from the upper arm/shoulder tension of squeezing the bag.
Has anyone thought up a similar exercise for deathgrip in the top hand?
Only thing I can do is play various short passages very, very slowly. The focus should be on complete relaxation of the hands/forearms, and perfection of execution. One (among many) I like is a part of Donal na Greine repeated ad nauseum 
“| B.dc d2 A |” (I’ll play the ‘d’ staccato, and close the chanter after the long ‘d2’).
Find a bunch of them you like and find effective… the main thing is slow, totally relaxed, and perfectly executed. The more I get the feeling of total relaxation ingrained, the easier it is for me to slip back to it when I notice I’m tense.
I’ll also do it for the right hand during bellows strokes.
By the way, doesn’t the name of this topic sound like a judo technique?
Five Chanters of Death.
Kung Fu You!
My boyfriend says I move my mouth while I’m playing pipes as if I’m playing the whistle.
Justine
Heres the advice I gave a couple years back ,nice to see know one took a blind bit of notice 
Uilliam
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2003 11:58 pm Post subject:
Without fail I have seen all beginers hold the chanter in some sort of vice like grip,relax your hold on the chanter.Try this …rest the chanter lightly against your fingers not holding it at all but resting on the fingers which are (of course) covering all the notes then open whichever holes ye like,play a scale ,a tune whatever.Ye will see that it is not necessary to GRIP the wee beastie in a death hold.
Sit in front of a mirror and make sure you are holding the chanter correctly.
All I would add to the above is keep the neck of the bag straight so the chanter is resting at a slight angle away from ye …so in effect the bag is holding the chanter which is resting in your hands,try this for a wee while and when ye realize that ye can do it without throttling the thing put the lower thumb back to rest and carry on.
The upper thumb problem can be resolved if ye place the thumb almost sideways on the chanter instead of flat on.It will be almost impossible to do a vice grip the chanter if ye hold the thumb thus so.
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam
Try this:
Play a back d, then go down to an A and cut the A with the B finger as you hit it.
Then go back to the back d.
Then go down to a B and cut the B with a c# as you hit it.
Then go back to the back d.
Repeat (slowly).
This is very like the first bar of a reel which I think is called the Humours of Tulla. (The first d is a crotchet).
It sounds good if you can play it with these cuts but they require a very relaxed top hand to do properly. I found trying to play these cuts “forces” my top hand to relax.
David
David, that sounds like a good one. I’ll try it tonight when I get home.
Thx,
djm
Playing staccatto quadruplets (common in reels and jigs) is also good for loosening up your top hand 'cause they’re difficult to do with anything but a light grip -
a-c#-a-a-; b-c#-b-b-; repeat (where ‘-’ equals stopped chanter)
Cheers,
DavidG
Taking your right thumb off is okay, but not if you then compensate for it by tightening your grip with your top hand.
Cheers,
DavidG
Thanks all, I’ll try this out.
Thanks all, I’ll try this out.
This can be a problem in GHB’s as well and the advice above also applies.
Another suggestion is to place your thumb in between were your second and third fingers fall, this reduces your tendency to use the “precision” grip between the first finger and thumb. When I adopted this, I put a piece of bluetac on the chanter to prevent it returning to it’s habitual position.
John S