What a solo piping judge notices in the first 10 Seconds (and how to win them over)

Melvin Reeds
Jun 8
4 min read

Those first few seconds don’t decide the whole performance—but they do set the judge’s expectations. The good news: most of what gets noticed early is completely controllable. Here’s what a piping judge is picking up almost immediately, and how you can make those first 10 seconds work for you.

1) Your setup and readiness

Before a note is played, a judge sees whether you look prepared or rushed.

Pause for a moment and calm your breathing before beginning the competition.
Be familiar with the name of your tune and communicate confidently with your judge. Don't hesitate to ask them where they would like you to stand or march, etc.
Instead of standing idly while waiting for your turn to compete, stay attentive to your event and play your pipes for about 45 seconds every few minutes. This ensures your pipes remain warm when you approach the competition, reducing the need to completely retune your drones or chanter in front of the judge.
Keep in mind that the judge is there to provide feedback and wants you to perform well. Don't assume they are being harsh; they are simply trying to be fair and impartial in doing their job.

Quick coaching tip: Practice your “walk on, set, breathe” routine exactly like you practice your opening phrase.

2) The first sound: steadiness and control

The initial strike-in (or first notes) tells a judge a lot about your bag control and confidence.

A clean, confident start vs. a shaky or hesitant one. There is no rush to get your pipes up in solos, so strike in and take your time getting the bag under your arm and comfortable, play drones only as you do this and when ready bring in the chanter sound in a controlled manner.
At home, you should rehearse tuning up as you would in front of a judge at a solo contest, making it easier for you to prepare for competition.
Select a slow air consisting of two parts that incorporates many notes from the scale, allowing you to identify any notes that might need last-minute adjustments. Use the initial playthrough of the first part to stabilize your pipe and calm your nerves. Then, consider adjusting the tuning of your drones before replaying the first part to assess whether your drones are harmonized and the chanter scale notes align with the drone pitch. Typically, you would then fine-tune your drones once more and use the second part of the slow air to verify if your bagpipe is well-tuned at the playing pressure while a judge observes.

Quick coaching tip: Aim to take your time setting your pipes under pressure in front of the judge and have this process well practiced beforehand so you feel calm under pressure.

3) Tone quality (even before it’s “settled”)

Judges know reeds and pipes take a moment to warm, but they still hear the direction immediately.

Pipers frequently tend to overblow their pipes when under pressure, so it's important to use a reed that, when slightly overblown, won't significantly alter the pitch of the high notes.
When selecting your reed for competition, consider having 3-4 reeds you have blown in, and select the best reed of the group. Keep a backup reed in your sporran in case it's needed.

Quick coaching tip: Spend time selecting and testing your reeds carefully, rather than hurrying to find the best chanter reed to use.

4) Drones: presence, balance, and whether they’re behaving

Even if drones aren’t perfectly locked instantly, judges hear whether they’re essentially stable and balanced with the chanter.

Set up your drones so when blowing them slightly harder or softer they all stay in tune as a unified drone sound.
Regularly adjust your drones during play to sharpen your ear for subtle tuning nuances, which will help you confidently secure your drone sound under pressure.
Drones should blend and add harmonics to your chanter sound, so they shouldn't be too loud or distract from the chanter.
When playing your pipes, once settled, increase the bag pressure a little and see if any drone reed shuts off or changes pitch. If this happens, then that reed needs to be adjusted to the same strength as the other reeds.

Quick coaching tip: If your drones tend to drift early, build a pre-performance routine that gets them close before you step in.

5) Tempo and pulse (your “musical credibility”)

Within a few beats, a judge feels whether the performance has a clear pulse.

A tempo that is stable compared to one that is searching.
Be careful not to rush due to nervousness.
Rehearse the beginning of your tune, ideally using your initial step off to use your feet's timing to guide the pace of your tune.

Quick coaching tip: Mentally sing the opening before you play it. If you can't clearly "hear" the pulse, your fingers won't either.

6) Cleanliness: immediate finger clarity

Judges don’t need a full part to know if execution is tidy.

Work on your weaker sections of your tune at slower speeds and build up cleaner execution, rather than simply playing through the entire piece. Focus and fix the sections to build a solid overall tune.

Quick coaching tip: In practice, isolate the first line and demand “competition-clean” fingers—because that’s the line that sets the tone.

7) Expression and intent

Even in the first phrase, judges can tell whether you’re playing the tune musically or just pushing through the notes.

A properly held dotted note postpones the cut note to prevent it from occurring too early in the phrase.
Confidence is essential to sustain the main theme notes of phrases long enough, allowing the rest of the phrase to flow naturally.
Perform at a pace where you feel assured in expressing your tune musically.

Quick coaching tip: Use a metronome during practice to find a tempo that allows you to produce a musical, flowing tune that is fast enough to captivate the listener.

Last thoughts.

Play your tune with confidence and take your time setting up your pipe in front of the judge. The judge wants you to perform at your best so he can also enjoy your music.