technique

I've tried relighting a pipe I've smoked halfway through and thought it to be horribly nasty. Won't do that again.
I fill to the rim and lightly tamp, then fill again, tamp, and repeat until the bowl is full. After I'm finished with the bowl, no matter if there is any baccy left or just ashes, I dump the remains and run a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank.
This has ensured that I get a clean smoke every time without too much of previous flavors if I smoke something different the next time.

I was using a two step method as well but not anymore. I take a clean pipe and plung it into the baccy. Then I use my index finger tostart filling the pipe not packing anything until the pipe is full then I take my finger, and get a pretty good wad of baccy in front of the bowl. Using some pressure I push the baccy into the pipe and tamp using my finger till it feels like a cigar on the top. Works for me pretty good.

When I first picked up the hobby, I swore by the "Three Stage" pack. Then, I discovered the "Frank" method, and figured well, hey, the Germans are reputed to be masters of efficiency, so this must be the way to go. Deciding that I would rather spend an hour smoking my pipe, than an hour loading my pipe, I went to the Airpocket or Cannonball methods.

These days, I don't put nearly as much thought into it; grab a handfull of tobacco, wad it up some, pack the bowl, and go...and I've found that my enjoyment level has increased tenfold since.

I'm with Schmitz. About the only "technique" I apply is to try more or less to keep the tobacco a little looser on the bottom and a little firmer on the top. But that's it. Then usually a charring light, then the real deal and very rarely do I have to re-light. (If the charring light takes hold and burns on in, that's all the better.)
I think new smokers often don't realize just how much tobacco can/should go into a pipe.
I watched the "Frank Method" video online somewhere. (Well, alright, fast forwarded through most of it.) Honestly, the whole precise, meticulous and closely ordered operation seemed -- how to put this politely? -- unnecessarily German.
(I'm half German/half Irish, so I say it with love.)

I open the jar and shove tobacco into the pipe till my educated finger says it's just right. Of course I have been smoking a pipe for over 40 years so experience is the key there. I always start with an empty pipe.

Empty and clean pipe.
Put the necessary pinches of tobacco into a plastic bowl i keep for the occasion.
Pack and load pipe, over bowl, using the Normandy Invasion method.
Dump leftovers from bowl back into bag.

Though i consider myself new to smoking pipe i have always gone with unclearthur's method.

Normandy Invasion Method LOL

You just keep dumping tobacco at it until you've acheived victory ?

The Normandy Invasion method.
It starts with the perceived notion of German superiority of method, which leads to the initial momentum going that way. However, the American/Canadian/English push takes over, eventually leading to a smoldering mess of things.

Modified Frank method , I like to call it the Igloo stuff and puff . I do use my thumbs on the top of the bowl just like in the video .

I pretty much just load the bowl with what fits my fancy and smoke till' I get tired of it. Sometimes the whole bowl, sometimes half... I don't use any particular method; just pack, check draw, pack again... until it seems good. That tends to work for me better than if I try to use some precision step method. Don't know why, it just does. I will also add that from time to time I will smoke an old bowl(a few hours or oven an overnighter) depending on what blend is in there. Some blends just go terribly stale though, once cooled down. Others are great, and even a few seem better once "aged" in the pot overnight.

The technique that has served me best was taught to me by tobacco salesman in Pleasonton CA. Baby, Mamma, Pappa - increasing the packing with the gentlest fill at the bottom. Increase the pressure - not too hard towards the top. Hence the Familial Pecking Order. This method has served me for over 20 years. Also I don't do many relights - I find that if a pipe has tobacco is left to rest too long with tobacco still in it the relights tend to be harsh and acridic. Also I tend to work my pipes - if I smoke several bowls in a row - it's the same pipe. If I light up a pipe - smoke it - and then go do something - work, errands, anything that may take a couple of hours, etc. - I will pick a fresh clean pipe. My reasoning is simple - all pipes that I have left for a number of hours - just don't smoke as well - often - jading the smoke with an unpleasant taste - which is a violation (IMHO) of the tobacco. After all I wouldn't pick up a beautifully marbled steak, grill it with sauteed mushrooms and then put the whole thing on a filthy plate to be consumed - then complain about how lousy my meal tastes. Just common sense stuff folks.

I live next door to a custom motorcycle maker so my method is to pack the bowl as tight as possible and then use his metal air hammer to pack it down even more. I can get nearly two full ounces crammed into the average bowl. It's a bitch to puff but a great work out for the lungs and a real boon to my cycling. I can usually make one bowl last a whole two weeks puffing on and off.