Archive
The Scottish Highland’s Plockton High School and Portree High School in Skye combined have about 170 piping and 100 drumming students, and now the program is searching for a new full-time drumming teacher for an annual salary of from about £34,000 to £45,000 (approximately CAD$58,000 to $77,000). The successful candidate […]
Charlie Martin, Brian Pollock, Iain Simpson, and Anne Spalding delve into ideas and possible solutions to help retain members and foster participation.
The groundbreaking multi-volume piobaireachd collection Binneas is Boreraig, compiled by Roderick Ross, was released in 1959 as an innovative way to communicate on paper the musical timing and intentions of Ross’s ceol mor teacher, Malcolm MacPherson. Sixty-four years later, the famous South African piper Chris Terry and his brother Pat […]
A pipe band from the historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England, has been resurrected to return full-force under the name of Banbury & District – Laidlaw Memorial Pipes & Drums, hoping to return to Grade 3 competition in 2024. The new band stems from […]
In Part 1 of our conversation with Reid and Grant Maxwell, the renowned father and son duo of pipe band snare drummers discussed Taking No Shortcuts, the new 118-page collection of nearly a thousand exercises for players of all levels. In Part 2, they discuss the writing ethic, the “secret sauce” that helps to give the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band its trademark ensemble energy, and Grant Maxwell’s impact as leading-drummer of the Vale United Pipe Band in Penticton, British Columbia.
Grade 3 Deeside Caledonia of Aberdeen, Scotland, has launched a petition, hoping to convince Aberdeen City Council to reconsider its decision to abandon sponsorship of the European Pipe Band Championships after successfully staging the event in 2023, later celebrating its success. Aberdeen City Council announced that it would discontinue its […]
One of the greatest pipe band drummers of all time, Reid Maxwell’s recently released 118-page Taking No Shortcuts collection of 900 carefully honed exercises is already in its second printing. Designed for any level of drummer, the book collects the exercises that Maxwell created, revised and continually tweaked over more […]
There’s a new pipe band in the western Canadian city of Calgary that strives to play with meticulous attention to musical and technical detail . . . but not driven by competition. The Slainte Social Club comprises local pipers and drummers, not disenchanted, per se, with the pursuit of contest […]
It’s Thanksgiving for our many American readers in the USA and around the world. It’s a beautiful holiday of gratitude and gatherings, people coming together with the commonality of family, food, American football and fun. The most important aspect of the day is gratitude. Whatever one is grateful for, Thanksgiving […]
Highland piping supremo Bruce Gandy has unveiled his latest instruction service, this time aimed at the piobaireachd curious and more established players alike. “Essential Piobaireachd Foundations” consists of 37 separate online lessons by Gandy that take students through embellishments, canntaireachd, playing styles, and full piobaireachds, with possible additional courses to […]
Our panel discussion with four older pipers still sharp after decades in the art – we gather four veteran pipers who still enjoy actively competing despite the unique challenges they face. Charlie Martin, Brian Pollock, Iain Simpson and Anne Spalding share their wisdom.
Most pipers support the need to protect endangered animal species, going to lengths to ensure their African blackwood ivory-adorned antique instruments are authenticated with a CITES permit when travelling internationally, but trouble and confusion can still exist with unaware security and customs officers. Olof Nilsson’s story of an unfortunate and […]
Bruce Hitchings was made chair at the 2023 annual general meeting of the UK’s Solo Piping Judges’ Association, taking over from Colin MacLellan, who decided to step down after six years in the role. A native of New Zealand and resident of Scotland for nearly 50 years, Hitchings has received […]
The Deans Bowling Club was the venue for the charity LIVI Invitational Solo Drumming Competition, where Kerr McQuillan of Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia won the MSR and Les Galbraith or Glasgow Skye Association took the Freestyle event. There was also a trophy awarded to the best piping based on accompaniment, which Donald Stewart won.
Against a field of nine other pipers from around North America, Cameron Bonar of Surrey, British Columbia, gained the 2023 George Sherriff Memorial Amateur Invitational Solo Piping Championship after accruing the most aggregate points over the three events held throughout the day at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in downtown Hamilton.
He’ll go down in history as one of the greatest pipe band drummers of all time, and J. Reid Maxwell’s recently released 118-page Taking No Shortcuts collection of 900 carefully honed exercises is already in its second printing. “The book is designed for any level of drummer,” Maxwell’s protégé pipe […]