Archive
Livingston, Scotland – April 1, 2023 – Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Leading-Drummer Kerr McQuillan emerged victorious at the 2023 Scottish Solo Drumming Championship held at James Young High School and put on by the Lothian & Borders Branch of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association as one of […]
Chris Anderson, a seminal figure in Canadian piping and drumming, died on April 1, 2023, at the age of 94. Anderson was the pipe-major of the Grade 1 City of Toronto Pipe Band in the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s, making history as the first non-UK/Ireland band to receive a […]
Northern Ireland’s Field Marshal Montgomery and McNeillstown and special guests will band together to literally sing the praises of the late pipe band legend, Frank Andrews, on Friday, April 28th at the Tullyglass House Hotel in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A key non-playing member as the drone technician for 13-time World […]
Before the Celtic Connections Festival this year, my only experience listening to the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, or the NYPB, had been various YouTube and social media clips. I cannot quite believe that this concert, named 20 Years Young, has come around so soon, celebrating a significant milestone in the project’s journey.
The Piobaireachd Society has announced the recommended requirements for the Gold and Silver medals at the major gatherings in 2024, with a decided return to a variety of mostly well-kent music. True to the organization’s announcement in 2022, those eligible to compete in the “Senior” events – primarily the Clasp […]
As expected, BBC Radio Scotland has now formally announced that a replacement program for the long-running “Pipeline” program will start on the night of April 8th at the exact same 9-10pm GMT slot that its predecessor held. “Piping Sounds” will be hosted initially by Micheal Steele, with additional hosts coming […]
We continue with the second and final part of our exclusive discussion with Gary West of Edinburgh, who, on April 1st, will host the final broadcast of Pipeline, the weekly BBC Radio Scotland show dedicated to piping that has been a staple in various forms for more than a century. […]
For more than 20 years, Gary West has been a recognized voice for the piping and drumming world as the presenter of Pipeline, the weekly program on all things piping and drumming on BBC Radio Scotland. An accomplished Highland piper coming up through the famous Vale of Atholl teaching program […]
Underscoring its commitment to education and training, the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association announced this year that the organization will award eight US$250 to deserving drummers who could use the support for schools, lessons, or workshops. Now, the Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming has decided that they will […]
“Fame” is subjective. We define fame as widespread awareness gained through notable and exemplary achievements. By that definition, 27-year-old Ally Crowley-Duncan – “Ally the Piper,” as millions know her worldwide – is without argument the most famous piper in the world. That’s not to say that, in the little world […]
Glasgow – March 25, 2023 – The latest CLASP (Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers) contest was an in-person event at the National Piping Centre McPhater Street premises. Against a good entry, Marc Warnock of Northern Ireland was the aggregate Grade 1 winner, while the Grade 2 and Grade 3 […]
Since 2001, Dr. William Donaldson has been contributing his Set Tunes Series for pipes|drums readers. Now comprising more than 170 piobaireachds, the series is the world’s largest free online repository of ceol mor. Each piece includes all known published manuscripts, often from obscure publications only available from the National Library […]
The most famous piper in the world isn’t a competing player from Glasgow, Vancouver, or Wellington, she’s from New York, and her name is Ally Crowley-Duncan, known to more than two-million fans (and counting) worldwide as “Ally the Piper.” And she’s no squealy-bagging hack. Ally the Piper is an accomplished […]
While on the surface, the loss of a major RSPBA pipe band championship might seem of little consequence to those outside of the UK, it presents not a few questions and concerns. For those not familiar with the matter, here’s the gist of it: The RSPBA is bound as a […]
In Part 1 we reported on what chanters, chanter reeds and drone reeds the world’s Grade 1 and Grade 2 bands are using in their pipe sections. In Part 2, we analyze the pipe bags and moisture control systems they choose to keep their musical machine running at peak potential. The pipes|drums Bagpipe Equipment Survey […]
Despite a worldwide grassroots petition that gained more than 10,000 signatures, and a lengthy Scottish Parliament hearing to defend the program, BBC Radio Scotland has cancelled the long-running weekly program, “Pipeline.” Presented Gary West’s final show will be on April 1st, after which the public, advertising-free broadcaster will reportedly move […]