Archive

Campbeltown, Scotland – September 17, 2022 – The usually annual Springbank Invitational Solo Piping Competition resumed its regular yearly schedule with the event at the Argyle Arms Hotel, where Angus D. MacColl of Benderloch, Scotland, took the aggregate prize based only on the Piobaireachd and MSR events, with Campbeltown native […]

The well-known piper and piping historian Barry Shears of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, has released his latest work: Legacy: A Collection of Photographs and Music, a 224-page book of 191 new and traditional pipe tunes, 115 historical photographs and several essays on early piping in the Celtic-rich areas of Pictou […]

Renowned piper Bruce Gandy of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is the author of the winning piobaireachd in the composing contest put on the Eagle Pipers’ Society of Edinburgh. Gandy’s “Eagle Pipers’ Society” won out against strong submissions from pipers around the world, described as a “very high standard of entry” by […]

The accomplished Ontario-based piper Andrea Boyd is the new pipe-major of the Grade 3 Ottawa Highlanders. She joins Lead-Drummer Mark Passmore and a strong pipe section and drum corps, following the group’s successful return to competition in the Ontario circuit, which included winning Grade 3 at the North American Championships […]

Perhaps as a gesture of good faith that bands will only improve after returning to competition following two seasons of dormancy, the UK’s Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association only upgraded 19 bands and downgraded none for 2023. Despite solid seasons in Grade 2 by Scotland’s Buchan Peterson Northern Ireland’s Ravara, […]

Alden Biesen, Bilzen, Belgium – September 9, 2022 – Ronsed-Mor of Brittany travelled to Belgium to win both the Grade 2 and the Open contests with straight first-place rankings at the Belgian Pipe Band Championships at Landcommanderij Alden Biesen in the scenic Bilzen, the home of the contest since 1994. […]

If you are a Highland piper or a pipe band drummer or simply a fan of piping and pipe bands, Geoff Ross has made a profound impact on your life. We can thank him for a flurry on innovations that would bring new levels of stability, tuning and consistency to the world’s most temperamental instrument: […]

One might assume that, after close to 3,000 entries from our faithful readers for pipes|drums’ 2022 Pick The Six contest, that several might get their prediction for the Grade 1 prize list at the World Championships exactly right. Well, you’d assume wrong. Ultimately, only Sarah MacKinnon of Barrie, Ontario, got […]

pipes|drums joins the world in mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. For all of her 70 years and 214 days on the throne, and her years as princess, she was a devoted supporter of pipers and drummers and Highland bagpipe music. It can safely be said that no public […]

Waukesha, Wisconsin – September 3, 2022 – Twenty bands competed at the Wisconisn Highland Games, a return for the full event post-pandemic. City of Chicago emerged the winner of the Grade 2 band contest, while Jimmy Bell of Batesville, Arkansas, tipped St. Joseph, Missouri’s Avens Ridgeway for best overall in […]

Pleasanton, California – September 3-4, 2022 – The 156th Scottish Highland Gathering & Games at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in the northern California town of Pleasanton returned after a few years’ absence, attracting a strong entry from bands and soloists. The top band contests were won on both days by […]

Calgary and Canmore, Alberta – September 3-4, 2022 – The last weekend to close out the competition season in Western Canada took place at both the Calgary and the Canmore Highland Games. Weather was unusually hot and dry at both events, with temperatures at Calgary on the Saturday exceeding 30C, and a […]

Blairgowrie, Scotland – September 4, 2022 – Following the Braemar Gathering, Edinburgh’s Ben Duncan enjoyed his second overall trophy in as many days with a clean sweep of all the senior events at the Blairgowrie & Rattray Highland Games. There was a large entry, weathering heavy rain in the morning […]

Bakewell, England – September 4, 2022 – The Chatsworth Country Fair got back to in-person competitions offering a total purse of £2,900, the event’s usual relatively good prize money for the senior solo piping events. Callum Beaumont of Dollar, Scotland, took the overall trophy, and prize money was awarded to […]

Braemar, Scotland – September 3, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t attend the Braemar Gathering for the first time ever in her long reign, but Prince Charles, several other Windsors and about a dozen pipers turned out for the senior events. Even without a first-prize, Ben Duncan of Edinburgh gained […]

Antrim, Northern Ireland – September 3, 2022 – Gareth McLees of Belfast won the first UK Solo Snare Drumming Championship, the latest qualifying competition for top-shelf players to get a bye to the semi-final of the World Solo Drumming Championships in Glasgow on October 22nd. The UK Championship was held […]