Archive

With an MSR win and a second in the Piobaireachd, Callum Beaumont of St. Andrews, Scotland, emerged the overall winner of the Premier Grade at the annual Captain John MacLellan Memorial Army School Solo Piping Competition at Inchdrewer House, Redford Barracks.

The third annual Sun Belt Invitational Solo Piping Competition will take place on November 9th at the Orlando Sheraton North Hotel and the 10 contestants have been firmed, along with the tunes they’ll be playing in the Piobaireachd event: Callum Beaumont, St. Andrews, Scotland, “Lament for MacLeod of Colbeck” Glenn […]

In the 15 years since she started her business, Islay Spalding’s bespoke kilt pins have become one of piping and drumming’s true style differentiators. In a sea of uniform similarity, her unique, custom and often quirky designs have set kilt-wearers apart with a small yet subtly distinct statement of their […]

“In all those years, that was 1987, and we’re now 26 years later, it’s the first I’ve heard of it.” Those were the words of the late Ken Eller in 2013, perhaps the most extraordinary moment in the 35 years we’ve conducted interviews. We had reunited former Clan MacFarlane pipers […]

As pipes|drums first calculated after the last prizes of the Northern Meeting were announced, the 10 pipers who by winning designated qualifying competitions are confirmed to compete at the 2024 Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championships on October 26th at Blair Castle in Blair Atholl, Scotland: Chris Armstrong, Glasgow – Argyllshire Gathering Formers […]

William R. Fraser, known to most as Bill, died on September 24, 2024, in Aberdeen, Scotland, at the age of 80. He was most known as a solo piping judge, and though he did not compete much, he might have made a considerable name in piping with his steady temperament […]

The Commonwealth Pipes & Drums of Melrose, Massachusetts, was the overall winner of the top grade at the 2024 Celtic Classic in the historic downtown of Bethlehem. The band finished second in both Grade 3 Medley and MSR contests, which were won by New York Metro and McMillan-Birtles, respectively. Eight bands competed in Grade 3. The Grade 4 band contest was held on September 28th.

The motto for George Watson’s College is “Ex Corde Caritas” (Latin for “Love from the Heart”) and the stalwart producer of some of Scotland’s top pipers and drummers will stage the second annual Caritas Banner for piobaireachd players 18 and younger on November 24th at the college. in Collinton, on […]

With two second prizes, Tyler Bridge of Guelph, Ontario, was the winner of the 2024 Glengarry Cup Solo Piping Competition, an event put on by the Ottawa Branch of the PPBSO and originally organized in the 1980s by the Glengarry Pipe Band of Maxville, Ontario. The contest is traditionally held on the same weekend as the National Police and Peacekeepers’ Memorial events on Parliament Hill in Canada’s capital city.

Several sources close to the matter revealed that a formal letter from the Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations (ANAPBA) to the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association is in its final draft phase. The letter reportedly expresses several concerns regarding the RSPBA’s repeated practice of re-grading North American association-member […]

St. Columba’s in Renfrewshire, Scotland, is looking to attract a Bass-Section Instructor to help push forward the private school’s successful Novice Juvenile piping and drumming program under the watch of Gordon Bruce. According to Bruce, the successful candidate will fill the part-time “self-employed” role with “enthusiasm and commitment,” and will […]

Alan Jones, the author of the pipe band study, “Insights into Pipe Band Ensemble,” and composer of the 16 original MSR pipe tunes that accompany it, outlines the steps he follows when writing an “Ensemble-Friendly™” pipe tune. In this article, Alan puts the findings of his study into practice – selecting an ensemble-friendly rhythm “Profile” and, from this, creating a new, two-parted, 2/4 march with a closely integrated snare drum accompaniment.

In his second piece, top-tier piper and computer scientist Colin Johnstone looks at how AI might augment or even replace human judges with strictly objective assessments free of the prejudices and biases inherent in adjudication as we know it now.

Any association sanctioning a competition has the right to advise a competitor who they believe is entering the incorrect grade for their playing ability. What competition organizers have no right to do is re-grade a band, solo piper or drummer who is not a member of their association.

We continue with the second part of the pipes|drums Reunion Interview with five Grade 1 Polkemmet Pipe Band members of the 1980s. This era of the now-defunct but historically significant band made a mark in only a few years. With the first-time leadership of Pipe-Major Robert Mathieson and Leading-Drummer Jim Kilpatrick, Polkemmet emerged as a driving creative force on the UK scene, which was then dominated by the seemingly unbeatable Strathclyde Police.

The recent news story about the lawsuit filed against the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario and its directors prompted dozens of messages from concerned readers. With each writer’s permission, we include just a few of the comments received here. The comments are unedited; with one exception (again, with permission), removing only content that might associate the writer with their identity.