Piping Results from the Royal National Mod

Complete results from last weekend’s Royal National Mod Piping are now available. They show a very successful day for US piper Decker Forrest now domiciled on Skye. This year the Mod was held on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Ceol Mor 1st J. Decker Forrest, Isleornsay, receives the James R. Johnston Memorial Quaich and £150 2nd James MacPhee, Inbhir Nis, £100 3rd Brìghde Chaimbeul, An Caol, £75 Ceol Beag 1st J. Decker Forrest £100 2nd James MacPhee £75 3rd Brìghde Chaimbeul £50 H&J 1st…

Top Piper Queries Tune Selection Comments By the Editor

Top professional piper Alex Gandy from Halifax, Nova Scotia, has written regarding a recent blog post by the Editor concerning the selection of tunes for Former Winners’ MSR contests….. Alex wrote: I wanted to get a little clarity on what maybe the judges are looking for with regard to tune selection, as it appears you weren’t 100% enthused with Mrs. MacDonald of Dunach. I’ve played the same marches two years…

World Solo Drumming – An Interview with Maestro Jim Kilpatrick MBE

Saturday sees the RSPBA’s World Solo Drumming Championship being held in Caledonian University in Glasgow. As a warm up for that event, and as a possible assist to competitors, we run the following interview with master drummer Jim Kilpatrick MBE, the record winner of the top title, and now retired after a wonderful pipe band and solo drumming career. The interview comes to us courtesy the Association and their official magazine…

PP Ed’s Blog: Breton Pipers/ Craigmount Contest/ SPA Recital/ Angus Nicol

Grateful to Patrick Molard for this: Here is the report as it appeared in the Breton magazine ‘Ar Soner’ with a clipping from the Oban Times:  Read Patrick’s letter here. Craigmount Caledonia Pipe Band have confirmed their annual junior competition will be on December 3. Unfortunately this clashes with the Shotts & Dykehead Junior Piping and Drumming contest the same day. Here is the poster for Craigmount: We may find that…

Festival of Juvenile Solo Piping Results

A very large entry at this competition held yesterday in Ardrossan High School, Ayrshire.  Event Co-Ordinator Gerard McClumpha sent this: ‘The competition had over 200 entries playing in seven different arenas covering 20 disciplines – which all went like clockwork. (Being the event co-ordinator, I couldn’t say that without being biased, so I have repeated what many players, parents and judges said to both myself and the other volunteers on the day!) As a date…