Scottish Schools’ Pipe Band Championship

Scottish Schools’ Pipe Band Championship is well underway in Edinburgh. Eighty one bands of various standards and sizes were ready to step off this morning. With George Heriot’s Juvenile B (pictured) first up in Hall A. Twenty-one bands in the Nov Juvenile B, seven in Nov Juv A, and six in Juvenile. A host of other bands are playing in Hall B covering less experienced ‘grades’. The contest is ideally housed in good facilities at…

PP Ed’s Blog: Modern Piobaireachd/ AKQ/ Uist & Barra/ Fergie Tune

Writing of Dr John MacAskill’s self-penned piobaireachd on Friday served as a reminder of the current impetus there is behind ‘modern’ ceol mor. At the end of the month we will have the Donald MacLeod Memorial contest in Stornoway (see banner ad.) where his music will be enjoyed once more by the large crowd. Donald’s tunes feature in this year’s Silver Medal lists too, and other modern tunes such as…

RSPBA Headquarters Damaged By Fire – Updated with Pictures

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s Headquarters in Washington Street, Glasgow, have been badly damaged following a fire in the early hours of this morning (see pic above). The blaze happened when an upstairs storage heater malfunctioned and caught fire. Fortunately a skylight in the roof above blew out releasing the intense heat and smoke. This has saved the building from more extensive damage and a possible total loss. However…

Dr John MacAskill and a New Piobaireachd Recently Rediscovered

Gaelic broadcaster, writer and photographer, Cailean Maclean has unearthed a new piobaireachd composed by the late Dr John MacAskill. What’s more he has provided a copy of the tune and a recording of the writer playing it. Dr John, who died in 2003, was a renowned composer of such ceol beag masterpieces as the reel Lexie MacAskill and an article on him featured earlier in Piping Press. Cailean writes: ‘Dr John…

Report on the Army Contest/ Date for Capt. John MacLellan Mem./Pipes for Sale/ Young Piper

After a hiatus of seven years, last weekend (March 4/5) saw the Army Piping and Drumming Championships take place at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, writes Major Gordon Rowan, Director of Army Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming. The school, at Inchdrewer House in Edinburgh, resounded to the sound of bagpipes, drums and bugles, as pipers and drummers from across the British Army competed with each other…