RSPBA Chief Executive Ian Embelton has released details of the playing requirements for bands competing at the Major Championships in each grade for 2018. Click on the links for the Association’s lists of prescribed tunes. Also on the site you will find all the results and summary sheets for this year’s majors. Here are the requirements for 2018:
British Championships – Saturday 19th May, Paisley
- Novice Juvenile B & Grade 4B – 4 x 2 parted Marches from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Novice Juvenile A & Grade 4A – 1 x 4 parted Marches or 2 x 2 parted Marches, 1 x 4 Parted Strathspey or 2 x 2 parted Strathspeys and 1 x 4 Parted Reel or 2 x 2 Parted Reels from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Juvenile – MSR
- Grade 3A & 3B – Medley (3 to 5 minutes)
- Grade 2 – MSR (submit 2)
- Grade 1 – Medley (5 to 7 minutes – submit 2)
United Kingdom Championships – Saturday 16th June, Belfast
- Novice Juvenile B & Grade 4B – 4 x 2 parted Marches from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Novice Juvenile A & Grade 4A – 1 x 4 parted Marches or 2 x 2 parted Marches, 1 x 4 Parted Strathspey or 2 x 2 parted Strathspeys and 1 x 4 Parted Reel or 2 x 2 Parted Reels from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Juvenile – Medley (3 to 5 minutes)
- Grade 3A & 3B – MSR
- Grade 2 – Medley (4 to 6 minutes)
- Grade 1 – MSR (submit 2)
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European Championships – Saturday 30th June, Forres
- Novice Juvenile B & Grade 4B – 4 x 2 parted Marches from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Novice Juvenile A & Grade 4A – 1 x 4 parted Marches or 2 x 2 parted Marches, 1 x 4 Parted Strathspey or 2 x 2 parted Strathspeys and 1 x 4 Parted Reel or 2 x 2 Parted Reels from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Juvenile – MSR
- Grade 3A & 3B – Medley (3 to 5 minutes)
- Grade 2 – MSR (submit 2)
- Grade 1 – Medley (5 to 7 minutes – submit 2)
Scottish Championships – Saturday 28th July, Dumbarton
- Novice Juvenile B & Grade 4B – 4 x 2 parted Marches from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Novice Juvenile A & Grade 4A – 1 x 4 parted Marches or 2 x 2 parted Marches, 1 x 4 Parted Strathspey or 2 x 2 parted Strathspeys and 1 x 4 Parted Reel or 2 x 2 Parted Reels from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Juvenile – Medley (3 to 5 minutes)
- Grade 3A & 3B – MSR
- Grade 2 – Medley (4 to 6 minutes)
- Grade 1 – MSR (submit 2)
World Championships – Friday 17th August and Saturday 18th August, Glasgow
- Novice Juvenile B & Grade 4B – 4 x 2 parted Marches from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Novice Juvenile A & Grade 4A – 1 x 4 parted Marches or 2 x 2 parted Marches, 1 x 4 Parted Strathspey or 2 x 2 parted Strathspeys and 1 x 4 Parted Reel or 2 x 2 Parted Reels from the RSPBA list of prescribed tunes
- Juvenile – Medley (3 to 5 minutes)
- Grade 3A & 3B – Medley (3 to 5 minutes) and MSR.
- Grade 2 – MSR (submit 2) and Medley (4 to 6 minutes)
- Grade 1 – Medley (5 to 7 minutes – submit 2) and MSR (submit 2)
The picture up top is of the massed bands at the World Pipe Band Championships held each year on Glasgow Green. Get the January 1 Pipe Band Magazine for all your pipe band news. Check Piping Press and RSPBA website at the end of the month..
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Its about time the RSPBA did something (especially in Grade 1 – which is the grade all bands aspire to) to stop the same tunes being played over and over again by different bands. How many times do we need to hear Highland Wedding, Susan MacLeod and Mrs McPherson? This has been an issue for many years, and may explain the extremely poor audience at the Worlds Grade 1 MSR section
Nonsense, these are great tunes and should remain as they are. MSR reflects tradition. For innovation we have the medley where you can play unknown tunes, add harmonies and mix the timings. The whole point of this is to show piping tradition yet allow for the new music to show how piping adapted.