January 2018 Pipe Band Magazine Preview

The January 1, 2018 edition of the RSPBA’s Pipe Band Magazine will be available for free digital download in the next few days. Keeping checking Piping Press and the RSPBA’s own website for your copy.
The front cover pays tribute to World Solo Drumming Champion Steven MacWhirter (see above) who secured his eighth title at the championships held last October at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Inside the 30 page magazine:
Headquarters News: This covers changes at the top of the Association and has details on regradings for the 2018 season and lists the five new judges bands are likely to encounter in the contest arena next summer.


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The All Our Yesterdays feature majors on the Fife-based 153/154 Regt. Pipes & Drums. It tells of the band’s origins and how they are now recruiting once more. Interesting photographs including an early one of RSPBA adjudicator Peter Snaddon.
The Drummers’ Call column looks at the controversy over the grading of solo drummers at the World Solos. Should Grade 1 drummers be playing in Juvenile at the WSD?



There’s more controversy in the Letters page where there is a call to abolish Ensemble adjudication:


Moving on to the Band Spotlight feature in what is a very busy magazine, there is extensive focus on the Juvenile ‘Grand Slammers’ of Dollar Academy.


Next we have all the news from Branches, two obituaries marking the sad passing of P/M Andrew Donaldson, Fife, and RSPBA National Councillor Bill McMorran. Finally there is a review of Bill Livingstone’s memoir ‘Preposterous: Tales to Follow’.
Pipe Band Magazine is brought to the pipe band community free of charge as a service from the RSPBA.


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