Piping Press

PP Ed’s Blog: Vintage Pipes for Sale/ Dunedin Games/ Lament for the CoP/ NEPADA/ Robert Turner

A very special set of pipes is offered for sale today via our Online Ads service. The instrument pictured above is a vintage bagpipe by Peter Henderson and dated 1904/05. It is in fully engraved silver (no ivory worries) and African blackwood, complete with original pipe chanter.

The pipes were made for a Gordon Highlander and have been in the seller’s family for many years. They come complete with wooden case and practice chanter. Click here for more on the pipes.

Got something to sell? Reach 10,000+ readers per week via Piping Press. You can’t go wrong with PP Online Ads.


With the City of Dunedin Highland Games in Florida opening its gates on Saturday 7th April, the fun has already started in the week running up to the big day, writes our Sunshine State correspondent.

A significant field of soloists will compete from 9am across all grades – but before that, on Friday afternoon, a recital from Stuart Liddell, the P/M of the current World Champions Inveraray & District and the man who has won the highest of solo prizes. The hugely supportive Scottish Arts Foundation, the powerhouse behind Pipe Major Iain Donaldson’s massive team effort going on in Dunedin, with school teaching and the advance of the competing Grade 2 band (finished fourth in Glasgow last year), will host the event at their hall. Later in the evening a parade of bands will bring colour and noise to Dunedin.

All focus then moves to Saturday with a strong bench of international judges adjudicating solos followed by the band competitions. There are approaching 100 solo pipers and 50 drummers listed to compete in the morning. Of the band contests the Grade 2 will be of real interest as the third placed at Glasgow Green in 2017,  St Thomas Episcopal (Texas), go up against the hosts, City of Dunedin. There will be no doubt that the Grade 2 watchers over the water will be taking note. It will be a Medley and March Strathspeys & Reel contest.

Such is the draw of Florida in Spring, and the quality of the event, that it keeps growing. There will be a strong crowd. A full Highland Games will be running in parallel to the piping and drumming, so thousands are expected, albeit the forecast is currently looking thundery and warm for Saturday – as it can only be in Florida. For the competitors to be judged by some of the greats, just adds to the excitement of the day. http://dunedinhighlandgames.com/ Results in due course.


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The takeover of the College of Piping by the National Piping Centre will be formally completed round the end of this month at the conclusion of the CoP’s financial year. A number of people have voiced the hope that the NPC will retain some of the ethos the College was known for, free or cheap lessons for those of low means for example. It remains to be seen what will transpire but for now here, as requested, is a copy of the tune with which the composer Josien Teerlink won her prize at the latest Netherlands Piping contest a few weeks ago. Josien has kindly agreed to it being published on PP:

Download a PDF copy of the tune here: Lament for The College of Piping


The New England Pipe & Drum Academy is offering students a discount on Tutor Books 1 -3. The Academy’s new exam syllabus, based on the books,  is also now available.

There are 17 grades all with small incremental progressions. These have been deliberately tailored so that more students than ever can match their ability to a particular grade. The exams are not compulsory at camp and they are free to all students who attend. They can be taken outwith camp week via Skype or Facetime. On successful completion each student receives the appropriate certificate (left).

For the piobaireachd student there is a series of examinations designed to reflect gradual progress in the ‘big’ music. There are 12 grades here. Click here, download the syllabus and scroll down to get the details. Click here for the discount code and more info. Click NEPADA Exam Syllabus to download and peruse at your leisure.


Two readers are trying to get in touch with that brilliant ex-Muirheads leading tip Robert Turner. Brian Blair and Ian Sunderland write: ‘Spoke with someone the other day and we both worked beside Robert Turner at the North British Steel Group in Bathgate when we were just apprentices back in the seventies. Do you have an email address or contact details for Robert? Kind regards,
brianhcblair@aol.com

I am sorry to say I don’t have Robert’s contact details Brian but I am sure some of our readers will be in touch. Robert is pictured above in his heyday and you can hear his super drumming on the Muirheads tracks on the PP Audio Archive.


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