Annual Army Piping and Drumming Championships Report and Results

By Pipe Major Ross T McCrindle, Scots Guards, WO1, Senior Pipe Major British Army

Somewhat unusually for a Saturday, on the 23rd of February the sound of bagpipes, drums and bugles resounded around Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, as the 2019 Army Piping and Drumming Championships got underway at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming’s home at nearby Inchdrewer House. 

Events started at 0900 with personal and regimental pride at stake as the solo piping and drumming competitors vied with each other for the title of Army Champion.

Competing at Inchdrewer

The proceedings culminated with a multi-instrumentalist contest and prize giving ceremony in the early evening.

Adjudication was provided by a panel of independent expert judges, who worked throughout the day to decide the placings across no less than 22 events.  


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Three new events were added to the roster for this year: a duo of contests open to veterans of the UK’s regular and reserve forces, and a mixed ensemble contest open to all units with representation from across the Army and the Army Reserve, and Scottish University Officer Training Corps.. 

At the conclusion of the day’s competitions, the winners of the major events were as follows:

Mixed Ensemble winners:  The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Army Champion Piper 2019: P/M Ben Duncan, Scots DG

Army Piping Champion P/M Duncan, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Corporal Muir, Senior Light Music winner

Army Champion Drummer 2019: D/M Rab McCutcheon, R Sigs
Open Drumming winner: D/M Callum Marr, 4 SCOTS

D/M McCutcheon receives his award

Senior Light Music winner: Cpl James Muir, 3 SCOTS
Senior Piobaireachd winner: LCpl Chris Dorman, R Sigs

D/M Marr, Open Drumming winner, receives his distinctive trophy

The Director of Army Bagpipe Music Major Gordon Rowan and his staff would like to thank the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Army Piping Committee for their financial support of the competitions, without which these events would not be possible.  

Next year’s Army Piping and Drumming Championships will be held on the weekend of 22-23 February 2020.

L/Cpl Dorman, Senior Piobaireachd winner

If you would like a rewarding and fulfilling career as an Army piper or drummer, please get in touch with the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming on our Facebook page, or by telephone on 0131 310 5561. 

We welcome applications from commonwealth citizens and those with permanent residency in the United Kingdom regardless of gender.


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