Two new books of pipe music have been published in the last few weeks. The first, ‘A Boys’ Brigade Collection of Bagpipe Music’ is by Mr John Shone and the second ‘Eat, Sleep, Pipe, Repeat’ is by Kyle Warren.
All proceeds from Mr Shone’s book go towards the Boys’ Brigade, the movement founded by Sir William Smith in Glasgow in 1883. Mr Shone, a former competing piper and an active member of the Piobaireachd Society, is a lifelong supporter of the BB and was for 18 years pipe major of the 5th Croydon Company.
He was student of Donald MacPherson and P/M JB Robertson and in his early years competed successully in professional solo competition.
He said: ‘From lowly beginnings in a working class area of London I rose to become the head of one of Britain’s largest food companies. None of what I achieved in business would have been possible without the lessons of hard work, diligence, loyalty and comradeship I learnt in the Boys’ Brigade.
‘They also gave me my start in piping and this book is an opportunity for me to give something back to an organisation to which I owe everything. I am grateful to all those who have offered their tunes and time free of charge in bringing the project to fruition.’
The Boys’ Brigade has a unique record in training pipers and drummers. The book notes pipers who passed through its ranks including Donald MacPherson, RG Hardie, Seumas MacNeill, Les Cowell, Roderick Cannon, Robert Wallace, Tommy Pearston and P/M Ian McLellan.
The book is a high quality fold flat A4 portrait production. It runs to 70 pages with 40 tunes of which four are piobaireachd. There are tunes by Donald MacPherson, plus some by the author and other BB pipers and by P/M JB Robertson, Scots Guards.
The book has an impressive number of Boys Brigade band photographs including the 214 Glasgow (P/M Ian McLellan, Robert Wallace), the 1st St Andrews, the 139 Glasgow (where Seumas MacNeill and Thomas Pearston of the College of Piping were taught), the 1st Hawick, the 1st Port Glasgow, the 1st Troon and of course the 5th Croydon.
Buy the book here:
A Boys’ Brigade Collection of Bagpipe Music
Kyle’s New Book
The second book, ‘Eat, Sleep, Pipe, Repeat’ is A4, saddle stitched and runs to 48 pages with 50 tunes. The author has dedicatd the book to Robert Semple OAM, BEM, for 75 years a member of Hawthorn Pipe Band, Melbourne, Australia, of which Kyle was pipe major before he returned to Scotland last year.
Most of the tunes are by Kyle himself but there are pieces by others such as Mark Saul, Scott Wallace, Gordon Duncan and Duncan Johnstone. In his introduction Kyle writes: ‘Since my first book of music ‘Tunez’ was published in 2010, piping has not only been my full time career and my hobby, it has been my life, and I have everything to thank it for.
‘The past ten years has included the release of my debut album ‘Wanted’ in 2011, as well as the fantastic experience of recording pipes on the Disney Pixar Oscar winning movie ‘Brave’.
‘Along with this, I achieved my lifelong ambition of playing in the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band under the leadership of the most successful pipe major in history – P/M Richard Parkes MBE, accomplishing four back to back World Championship wins and two history making ‘Grand Slams’.
‘World travel with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, from the Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain to a Virgin Atlantic beach party in Barbados – via a wee gig in Banchory! Teaching pipe bands and at workshops across the globe, as well as teaching and further learning myself with some of the best pipers and drummers in the world at both Dollar Academy and latterly Scotch College in Melbourne, Australia.
‘The challenge of taking on my first P/M role in an adult band, leading the Melbourne based Hawthorn Pipe Band to the Grade 2 Australian National title in 2018. Followed in 2019, with competing for the first time in Hawthorn’s 105 year history at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. A trip that cost roughly $150,000 AUD!
Stepping outside the circle over the last few years to start my pipe band judging career as a piping adjudicator with Pipe Bands Victoria and Pipe Bands Australia. Lastly, in amongst the past 10 years of contests, concerts, teaching and airmiles, I met my now wife, and we started our family. We met by pure chance one evening in an Irish bar. I had my kilt on after just finishing a concert with Field Marshal Montgomery. Piping, I have everything to thank it for!’
‘Eat, Sleep, Pipe, Repeat’ will be reviewed on PP in due course. Get the book, priced £18, here. Official book launch date is August 1st.
