It is clear that all the individuals mentioned in these three articles all had a desire to improve drumming technique and were committed to influencing the musical interpretation of bagpipe melodies.  They worked together towards these interests, although there is also evidence in the papers that during the 1930s and 1940s there was resistance from pipers and other drummers to some of their ideas.  There is no doubt that their…

Thanks to reader Dave Rischmiller for this colourised photograph of the Govan Police Pipe Band from the 1890s. As everyone knows this band was the forerunner of the Glasgow/ Strathclyde Police band. They made what we believe to be the world’s first ever recording of a pipe band. You can listen to it on the PP Archive here. History buffs will know that Govan at one time covered a large…

The Argyllshire Gathering would like to announce that to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of its inauguration a new piping competition will be created known as ‘The Argyllshire Gathering Intermediate Piping Championship’. By Jamie Mellor This will be a Championship event for pipers 22 years and under, and for the first year with the uncertainty of competitions going ahead, it has been decided to have an invitational competition with a maximum of…

A couple of weeks ago the Editor joined a panel at the Army School of Piping, Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh, for the 2021 Pipe Majors’ Course Passing Out. He shared duties with P/M Jimmy Banks, Scots Guards. During a break in proceedings he took the opportunity of speaking to P/M Banks about his own time at the Army School more than 50 years ago…. I attended the Pipe Majors’ Course in October…

Pipers Gary West, Ali Levack, Conal McDonagh and Ewen Henderson will participate in the second Virtual Fèis Rois Weekend at the end of this month with free concerts and workshops. Virtual Fèis Rois Weekend replaces its usual spring residential music events in Ullapool cancelled for the second year running. Organisers say last year’s online events attracted 50,000 views from more than 2,600 participants from 50 countries. The online Fèis this…