I sat through a few tunes in the C Piobaireachd and then the whole of the P/A. At the conclusion of an unbroken four hour stint I wandered off for refreshment. I looked over my notes. I jotted down my prediction. Here it is:
It’s not often you get it exactly as the judges call it. (In this instance they were Ronnie MacShannon and Euan Anderson.) Usually you are too distant from the bench to hear as they hear. This was not an issue at the Piping Centre on Saturday. The main piobaireachd event was stuck in a space not much bigger than a box room.
Whilst this might have helped the pundits like me, it did not really assist in the pleasurable enjoyment of the great Highland bagpipe. And there were some great Highland bagpipes on display.
By The Editor
I doubt I will hear a better instrument this year than Angus MacPhee’s. Its fulsome sonority filled the room and more. It needed space to breath but still the harmonics drove into your senses. Who could not thrill to such a sound?
Angus was second in the contest. He’s only just learned MacLeod Colbeck. There’s work to be done to do justice to John MacKay’s classic. For instance the cadence runs in the variation need attention and we could have done with more passage and phrase in the urlar. But the magnificent pipe and clean finger carried Angus through, his prize ensuring Champion Piper status.
Best music of the day came from Brodie Watson-Massey. This young Edinburgh piper displayed a maturity with the Phantom Piper of Corrieyairick which belied his years. His sweet pipe suited the small room. Get rid of the roundness in the Ts & Cs and this, Brodie, will be the complete package.
Third prize went to a commendable Earl of Antrim from Gordon McCready, commendable in the sense that the pipe and finger were strong and he kept things moving. Much improvement could be effected with tasteful variation in phrasing in the first half of the tune and focus on the theme notes later on.
A similar assessment might befit Steven Leask’s Big Spree. These pipers are gifted. Pipes, finger, general tempi are all a given. Time is available, therefore, for the subtleties, the subtleties that elevate a performance from worthy prizewinning solidity to the next level of musical distinction. Just what Brodie had.
It is easy to lapse into aimless reverie with the Glen is Mine, simultaneously boring yourself and your listeners. No ceòl mòr cop could lay such a charge at the door of John Macdonald. This was one of the best set out tunes I heard. John was first on and maybe the pipe could have had more time to settle. That said, his timing and phrasing were just as we would have wanted. Plenty of space, perfect pace. John tells me he has been travelling a lot with work, US, Middle East, and this has affected his practice time.
Of the others Cameron May had a roughish top hand in Kinlochmoidart 1 and there were a couple of minor technical transgressions; well expressed however; Sarah Muir’s Lady Margaret lacked momentum and I think there was a note error; Sandy Cameron started well with the Old Men of the Shells but the pipe drifted; back to basics for James MacPetrie with his Viscount; Darach Urquhart just couldn’t get the pipe to stay; Ben Duncan had a fine instrument but over cut the short notes in the dithis of the King’s Hand.
The 6/8 March was part pf the five minute tuning up for the P/A Piobaireachd. A good idea this. There are too few contests for this genre of pipe music and as a result it has become something of a dying art. Of the eleven 6/8s I heard, only one had the required phrasing and pointing: that of Ben Duncan. His River Creed swung along in a fine style that would have pleased its composer Donald MacLeod.
Most of the others had no idea of how to mark out the beat notes, the off beats and the phrases. The winner, Brodie Watson Massey, was pleasant enough with Rab’s Wedding, but this was very much an Edinburgh Polis 6/8: round and rolling, devoid of the Glesga Polis point and phrase.
Other pipers thought they were playing for the Drum Majors. As if to emphasise this, Gordon McCready didn’t even march! So I blame the bands. They never play 6/8s any more unless it’s for the maces.
Of the other categories in the competition the judges told me there was an outstanding Fair Honey from Catriona Norman in the C Piobaireachd. As I say I did catch a little of this event though not Catriona’s tune. Of those I heard, Andrew Pattison impressed with Auldearn 2 and Hazel Whyte had one of the best instruments of the day – shame about the memory in Ronald MacDonald of Morar. She should have been at Peter McCalister’s ‘How to Memorise Piobaireachd’ session at the PS Conference last month. Fraser Maitland had a good go at the Groat – too good a go. He needs to relax more and let the music come out.
At the conclusion it was up to the main auditorium for the prizes. (Surely this is where the P/A Piobaireachd should be held.) President Tannock thanked the Piobaireachd Society and the Competing Pipers’ Association without whose support, he said, the competition could not be held.
Well done to the Scottish Pipers and its committee for keeping this an open event and also for having such a sparkling array of trophies on show for the audience and photographers. A lot of ‘Brasso’ expended, but what an impressive display of silverware when compared to the likes of the Uist & Barra.
- Scottish Pipers’ Association Annual Professional competition held in the Piping Centre, Glasgow, on April 12, 2025. Full results here.
Hi Robert, Thank you for your coverage of the SPA Professional over the past few weeks. I believe that the coverage Piping Press and other social media gives, helps us to run successful competitions. One point however; the SPA would love all the events to be held in an auditorium setting but the logistics of the day/venue [the Piping Centre] do not allow for this. We had intended to hold the Open Piobaireachd in one of the other rooms, but switched it to allow us to get the competition under way earlier, hence allowing all the competitions to finish within 20 to 30 minutes of one another, a surprise to many, myself included. Finally I would like to thank all competitors and spectators. They often get forgotten post competition, but without them there would be no SPA competition. Regards, Logan.