The author of this article has asked to remain anonymous. We publish it in the interest of encouraging debate on this important topic for pipe bands…..
The circles may have faded, the grass will have been cut. The shadows have more than lengthened on the outdoor pipe band season. Barring a trip to Peebles or Pitlochry, we’re done.
I read the Editor’s review of the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships and noted that, once again, he made reference to ensemble adjudicators actively moving around the circle during a performance rather than remaining in a fixed position.
Giving it some thought, I can take his point. Stand in the one position, at the “head” of the band, and you will indeed be able to take in the overall performance. It’s a valid approach that many have done for years. In doing so, a consistent representation of the music performed in front of them will be heard. But hang on….
To say that the ensemble adjudicator is there to assess the overall performance, what does that actually mean? Some may naively take the view that said adjudicator will simply stand back and metaphorically “close their eyes” and absorb what they hear. In doing so, they leave the “technical stuff” to the individual disciplines of the piping and drumming adjudicators.
That is not to say that specific matters are not taken into consideration; tonal balance, integration between pipes and drums, interpretation of material and so on and so forth. But why do ensemble adjudicators move around more than they did in the past? Is it a personal style or are they being taught to in their training? And in moving around more, what is it they are listening for?
As a bandsman, I would welcome greater clarity on this from the RSPBA. Maybe they could hold workshops or seminars around the branches? But from my own experiences, the answer lies simply in orientation in which we play: a circle. Like it or not, that’s how we compete.
Across the board, the size of bands has increased over the years. As a result, the size of the circles painted on the grass was increased to accommodate this. A circle only has one side and the tightness of the integration between pipes and drums should ideally remain a constant right around the band. However this is not always the case.
I know that if I’m ever asked to move to a different position within my band, I might be playing the same notes but I sometimes hear a different perspective of the same thing. With this slightly increased diameter of circle, the integration between pipes and drums can vary to the ear from position to position much more than it did in the past.
This is especially true the closer you get to the juncture between the last piper and the first snare drummer. Indeed, I am assured by leading drummers and bass drummers alike that they can hear quite easily when different sides of the pipe corps are fractionally out of sync with each other let alone, with the drummers and as a band.
This level of minute detail may be lost to the static adjudicator. With this in mind perhaps it is only right that a different perspective is sought during a performance?
Other questions come into my head here. Do ensemble adjudicators do this in all grades? Does it matter the standard or playing requirements?
The format of a March, Strathspey and Reel is tightly fixed, the tunes are, for the most part well known. A “mobile” ensemble adjudicator would know exactly when to move position to hear specific things at different points of the set. Medley formats are slowly beginning to advance so maybe this will be more challenging in the future.
But we should note that everyone in a circle is facing a slightly different direction. Such positional differences affect the decision on who plays certain harmony lines. It also impacts the bass and tenor drummers and their individual projection, balance and tonal quality. The bass section as a whole are integral to any pipe band performance nowadays. This point was raised in a reply comment to Editor’s worlds review.
Most tenor corps, I notice, stand in a slightly flattened semi-circle, loosely mimicking the shape of the players outwith them. I presume they do not all face exactly straight forward in order to coordinate their flourishes easier. But the point being however, a static ensemble adjudicator may miss some imbalance across the tenor corps or conversely, perceive there an imbalance when there isn’t one. Taking the time to move round and notice the different drums and pitches used in any tenor beats or “splits” and how this has been designed to add specific colour to the music may well give an ensemble adjudicator a clearer idea of what’s being presented to them.
………to get a true sense of the musicianship, is listening from different positions not only desirable but a requirement?
The same holds true for a perceived overabundance in harmony from the pipers.
As musicians, we are programmed to listen closely not just to the overall music we hear, but to individual elements of that music. This becomes much more tricky when the performers are all facing a slightly different direction. So, again to hear the individual elements that make up the performance and to get a true sense of the musicianship, is listening from different positions not only desirable but a requirement?
I also read Alistair Aitken’s review of the Worlds and noted he too included his longstanding desire to trial all four judges being seated on a raised platform positioned at the head of the competition circle. I agree with him that the combined sounds of the instruments would indeed project upwards and provide somewhat of a more balanced perspective. But it is just that, one perspective of the band. For me, there are lots of things going on and objectively, I would prefer piping and drumming adjudicators at least to remain “up close and personal” to the performance. Too many things would simply be missed otherwise.
Alistair is right about one thing though. Such an approach would allow adjudicators to hear the performances in exactly the same way. And this is the critical point for me. Consistency.
Ensemble should be a technical adjudication. Not a subjective one. As long as the same technical musical aspects are being listened out for throughout each performance and the positions adopted by the ensemble adjudicators is same for each band, then that is valid approach.
Looking at the Grade 1 results at this year’s Worlds, it is the finest of fine margins that are needed to separate the prize winners. If an ensemble adjudicator can split the difference easier by doing laps of a band, then that’s fine by me. As long as they do it for everyone…
- What do you think? Please comment below.
