Can anyone stop Angus MacPhee winning his third Glass Chanter in a row? Angus is pictured above after his 2025 win.
The Chanter and £200 is awarded to the piper with most points from wins on the northern Highland Games circuit. The journey to the prestigious award begins a week tomorrow (July 11) at Inverness Highland Games.
There then follows a succession of qualifying events at Halkirk (July 25), Dornoch (Aug.7), Strathpeffer (Aug.8), Tain (Aug.9), Assynt (Aug.14), Helmsdale (Aug.15), and Glenurquhart (Aug. 22).
Other Games news: Luss Highland Gathering is tomorrow on the shores of Loch Lomond; there are also games at Forres on the Moray coast. Enter on field for both, piobaireachd and light music, juniors and seniors.
Say what you like about AI it has certainly improved the standard of Highland Games posters. Last week we had this one (l) from Tobermory and now another excellent offering from the Young Piper of the Year on Benbecula:
Entries close for the Young Piper in two weeks.
Band Medleys
As someone said to me during the week, isn’t there something wrong if bands have to air their medleys online pre-season to help us understand them, as I suggested in my review of the Euros?
I think he has a point. It shouldn’t really be necessary, should it. After all we have only nine notes, no dynamic control, a single octave. Isn’t there long term damage in warping and wefting away with our melodies trying to prove how clever we are when the instrument is not built for it?
Simple but effective should be the mantra. Let the instrument do the talking. To hear 15+ pipers with perfectly set up drones and chanters, to hear every gracenote in unison, to hear good quality tunes arranged in progressive fashion building to a climax, peppered with a soupçon of seconds, drummers’ controlled dynamics giving extra expression – what more could you want?
Remember the roar when FM did their Fiddler’s Rally finale, or when Shotts and Robert Mathieson gave us the big turnout. I wonder if we will hear similar decibel levels at the Worlds this year?
Judging Proposal
Adjudicator Les Hutt has weighed in with his views on Colin MacLellan’s proposal aimed at solving the judging/teaching dilemma. At the moment senior professionals are seriously hindered from teaching if they want to judge the major events, or judging them if they want to teach.
Les writes: ‘I suspect we have all at sometime in the past complained about teachers judging pupils over the years.
‘I was dogmatic about avoiding this in the major contests. In the few competitions where I played in front of my piobaireachd teacher, there were three judges and he would step back. In other cases, and with hindsight, my grumps were probably unfair on a competitor who in reality I would not have heard, but whether their teacher was a factor or not it, it ultimately stained the achievement of the competitor.
‘The SPJA and CPA have been consistent in this message but we are in the situation where a proactive solution is needed enabling more judges to sit on the bench at their pupils events without conflict. I think Colin’s proposal is an objective approach and worth trialling, formally or informally on suitably sized benches.’ Check out the proposal here.
Scottish Pipers
President Logan Tannock: The Scottish Piper’s Association are delighted to announce that they have managed to secure dates for both our Juvenile Competition later this year and next year’s Professional Competition.
The SPA Juvenile competition will take place on the 6th of December 2026 at the NPC Otago Street. This competition is open to members and non-members (non-members are charged at a different rate to members).
The SPA Professional Competition for members will be held on the 24 April 2027 and has Open, Premier and A grade as well as B and C Grade competitions, for both Piobaireachd and light music, as well as the former winners MSR for winners of the Open Marches and Open Strathspeys and Reels
Schools Jobs
Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust is seeking piping and drumming tutors to lead new programmes in Glasgow and Largs.
The Trust is also offering a Trainee Drumming Tutor internship in Lochgelly, Fife. This is a development opportunity for Lochgelly High School Pipe Band. Details on SSPDT Social Media or contact info@sspdt.org.uk
A superb digital book of pipe music… click on pic to order
Order by clicking on picture…
