In looking for things to do to break the monotony of the latest lockdown restrictions in Scotland I came across copies of two articles relating to the teaching of pipe band drumming which were given to me a long time ago by Allan Chatto from Sydney in Australia.  The articles, written probably in the 1940s or 50s for the then Piping, Drumming and Highland Dancing Journal, were by two of…

As I mentioned in my piece on the first two-day Worlds at Nottingham, I had also found among old papers the attached copies of bnads and tune lists for a local competition at New Meadowbank in Edinburgh in 1948 and the World Championships at Stirling in 1974.  I have no knowledge of the winner at New Meadowbank but Stirling was won by Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia under Tom McAllister. Here…

In recent weeks Piping Press has published material provided by reader Trevor Clydesdale showing tunes played by the Grade 1 Bands at the Worlds in 1970 and then by Ian Forbes for Cowal 1968. I have found among old papers tune lists for a local competition at New Meadowbank in Edinburgh in 1948, the World Championships in Stirling in 1974 and will cover these in a later report. For now…

Former RSPBA Adjudicator Alistair Aitken concludes his series on the difficulties facing the pipe band movement as we head towards a possible resumption of activity. The first major of 2021 is scheduled for May next year, only eight months from now…… To work effectively, for adjudication purposes, the half-circle formation would require all bands to form up in the same way. The adjudicators would need to stand, or be seated,…