Inveraray Games Announcement and Letters on the Modern Pitch of the Bagpipe and on the Popularity of Amazing Grace

James Beaton, Piping Convenor of the well-run Inveraray Highland Games, has announced that entries for their piping competitions are now open. The games take place on July 19. All entry forms must be received no later than 24th June 2022, no late entries will be accepted and senior places are limited to the first 25 entries received. A draw will take place after the closing date and if required a…

Closing Date for UK Championships/ US Piping Foundation/ RSPBA Summer School

Calling all band secretaries: entries for the UK Pipe Band Championships to be held in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, on June 11 close tomorrow, April 27. The draw will be held on May 4. Get in touch with RSPBA HQ now if your band intends to compete. The closing dates for the other Championships are:European Championship, Inverness, 11th May 2022Scottish Championship, Dumbarton, 15th June 2022World Championship, Glasgow, 29th June 2022 We hear that…

Draw for Scottish Pipers Association Professional Contest 2022 Announced

The draw for next Saturday’s (April 30) SPA Professional has been announced by President Logan Tannock. Due to a reduced entry all events will be held in the National Piping Centre in McPhater Street, Glasgow. Some judges who had been engaged previously have volunteered to stand down given the drop in the number of participants. Mr Tannock re-itereated his gratitude to the Piobaireachd Society and McCallum Bagpipes for their financial…

Christchurch Chosen as Venue for 2023 New Zealand and South Pacific Pipe Band Championships

Christchurch, New Zealand is to play host to the 2023 New Zealand and South Pacific Pipe Band Championships in March 2023 and is inviting bands from New Zealand and around the world to register their interest for the contest. ‘We are delighted that New Zealand will play host to this important championship as the world emerges from the pandemic,’ Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands Association President Iain Blakeley says.  ‘We…

History: 50 years to the Month Since ‘Amazing Grace’ Took the World by Storm

The above cutting is from the Scottish Daily Express newspaper and readers will see it is dated April 11, 1972. Younger generations will be unaware of the seismic effect the success of this recording had on the public’s perception of the bagpipe and its music. It still resonates today, half a century later. The report reads: ‘The march of the Royal Scots Dragoon to No. 1 in the Top Twenty…