Author: Piping Press

Hope Rises for a Normal Season as Tickets for European Pipe Band Championships Go on Sale

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As pipe bands prepare for a busy season of competitions in 2022, organisers of ‘Piping Inverness’, which incorporates the European Pipe Band Championships, are set to welcome a strong turnout next year, writes Jen Symington. After a two-year absence from major competitions, pipe bands from across the globe are ‘desperate’ to get back competing. Piping Inverness will give them the opportunity to compete when it takes place at Bught Park,…

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George Watson’s College Pipes & Drums – the End of an Era

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After 22 years of dedicated service teaching pipes at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, P/M Iain Simpson has announced that he will retire from his position in April 2022. Iain will leave an indelible mark upon the school and its pipe bands. The teaching programme has become one of the largest, and most successful, in the world.  On the competition field, Iain’s pursuit of excellence has brought many significant awards for…

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Livingston Invitational Solo Drumming Competition 2021 – With Prizes for Pipers!

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My last judging outing was to the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships at Kilmarnock on the 8th of March 2020 so when my good friend and colleague Jim Baxter invited me to adjudicate at his ‘LIVI INNvitational Solos’ on Saturday, the 13th of November, I was more than delighted to accept.  The day’s events took place at Deans Bowling Club in Livingston and comprised two competitions: an MSR and an ‘anything goes’ freestyle competition.  By Peter…

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The Worlds: A Taste of What We’ve Been Missing

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This report is from the October 2008 edition of Pipe Band Magazine….. The World Championships 2008 have been hailed the best ever. Certainly RSPBA Chief Executive Ian Embelton is convinced that last August’s spectacular event on Glasgow Green was the best since he became involved in 2001. And officials from the BBC who filmed the competition for a show broadcast on September 7 were delighted with the response from viewers….

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Remembrance Week: The Meaning of Bagpipe Music on the Western Front During WW1

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The piper with his bagpipes has been understood for years to be a symbol of Scottish patriotism, fierce, a brave fighter, and a cultural icon. Seeing the piper on the front lines of the First World War had the effect of energising the soldiers and lifting moral. When pipers jumped over the top of the trenches and played the pipes with no thought of their own mortality, they harkened back…

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