The ground breaking piobaireachd collection ‘Binneas is Boreraig’ (BiB), was published by Dr Roddy Ross some 60 years ago, and aimed to capture the playing of the master piper Malcolm Macpherson. By Pat Terry It employed notational devices that pipers familiar with the notation used in many other collections of ceòl mòr found strange [colour coded, three-line stave]. In 2022, Chris Terry (a pupil of John MacFadyen) set out…
Entry forms for the Scottish Pipers Juvenile contest are now online. The competition takes place at the Piping Centre Otago Street (formerly the College of Piping) on November 8. It returns after a hiatus of several years and it is hoped that young pipers throughout the country will support it. There are historic trophies on offer. Main sponsors are the Piobaireachd Society and McCallum Bagpipes. There are eight events for…
On request, the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust (SSPDT) have supplied figures regarding instrumental teaching in schools. It follows the furore two weeks ago over comments by a Head of Education in Ayrshire saying she would rather have pupils ‘on the tools’ than learning music. The 2024 figures show almost 66,000 Scottish schoolchildren receiving music instruction, demonstrating the ongoing appeal of these lessons, and likely reflecting the impact of…
We are grateful to piping historian Jeannie Campbell MBE for forwarding this information following last week’s article on Donald Cameron’s powder horn…. A piping competition was held on 4th October 1839 in a Pavilion at the Great Agricultural Meeting, Academy Park, Inverness, in aid of funds of the Northern Infirmary. The prizes were: 1 ‘A Handsome Bagpipe’ made by Macdonald [Donald] of Edinburgh, to Angus MacKay, piper to WF Campbell…
The British Columbia Pipers’ Association (BCPA) is thrilled to announce the launch of the Jack Lee Amateur Invitational Piping Competition, writes David Hilder, President. This exciting new annual event will celebrate the art of piobaireachd and showcase the top piping talent in the amateur grades of the Association. The inaugural competition will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Seaforth Armoury in Vancouver. This new invitational honours the remarkable…
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