The following article was commissioned by PP Publishing for Pipe Band Magazine in 2005. Written and researched by piping historian Jeannie Campbell MBE, it traces the history of ladies’ bands from the 1930s onwards. Today, ladies have taken their rightful place at the top level in pipe bands but it was not always so…. The Braemar Girls’ Pipe Band (above) claimed to be the first girls’ pipe band in Scotland…

Planning for your summer of piping and pipe band music can begin! Today Piping Press publishes our first draft of our Highland games and solo piping contests – the Guide to the Games. Also published is the RSPBA calendar of pipe band events including the five major championships. Pictured top are Canada’s 78th Fraser Highlanders at the Worlds. The Association have split their calendar into monthly sections for convenience. On…

RSPBA HQ have published the following: The Music Board met on Saturday 12th January 2019 and approved the third changes for the 2019 season, all changes can be found below: Upgrades January 2019Grade 4B to Grade 4ARothesay & District – by request Downgrades – January 2019Grade 4A to Grade 4B: Ullapool & District – by request New Bands – January 2019Grande Prairie & District Pipes & Drums, Canada, granted Grade…

Mr Dave Mason, of South Africa and Cincinatti, USA, has been declared the winner of the composing competition for a tune to commemorate World War 2 flying hero John Cruickshank VC. Mr Mason receives £1,000. The competition was for a suitable march to mark the life and valour of Mr Cruickshank VC of Aberdeen. Read more about his incredible bravery here. The competiton was sponsored by the Royal Northern and…

The PP archive has an old cassette copy of the Masters of Piping programme Seumas MacNeill did on P/M Willie Ross for BBC Radio Scotland. Click this link and scroll down to ‘Seumas MacNeill’ to listen. This historic recording features the playing of John Burgess with short interviews with Duncan Cameron, Islay, Ed Esson, Vancouver, DR MacLennan, Angus MacAulay, South Uist, and John Burgess. A wide array of P/M Ross’s…