Latest CLASP Results

CLASP results from the competition held at the National Piping Centre, Glasgow, on June 3rd. Overall Winners: Grade 1 – Theo Pratt, Grade 2 – Donald Morrison, Grade 3 – James Acheson; Piobaireachd judges Graham Drummond; light music Emmet Conway Grade 1 – Piobaireachd: 1 Ben Hall 2 Colin Innes 3 Theo PrattGrade 2 – Piobaireachd: 1 Donald Morrison 2 Ernest Cho 3 Laura McEwanGrade 3 – Piobaireachd: 1 John…

Editor’s Notebook: Bob Nicol Tunes/ Jimmy Scholarship/ Craig’s Title/ Watson’s Piob Contest/ Eagles Results

As promised, here are another couple of recordings of Bob Nicol’s light music courtesy Breton piper Patrick Molard. These add to the tunes we had earlier this week. Firstly Delvinside and Lochiel’s Awa’ Tae France: And now Arniston Castle and Charlie’s Welcome: I think we should be concerned that all these old settings of tunes could be lost. Wouldn’t it be a good project for students on the piping courses…

Editor’s Notebook: Practice Time/ Low G Taorluath/ Sgian Dubh/ Internship/ Coronation Tune/ Results 1996

How many of you come close to following the guidance in this practice table? I suspect not many will manage the five hours a day. The maximum I could ever do, in say the run up to to Oban and Inverness, would have been two hours. For my pupils I recommend a minimum of an hour a day. This can be split into three sections: 20 minutes on the practice…

Editor’s Notebook: The Games/ Major Small/ Pretty Marion/ Festival Pix/ Book Help

Nothing epitomises the romance of the games more than this old photograph from Glenfinnan in the 1970s. It shows the famous bench of Seton Gordon, Angus MacPherson, Invershin, and Col. Jock MacDonald, Viewfield, Skye, in confab. Combined ages not that far off 300. Clearly making notes after discussing the playing, but later just as likely to be talking of some arcane ethological phenomena (Seton was a renowned naturalist), a convoluted…

Editor’s Notebook: Willie Ross and Robert Reid/ Book Plea/ Gordon’s Tune/ Clan MacRae and Glasgow Skye

I am sure P/M Willie Ross did seminal service to piping when he streamlined the playing and writing of our ceòl beag technique. Gone were the doublings on C with the two D gracenotes, the open style of taorluath writing, the heavy D throw, the gracenoted birl. His six books also provided a catalogue of standard settings of many of the classic competition tunes in versions that everyone agreed were…