Draw For British Pipe Band Championships Announced

The first major championship of the pipe band season takes place at Greenock, Inverclyde on May 21. The RSPBA today announced the full list of entrants and judges. Here is the playing order for grade 1 and 2: Grade Two 1  13:30 City of Edinburgh 2  13:39 Portlethen and District 3  13:48 St Joseph’s – Eire 4  13:57 Oban 5  14:06 Bucksburn and District 6  14:15 Uddingston 7  14:24 Royal…

Editor’s Notebook: Band Numbers/ Tune for Norman/ Film Request/ Henderson Pipes/ Inverness 1990

I noticed this story in one of the national papers the other day, bandmasters lamenting the lack of trumpets and tubas in our nation’s brass bands. I wonder if pipe bands will be similarly afflicted? I think so. This is why the wise men at the RSPBA have instructed stewards to turn a blind eye to the odd numerical indiscretion they may spot at the flags or in final tuning….

Half a Century on, this Seminal Work on Piobaireachd Continues to Educate and Entertain

By The Editor Fifty-five years ago Seumas MacNeill, then Joint Principal of the College of Piping, began work on a book which was to open a thousand eyes and ears to ceòl mòr. ‘Piobaireachd – Classical Pipe Music of the Great Highland Bagpipe’ was a BBC-commissioned publication. Below is an advert it ran in an October 1968 edition of Radio Times, it listings magazine. It reads: ‘Piobaireachd , the classical…

Editor’s Notebook: AG Lochnell Championship/ Capt. John Contest/ Clan Maciver Tune/ Lorient Festival

The Argyllshire Gathering’s Intermediate Championship 2022 will be held at Lochnell Castle near Oban on October 22. Eight leading young professional pipers will be invited to compete for what has already become a sought after title. Last year’s winner, Andrew Ferguson, Dollar Academy, is pictured second left above. Styled after the Glenfiddich Championship for senior pipers, the Lochnell requires a submission of four Piobaireachd and four MSRs the winner in…

Editor’s Notebook: Lochaber/ Bessie MacKinnon/ Henderson Pipes/ SPA Professional

Occasionally we must extract a negative from what was clearly a happy, successful event. I refer to the Lochaber Junior Piping competition held last Saturday in Fort William. Yet again we saw very few pipers or drummers from the local schools coming forward to take part. Why is this? There is a full time piping tutor in Lochaber (for the past 20 years anyway) and I believe he/she has a…