Editor’s Notebook: Online Dodgers/ Missing Ian/ New Book/ 1971 Bands/ 1973 Set Tunes

I have it on good authority that that oldest of bagpipe dodges, the two-drone dodge, is being regularly employed by doubtful dodgers in online contests! This dodgy practice is easily done. Shut off one drone; start your video submission; hoist the pipes, 30 second pretendy three drone tune and off you go, drones seemingly in tune, judges none the wiser. But I say this to competitors: don’t be a dodger….

Editor’s Notebook: Allandale Pipers/ Lorient Festival/ Piping Duke/ Cameron Barnes/ Pipes and Clarsach

Neil Clark: My grandfather, Robert Bishop, was a piper in the Allandale Pipe Band [above], based in the village of Allandale, near Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. He’s the first piper shown in the video [below]. He was taught to play pipes by the second piper in the video, Robert Irvine. They are both shown in Allandale uniform, around 1938: On the outbreak of WW2 in 1939, the band signed up en masse…

Piobaireachd Society Holding ‘Talk Piobaireachd’ Session This Week

The Piobaireachd Society’s third ‘Talk Piobaireachd’ session of 2021 takes place this Wednesday, March 17, at 8pm GMT. These popular discussions are open to members of the Society and have proved very popular. The Society’s former President Dr Jack Taylor (above) is in the hot seat for what is sure to be another engrossing hour of information, ideas and thoughts on ceòl mòr and particular tunes in the repertoire. It is is suggested…

Editor’s Notebook: Late Entries/ Michael Martin/ Celtic Dance/ Aboyne Picture/ Galicia

Rumblings on social media about two prominent pipers who have been denied a place in the Gold Medal competitions at this year’s Northern Meeting and Argyllshire Gathering. Both were late with their entries. Such is the pressure on places in these prestigious events – limited to 25 – that the authorities were clearly correct to exclude them. Once you start making allowances for sloppiness you never know where it will…

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Editor’s Notebook: Lockdown Hopes/ International Piper/ Moira and Evan/ Lochaber Contest/ Duncan Campbell

After the recent raft of competition cancellations I hope we can have a period of calm during which summer promoters and their committees stand back and look at the overall picture. They should take on board all the considerable changes to lockdown there will be from next month onwards. Rather than just take the easy way out, approach difficulties with a ‘can do’ outlook. You have a responsibility to the…