Category: Bagpipes

Editor’s Notebook: Jim Butler/ Weekend Contests/ Patricia Grant/ Captain John Contest

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It is with sadness I report the passing of piper and artist Jim Butler, North Ayrshire. Jim was a head art teacher and a painter of renown, so much so that he was able to hold successful exhibitions of his work. He also taught pipes in North Ayrshire schools for seven years and was a staunch member of Irvine Burns Club. He was a regular visitor to the College of…

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Inaugural James Campbell Medal Contest Considered an Outstanding Success

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The cobbled courts of Pembroke College, Cambridge, resounded to the sound of the pipes last Saturday as the inaugural James Campbell Medal competition was held in the College Chapel. Founded as a memorial to James Campbell (1916-2003), the renowned piobaireachd judge and player and son of Archibald Campbell of Kilberry Book fame, and who was also a Law Fellow at Pembroke for many years, the competition was attended by an…

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Pipe Band Judging: Time for a New, More Hi-Tech Approach

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I read with interest the good article by Alistair Aitken from 2010 on pipe band adjudication. I suspect that the debate about the effectiveness or ‘fairness’ of judges has gone on since contests began. Our current approach is just the most recent iteration of the traditional hands-on manual method; in which we ask trained adjudicators to use their senses and judgement to come to a ranking of the competing bands….

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Review: The Campbeltown Book of Piping by Iain Duncan

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This is a fascinating historical document mapping the growth and development of piping and drumming in the Campbeltown area of Scotland’s Kintyre peninsula.  I have realised over the years that creating pipe bands for the military in early times eventually worked its way into civilian life, with huge impact, and bringing great benefit to our musical tradition.  The creation of ‘local’ pipe bands meant organised teaching and high standards for…

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Editor’s Notebook: The Never Decreasing Circle/ Develop the Worlds Medley/ Bob McFie/ Miscellany

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For all the detailed, cogent explanation given by Alistair Aitken for judging inconsistency in pipe band competition the main culprit, in my view, is the circle formation used virtually unchanged by the RSPBA for not far off 100 years. I’ve droned on about this long and weary, but with judges wandering about the playing area seemingly at random, different walking patterns for every band, is it any wonder there’s a…

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