Category: Bagpipes

Editor’s Notebook: Pipes Difficulty/ Muirheads Articles/ Paddy Moloney/ Jim Murdock/ John MacLellan Recital

Posted on      by      1 Comment

In a recent poll covered in the national press the pipes came on top as the hardest instrument of all to play. The order given was 1 Bagpipes 2 Piccolo 3 French horn 4 Violin 5 Oboe 6 Flute 7 Cello 8 Accordion 9 Organ and 10 Drums. I’m not sure who conducted this survey or what the criteria were, but it seems spurious to me – no mention of…

More Editor’s Notebook: Pipes Difficulty/ Muirheads Articles/ Paddy Moloney/ Jim Murdock/ John MacLellan Recital

Memories of Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band and the Great P/M Robert G Hardie – Part 2

Posted on      by      10 Comments

As the competition season approached, practices became more frequent and intense.  The week before ‘The Worlds’ would involve several extra practices. I remember one night having just completed a gruelling MSR comprising a six part march, an eight part strathspey, and an eight part reel. Hardie made no comment but casually said, ‘We’ll try that again’!  By Gordon Ferguson Yes, these were solid practices and we were ‘match fit’ by…

More Memories of Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band and the Great P/M Robert G Hardie – Part 2

Memories of Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band and the Great P/M Robert G Hardie

Posted on      by      5 Comments

I have been asked by the Editor to reflect on my time playing with the Muirhead and Sons Pipe Band and in particular what it was like being led by the maestro that was P/M Robert G Hardie. Though I have lived in Queensland, Australia, for many years now, my time with the band when we won a civilian band record of five World Championship wins in a row 1965-69…

More Memories of Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band and the Great P/M Robert G Hardie

Donald Morrison Archive: How ‘Donald, Willie and His Dog’ Got Its Name

Posted on      by      3 Comments

This article from Donald’s archive is from the Oban Times newspaper. No date is given but it is believed to be from the 1970s. A few weeks ago when reporting on the Northern Meeting competitions [writes their piping correspondent] I speculated on the name of Donald Morrison’s jig ‘Donald, Willie and His Dog’. The name fascinated me in the same way as Willie Ross’s tune ‘The Old Ruins’ did after…

More Donald Morrison Archive: How ‘Donald, Willie and His Dog’ Got Its Name

2021 Nicol-Brown Amateur (USA) Results

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

This was an online competition held on October 9. Overall Champion1 Stuart Marshall, receives MacCallum Pipe Chanter and $1000 travel expenses2 Jessica Bain3 Callum Bevan4 Henry Paluch5 Trevor DeMass Piob1 Callum Bevan, Corrienessan’s Salute (receives a bound volume of the Piobaireachd Society Collection)2 Trevor DeMass, Lament for the Viscount of Dundee3 Stuart Marshall, MacLeod’s Salute4 Jessica Bain, Piper’s Warning5 Scott Long, Caber Feidh gu Brath MSR1 Henry Paluch, receives engraved…

More 2021 Nicol-Brown Amateur (USA) Results