Category: Bagpipes

Editor’s Notebook: Tobermory Games/ Grampian Games/ Piper Carvings at Breuberg Castle/ New App for Learning by Ear

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

It looks like we will have the semblance of a piping season after all. Online contests are already beginning to sound so last year. Yesterday on a sunny isle of Mull, the local school band led the parade to the games park for a mini-gathering. Local correspondent Calum MacLean reports: ‘The games started with the march to the field led by Tobermory High School Pipe Band. ‘Although this was not…

More Editor’s Notebook: Tobermory Games/ Grampian Games/ Piper Carvings at Breuberg Castle/ New App for Learning by Ear

Judging at Grandfather Mountain Games 2021

Posted on      by      1 Comment

Ed Krintz and I judged a very high standard piping event at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in Linville, North Carolina, on July 10. The venue has often been likened to the Braemar Highland Gathering. Below is a summary of the competition Ed and I worked on. The photos show the lovely weather and how well-attended the event was. We had the pleasure of judging the Open Piobaireachd. Grandfather Mountain Highland…

More Judging at Grandfather Mountain Games 2021

Modern History of the Pipe Band Movement from 1946 to the Millennium

Posted on      by      3 Comments

The Second World War interrupted pipe band contests, which resumed in 1946. In 1947 the Scottish Pipe Band Association decided to take the World Championship away from Cowal as they had had a good offer from Edinburgh City Council which wanted it to be held there to coincide with the new Festival. Cowal refused to give up the Championship or hand over the trophies, and after a lot of meetings…

More Modern History of the Pipe Band Movement from 1946 to the Millennium

Modern History of Pipe Bands from 1946 to the Millennium – 2

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

A new points system was introduced in 1961 and in 1962 the idea of a possible fourth grade to replace the Ladies’ and Juvenile grades was broached. Grade Four contests began in 1963. The bands in this new grade were to play either a two-part march twice over or a four part march once and have a minimum of six pipers, two sides and a bass drum. Other grades continued…

More Modern History of Pipe Bands from 1946 to the Millennium – 2

A Reset of Silver Medal Qualification is Required Post Pandemic

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

The last major piping events at the Argyllshire Gathering (AG), Oban, and the Northern Meeting (NM), Inverness, were in 2019 and the next such events will be, hopefully, in 2022. We will all be three years older by the time we sit down to listen once more to these great competitions.Looking at past programmes of the Northern Meeting it is surprising how the names of the players change in a…

More A Reset of Silver Medal Qualification is Required Post Pandemic