Category: Bagpipes

Editor’s Notebook: Alasdair Takes a Break/ School’s Piping Lessons/ Donald Main/ 1976 Results

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The late, great Alasdair Gillies takes a seat on the competition platform while warming up at a games in the US. I was always impressed with his finger positioning. Perfect. Look at the bottom hand. Thumb exactly where it should be, between fore and middle fingers. Top hand digits beautifully aligned. And no, the pinkie is not touching the chanter, though the camera angle makes it seem so. Posture relaxed,…

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Piper Suffers Adverse Effect After Covid Vaccination

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The threat from the pandemic continues to abate thanks largely to the ongoing vaccination programme here in the UK and elsewhere around the world. Innoculations have been given to millions of people. The medicos tell us that many thousands of lives have been saved as a consequence. This is undoutedly true. However, as with all such mass vaccination programmes, there are always rare side-effects and people who respond adversely to…

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History: The Glenfiddich Championship of 1981 and a Victory for Iain MacFadyen

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The annual Glenfiddich Championship will take place again this October, hopefully before a live audience. This failing, it will be run as last year, livestreamed before live judges but crowd less. The following is taken from a report by well-known journalist Rennie McOwan who attended the famous event, then known as the Grant’s Championship, 40 years ago…….. The journalist from the French travel magazine was puzzled. All these individual tartan-clad…

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The Historic Colinton & Currie Pipe Band Has Gone – How Many More Will Follow?

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It is with great regret and sadness that I have to report that the decision has been taken to wind up forthwith Colinton and Currie Pipe Band.  The decision is all the more unfortunate as the band, based on the outskirts of Edinburgh, was one of the first civilian pipe bands in Scotland, formed as far back as the 19th century.  Its winding up is disappointing for me personally as…

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Callum Beaumont wins 2021 Donald MacDonald Cuach for Piobaireachd

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Callum Beaumont won the 2021 Donald MacDonald Cuach for Piobaireachd at the competition held online on Friday 11 June. Convenor Dr Angus MacDonald hosted the competition live from the museum at Armadale Castle, with the five pipers playing from their respective homes. Callum lives in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, and is a piping instructor at Dollar Academy. This is the second time he has won the prestigious piobaireachd prize, having also won…

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