Category: Blog

Famous Pipers: A View of Pipe Major GS McLennan from Before the First World War

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Much has been written about the celebrated piper George S McLennan, lauded not only for his brilliant playing but also his masterful compositions. This account we believe is from the Oban Times. It does not have a precise date as our copy is obscure, but from reading it it was clearly published several years in advance of the outbreak of war in 1914. It is important to us in that…

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Entries Open for SPA Juvenile and Professional Contests/ New Contest for Ireland

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The Scottish Pipers’ Association committee meeting last week decided to go live with the online entry for both our SPA Professional (22nd April) and Juvenile competitions (18th March), writes President Logan Tannock. Entries for the professional competition will be limited to 25 per grade on a first come first served basis. Entries £10 per event. SPA memberships (£20) required. The professional contests in all grades will be in the Piping…

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RSPBA: 2023 Calendar Published as Directors Discuss New Season/ Medley Development/ Static Start/ Juvenile Bands/ WSD/ Exams

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The following items have been taken from the published minutes of the last RSPBA Board of Directors meeting. The minutes are light on specific detail but bands will be interested in some of the comments and outcomes. 2023 contests calendar has been published with ‘tbc’ used where details are not definite. Check it out here. Dates: British – May 20, UKs – Lurgan June 10, Euros – June 24, Scottish…

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Pipe Band Snare Drum Instructor Needed

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St Columba’s School is situated in the beautiful Renfrewshire countryside just 30 minutes from Glasgow, writes P/M Gordon Bruce. We invite applications from enthusiastic and committed teachers of pipe band snare drum to work within the school’s highly popular Piping and Drumming Programme part-time on a self-employed basis. Applicants must have experience working with school pipe bands and will require a minimum qualification of a diploma in a recognised music…

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Editor’s Notebook: Angus Campbell/ Sun Belt Amateurs/ Lorient Festival

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Thanks to Josh Dickson for the following re the above photograph we featured last week. Josh writes: ‘The photo in question is indeed Angus Campbell at the age of 10 – 12. It graced the front cover of my 2006 book, ‘When Piping was Strong: Tradition, Change, and the Bagpipe in South Uist’, in which I detailed a great deal of information on Angus, his peers, and the wider piping…

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