Category: Blog

Review: The Campbeltown Book of Piping by Iain Duncan

Posted on      by      2 Comments

This is a fascinating historical document mapping the growth and development of piping and drumming in the Campbeltown area of Scotland’s Kintyre peninsula.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…

More Review: The Campbeltown Book of Piping by Iain Duncan

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

Posted on      by      3 Comments

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…

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

Inveraray Pipe Band Concert Confirmed for Worlds Week

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

The Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band is delighted to announce that our ‘Pre-Worlds’ concert will be returning this year to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday, 10th August 2022, writes Kurt Mackintosh.  After the disappointment of the last two years we are thrilled to confirm that Inveraray & District Pipe Band will at last be able to take centre stage. Pipe Major Stuart Liddell commented, ‘We were scheduled to…

More Inveraray Pipe Band Concert Confirmed for Worlds Week

Queen Victoria School Seeks New Pipe Major/ Canadian Piping Society Launches Newsletter

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

The Ministry of Defence are seeking ‘to appoint a Pipe Major who strives to continuously improve the high standards of piping at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane, including ensuring that piping students have opportunities to gain formal (SQA) qualifications in the subject. ‘The Pipe Major will also take an active role in the promotion of Queen Victoria School through regular attendance, along with the whole pipe band and, potentially, the Highland…

More Queen Victoria School Seeks New Pipe Major/ Canadian Piping Society Launches Newsletter

Why There Can Be Anomalies in Pipe Band Competition Results

Posted on      by      4 Comments

We continue our build up to the the 2022 pipe band season, the first in three years. This article was first published in Pipe Band Magazine ‘Judge’s Journal’ in November 2010 but is no less relevant twelve years on……. I feel I must respond on behalf of the RSPBA Adjudicators’ Panel to the email letter regarding the wide differences in the results of piping adjudicators in which the question was…

More Why There Can Be Anomalies in Pipe Band Competition Results