Category: Blog

Results from The CLASP ‘Live Online’ Competition

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This event ran on Saturday 13th November via Zoom. It was a breakaway from the pre-recorded video submission competition format, and instead each competitor video recorded their live performance which was verified by a stewards’ introduction at the beginning of the performance. A big thank you to the stewards who kindly volunteered their time: Gill Cairns, Sally Mason, Anna Binder, Alister Sinclair, Katrina Sinclair and Karen McLean. The judges for…

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The Transformative Sound of the Great Highland Bagpipe

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This reader contacted us after we published the article from Scotland’s History magazine ‘The Meaning of Bagpipe Music on the Western Front During WW1‘ My name is Robyn M Pio. I am a 70-year-old American woman raised by a German great-grandmother (who was born in Bremen, 1878). I now live in Chicago, Illinois, but my first language was German. I became a Catholic Francophile whilst living in France years ago. I am…

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Hope Rises for a Normal Season as Tickets for European Pipe Band Championships Go on Sale

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As pipe bands prepare for a busy season of competitions in 2022, organisers of ‘Piping Inverness’, which incorporates the European Pipe Band Championships, are set to welcome a strong turnout next year, writes Jen Symington. After a two-year absence from major competitions, pipe bands from across the globe are ‘desperate’ to get back competing. Piping Inverness will give them the opportunity to compete when it takes place at Bught Park,…

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George Watson’s College Pipes & Drums – the End of an Era

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After 22 years of dedicated service teaching pipes at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, P/M Iain Simpson has announced that he will retire from his position in April 2022. Iain will leave an indelible mark upon the school and its pipe bands. The teaching programme has become one of the largest, and most successful, in the world.  On the competition field, Iain’s pursuit of excellence has brought many significant awards for…

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Editor’s Notebook: Duncan Ban Macintyre/ Raasay/ Livi Drumming/ Pipe Music Software/ 1968 US Results

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Last weekend was spent near St Conan’s Kirk, on Loch Awe-side in Argyll. That’s the handsome church you see on your left about twenty miles east of Oban as you head for the Argyllshire Gathering.  It was the venue for a concert to celebrate the life and work of the famous Gaelic poet, Duncan Ban Macintyre. There was piping and poetry and stories. One speaker, Professor Alan Riach of Glasgow…

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