Category: Features

Review: Ben Duncan Recital

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Last weekend’s recital held in the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen was well attended, with a close to capacity crowd of 60, writes Fraser Maitland, Chairman of Aberdeen Piping Society. The crowd suggested that there is a real appetite for live piping in the city. These events are still well received here in Aberdeen. One of our young pipers Murray Barclay, kicked off the night with some traditional marches. He…

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British Championship Tickets/ Pipe Major Ian McLellan/ David Weir/ Kintyre Book

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Tickets are on sale already for next summer’s British Pipe Band Championships at Ingliston. The date is May 30th. Mark Currie, Director at the Royal Highland Centre, said: ‘It’s a real honour to be hosting the championships once again… Visitors can expect a vibrant festival atmosphere.’ ‘Tickets are available now via our website, and early booking is recommended due to high demand. Children’s tickets are £12.50, adults £15 and family…

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Army Solo Piping & Drumming Championships

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The 2025 Army Solo Piping and Drumming Championships took place at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming (ASBM&HD), Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh on Friday 5 December 2025. Sponsored by the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the event welcomed 55 competitors across 15 piping, drumming and bugling categories. By WO1 Peter Grant, Senior Pipe Major, the British Army The Championships were once again a great success, even with a few…

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Editor’s Notebook: PS Collection/ Ian’s Funeral/ Drum Solos/ Kintyre Collection/ Ben Recital/ Letters

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A five-year long revision of the Piobaireachd Society’s collection of Books 1-16 has been completed. It took many hours of work by myself and Society Music Editor Jack Taylor but the results are very satisfying. Many of the anomalies and errors accumulated in the 100 years since the collection was begun by Sheriff Grant of Rothiemurchus and Archibald Campbell, Kilberry. No one plays a crunluath a mach in Lament for…

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P/M Ian McLellan 1937-2025

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Ian McLellan, probably the greatest pipe major in the history of pipe bands, has passed away peacefully at his home in Bearsden near Glasgow. He was 88 and had been in indifferent health for several months. Ian led the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band to twelve Grade 1 World Championships, six of them in consecutive years. He secured his first title in 1976 and his last in 1991. He was also…

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