We are grateful to Jimmy McIntosh, now in South Carolina, for this information on the Thow Bagpipemaking firm formerly based in his near native Dundee. Jimmy has passed on a letter he received from a Mrs Joyce Thow, a relative of the firm’s founders. It reads: ‘The firm of Thow Brothers was established in 1854 by John Thow. He was followed by his son David Thow. The firm at that…
Neil Clark reports the sale of his superb set of Henderson silver and ivory pipes (pictured) advertised on Piping Press a couple of weeks ago. They were offered for £5,500. It is pleasing to report that pipes of this quality have gone to very good player based in west-central Scotland. It is surely right that these top instruments end up with pipers who will do them justice rather than, say, a beginner for…
The Piping Centre announced a couple of weeks ago that their instructor Margaret Dunn would be giving a paper at the Piobaireachd Society Conference in March, writes the Editor. Her subject was to be the Centre’s popular CLASP series of competitions for amateur pipers. Margaret is the main organiser and one of the reasons for its success. Students tell me of how helpful and encouraging she is and certainly she keeps the…
The organisers of the annual ‘Winter Storm’ piping and drumming weekend have sent this from Kansas City, USA: ‘MHAF Winter Storm continues to grow in 2017. Since 2001, The Midwest Highland Arts Fund has been striving to continuously build, improve, and grow one of the premier piping and drumming events in the world – Winter Storm. ‘This year marks as the inaugural year for amateur grades 1, 2, and 3…
The thousands of readers of our article on the new protection legislation for African blackwood bears testament to the interest the piping community has in preserving the wood that is the source of our pleasure – but also to the radical impact it will have on the bagpipe making industry, writes the Editor. The response from that industry has been one of gratitude for the information and resignation that things,…
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