History: The Redundant A Debate, Part 2

We continue with the Oban Times correspondence of 1926 on the ‘redundant’ low A controversy. GS McLennan remains adamant in his response to P/M John Grant……. ‘In referring to the ‘Piobaireachd as MacCrimmon Played It’, Mr Grant asks a number of questions regarding the way the crunluath is written in certain tunes and then says, ‘In all these instances Lt McLennan [GS’s father] gave the crunluath in what is traditionally…

History: The ‘Redundant A’ Debate of 100 Years Ago

What is the ‘redundant A’ ? Whole generations have come and gone since the controversy was aired on the pages of the Oban Times a century ago. The correspondence reached its apogee in 1926 with none other than the great GS McLennan weighing in. We run a series of letters to the newspaper, including his, beginning today. By The Editor Firstly we need to establish what the cause of all…

Kingdom Thistle Results/ Wheel of Fortune/ CLASP Chanters

The Dundee, Perth and Angus Branch of the RSPBA ran their ‘Kingdom Thistle European Solo Piping Contest’ last Saturday in Fife. The competition attracted a large entry. The senior piping was split into two categories, piobaireachd and a combined MSR and Hornpipe & Jig. The RSPBA placing system was used to determine the outcome of the latter. Piobaireachd: 1 Dan Nevans, Shotts 2 John Dew, Inveraray 3 Iain Simpson, (formerly…

Editor’s Notebook: PS Conference/ Watson’s Bursary/ SPA Entries/ Virginia Tattoo/ Band Entries

one of the supplementary benefits of the Piobaireachd Society conference is the time afforded for informal chats. They were happening all over the place at the Golden Lion in Stirling last weekend. One was a follow on to Michael Grey’s talk on Bill Livingstone and the great tape recording scandal. There are phones recording everything now we pondered – in the piper’s sporran as he plays, and all over the…

Northern Ireland News

Ulster at the Duncan Johnstone: On Saturday 21st March a number of pipers from Northern Ireland took part in the annual Duncan Johnstone Memorial competition in Glasgow. The overall winner of the B Grade competitions was Andrew Pattison, while Scott Wallace was the Grade C winner. The B Piobaireachd was won by Rathfriland’s James Frazer who also placed fifth in the B MSR and second in the B Jig. Scott…