HISTORY: PIPERS, PIPING AND PIPE MUSIC IN THE SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS 1778 -1924, PART 3

Today we have the third instalment of our abridged excerpts from the above book by Ian Hamilton Mackay Scobie. The book was published in 1924 and is now out of print. This excerpt talks of piobaireachd being superseded by ceol beag as duty tunes and the effect on the fingers of playing in bands. Above is a picture of Seaforth militia pipers in 1880 under P/M Ronald MacKenzie….  In an old…

PP Ed's Blog: Inveraray PB/ BB Exhibition/ Pipers' Persuasion/ Judges Poll/ Jubilee March

I hear Inveraray Pipe Band are to pipe in the New Year on BBC Scotland’s Hogmanay television show. It caps off a great year for the band after they were crowned World Champions on Glasgow Green last August. Add to that the fact that P/Sgt Alasdair Henderson won the Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting and Leading Drummer Steven McWhirter the World Solos and you can see that the band…

Pipers Play Their Part in Remembering the Fallen

Tomorrow is Remembrance Sunday and pipers and pipe bands around the world will be playing musical tributes to the fallen of past and present wars. Over in Northern Ireland earlier this week (on Monday) Raffrey Pipe Major Francis Strain (Ulster Defence Regimental Association, Belfast) was the lone piper at the official opening of the Belfast Field of Remembrance. John Kelly reports: A short act of remembrance was led by the…

History: Pipers, Piping and Pipe Music in the Seaforth Highlanders 1778 -1924, Part 2

Today we continue with our abridged excerpts from the above book by Ian Hamilton Mackay Scobie. The book was published in 1924 and is now out of print. This excerpt talks of regimental dress and has an interesting take on piobaireachd, with the suggestion that it can only be played properly by pipers from the ‘North’. Above is a picture of Seaforth militia pipers in 1880 under P/M Ronald MacKenzie…. …

History: Pipers, Piping and Pipe Music in the Seaforth Highlanders 1778 -1924

Today we begin abridged excerpts from the above book by Ian Hamilton Mackay Scobie. The book was published in 1924 and is now out of print. It contains interesting details on the origins of titles such as ‘Pipe Major’ and the author also comments on drums drowning out pipes, questions whether playing in a band helps the piper’s playing and gives a date for the formation of the first pipe…