Playing the pipes is something a person does for life. For many of us it has provided a lifelong musical pursuit, and a source of great pleasure and interest. It makes sense to those who love the pipes (i.e. are obsessed with them) that Robert Reid, one of the finest pipers who ever played, could say that if he had his life again he ‘would spend it playing pipes’. He also said…

Almost fifty years ago an Army pipe major approached his regimental music director and asked him to make an arrangement for a spiritual hymn that went well on the pipes. The Pipe Major was Tony Crease, the tune was Amazing Grace and The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards were about to take the popular music world by storm. P/M Crease and members of the Pipes & Drums and RSDG Military band…

Some promising news on the North Lanarkshire music provision front. It would appear that all of the bands and orchestras in the local authority’s schools are to remain, and that includes their award winning pipe bands. The downside I hear is that they are looking for cuts of £186,000 from ‘management and tuition’ in schools. That sounds to me like a few big jobs are going to be axed and…

Today (Feb 24) is crunch day for North Lanarkshire Schools Pipe Bands when their sponsoring local authority meets to decide on £30m proposed cuts to non-statutory expenditure. This morning’s special council meeting in Motherwell will be covered by all local media and national television, such is the interest in the outcome. There is a webcam facility for council meetings. Check it out here. There are signs of support for the…

By WO2 Peter MacGregor On the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of February the sound of Bagpipes, Drums and Bugles was once again present at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh as the 2019 Army Piping and Drumming Championships took place at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming’s home of Inchdrewer House.  Solo events that would decide the holders of the much coveted titles of Army Champion Piper and Drummer…