The rescheduled professional piping competition run by the Glasgow Uist & Barra Association will be held in the National Piping Centre, Otago Street, this Saturday, September 29. Ordinarily the Uist & Barra is the first senior professional contest of the year but inclement weather last March led to its postponement. The competition affords the enthusiast the opportunity of hearing some of the best currently competing pipers. Included in the line…

The Grade 1 Lomond and Clyde Pipe Band have sent this… The band is delighted to announce that Don Bradford and Gary Corkin have joined the organisation. Don takes up the role of Pipe Major and brings vast experience to the band. Gary Corkin [formerly RUC] will lead the drum section merging both Gary’s and Allan’s corps utilising the skills sets of both to best advantage. Allan Craig has stepped down as…

Our occasional commentator The Analyst is at it again….. Apart from being well-known competition reels, what do the The Sheepwife, Charlie’s Welcome and The Traditional Reel have in common? Struggling? Same also applies to John Morrison of Assynt House, The Rejected Suitor and Alick C McGregor. Give up? If you listened carefully you would have heard them all across the two days of medleys from Grade One bands at the Worlds. Curious. You…

Highland dress, or a sloppy version of it, is exercising the mind of competing piper Brian Mulhearn…… Brian writes: ‘As someone who attends as many top piping competitions as I can, I am dismayed to see how some of the top pipers do not seem to care how they ‘turn out’. ‘Even at the major competitions it seems to be the fashion not to wear a jacket if you can…

A composing competition for an original pipe tune to honour WW2 flying hero John Cruickshank VC is launched today. The competition is sponsored by the Royal Northern & University Club, Aberdeen, and Piping Press. There is one prize: £1,000. The competition is for a pipe march of any time signature, of any duration, but one that should be uplifting and reflect Mr Cruickshank’s home city and his bravery during his time with…