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…

Bruce Cargill of the RSPBA Music Board has announced the following changes for the 2019 pipe band competition season: UPGRADES Novice Juvenile B to Novice Juvenile A Saint John’s College (Zimbabwe) North Lanarkshire schools Novice Juvenile A to Juvenile Dollar Academy No 2 Oban high school Grade 4B to 4A Gransha Mid Argyll Lower Clyde Pipes and Drums Kelty & Blairadam (By Request) Grade 4A to 3B McNeillstown Lochryan Dunbar…

Patrick Molard reports from Brittany: Great edition of ‘Pibroch en bord de mer’ (Pibroch by the Seaside) in Cancale for the 14th year on Sunday 16th September. Glorious weather in beautiful surroundings, the Mont Saint Michel and the coast of Normandy in the background. Thirty-three pipers turned up and 36 pieces were played as a few pipers played both in the morning and in the afternoon. Above is Yves Tison in Port Pican playing Corrienessan’s…