PP Editor’s Blog: CPA Gradings/ Guide to the Games/ Gordon Recital/ Winter Storm/

Gradings for 2016 have been issued by the Competing Pipers’ Association to all their members. These are important for those wishing to gain places to play at Oban and Inverness. The promoters at both need to squeeze a lot of events into two days and as a result have to restrict numbers in the Gold & Silver Medals. Last year thirty got to play at Oban and 25 at Inverness….

Famous Pipers: Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies Part 6

We conclude our feature on the late Pipe Major with the final excerpt of the interview given in 1999 where he talked of his many successes in the Former Winners’ March, Strathspey & Reel at the Northern Meeting at Inverness. The picture above shows Alasdair when he won the title of ‘Piper to the Lord Provost of the City of Glasgow’. Presenting him with the official banner displaying the city’s coat…

PP Editor’s Blog: Willie Paterson/ Clan MacRae Soc./Jim Cunningham/ Fife Police/ Reid’s Sticks

Drummer Willie Paterson featured in a photograph of the Rutherglen Pipe Band (in pic below, top right in civvies) a few weeks ago. An old edition of Pipe Band magazine has this about him: ‘Not a great deal is known about Willie’s early days in the pipe band movement. ‘Alex McCormick met up with him in Glasgow in the early 1940s and they remained friends for many years. A very knowledgeable…

New Recordings from Alasdair Gillies and Jimmy McIntosh/ Letter

Two new recordings today. The first is from Jimmy McIntosh who has added part of Donald MacLeod’s composition, A Son’s Salute to His Parents to his audio archive. This is one of the set tunes for the senior piobaireachd competitions at  Oban and Inverness this year and may be of interest to contestants. It is one of Donald’s more difficult tunes. Of it,  Donald writes: ‘A tribute to my parents,…

PP Editor’s Blog (Updated): SPA KO & Dates/ Owen MacNiven/ Piob Soc/ WW1 Memorial

Revised dates for Scottish Pipers’ Association contests are as follows: The Professional competition will now be held on April 16. The provisional date was April 23rd but for various reasons this was unsuitable.  The Adult Amateur and Veterans contest is on March 26 to allow some of those attending the Piobaireachd Society Conference from overseas to stay on for a week to compete. The Juvenile/ Amateur contest will be in September,…