Day of Excellent Piping in Prospect in the Capital

Edinburgh is the place to be tomorrow (November 26) if you want to hear some excellent live piping and at the same time support the younger generation of players. Firstly George Watson’s College are staging their first ever ‘Caritas Banner’ contest for piobaireachd players aged under 18. It is sponsored by Kintail Bagpipes with a beautiful banner for the winner courtesy of the Piobaireachd Society. Scots Guards KO More excellent…

Do Good Players Make Good Judges or Teachers? – Conclusion

The judging parameters for solo piping have traditionally been less regulated than those for pipe bands. (There has never been any formal criteria for solo drumming either.)  Nevertheless there are grounds for arguing that the skill requirements for adjudicating solo piping and drumming are much the same as for bands.  With bands, these basic requirements and abilities should apply to every adjudicator, irrespective of discipline, piping, drumming or ensemble.  Some…

My Father, P/M Robert Reid – Part 7

We continue with our correspondence from Robert Reid jnr. to Jimmy McIntosh. This abridged letter is dated 3rd November, 1993. There are mentions for John MacDonald, Inverness, Seton Gordon, Seumas MacNeill, Tommy Pearston and Willie Connell …. The photo you refer to [above] would be on MacLeod’s yacht, with Angus Macpherson and James Barke the Burns novelist [sic] in the background. It was taken in 1932 when my father played…

Florida Academy/ Andy Hosie/ Talk Piobaireachd

The 2024 Florida Pipe and Drum Academy is now open for registration, reports Principal Chris McKeown. The popular school will be held from 18 – 23 February in Jacksonville. The week culminates in the North East Florida Highland Games on Feb 24. Sunday 18th at 6pm is the meet and greet with classes beginning formally on Feb 19 at 8am. Holiday Inn Express is the host hotel. Event Address: Christ’s…

Do Good Players Make Good Teachers or Judges?

The subjects of teaching and adjudication are never far from the surface in the piping and pipe band world. Both can attract widely differing views and can be contentious. There is no doubt that much has changed over the years in methods of teaching piping and drumming. What has certainly not changed is the need to learn properly the basic rudiments, embellishments and musical theory relevant to both musical disciplines. An article…