Uist & Barra Announcement

U&B Piping Convenor John Angus Smith has sent this: ‘I thought the attached notice for the 2015 Uist & Barra Invitational Piping Competition would be of interest. Fourteen of the best UK-based pipers in the world have been invited to compete in each event, with the invitation list drawn from major prize winners in 2014. The competition will be held at the College of Piping, Glasgow, on 7th March from…

Argyllshire Gathering Announcement

Assistant Piping Steward Torquil Telfer has announced that entries for the MacGregor Memorial competition can now be taken via the Argyllshire Gathering website. Previously they had to be sent to the competition secretary and organiser Angus Nicol in London. Mr Telfer said: ‘This change will make things easier for everyone but I would like to emphasise that Angus Nicol remains in overall charge of the MacGregor on behalf of the…

PP Editor’s Blog: New Baby, Piob. Soc, Douglas Elmslie, National Library

Congratulations to top pipers Craig Sked and wife Fiona on the birth of their daughter Maggie Heather who was born at 20.06 on the 21st of January in Melbourne. As you can see mother and baby are doing well and dad doesn’t look too bad either! Check out the baby’s fingers – a piper or what? President Dr Jack Taylor has announced changes to the line up for this year’s…

New Books Available for Free Download

Today we make available two books which will be of interest to piobaireachd enthusiasts. The first is a copy of the Gesto Canntaireachd first issued in 1828 and compiled by Captain Niel Macleod of Gesto from tunes taken from ‘John MacCrimmon’. The second is P/M William MacLean’s transliteration of this book into staff notation. Read more about the pipe major and his work here. He is pictured above. Both books…

Important New Book from Jimmy McIntosh

Piobaireachd authority and expert teacher, James McIntosh MBE, has announced the release of his long-awaited book on piobaireachd. The publicity release reads: Introducing ‘Ceol Mor for the Great Highland Bagpipe’, by P/M James Haddow McIntosh, MBE. This is a collection of history and teaching, and Jimmy’s original manuscripts of ceol mor, presented in the Balmoral Tradition, as taught by P/M John MacDonald, MBE; P/M R.U. Brown, MBE, and P/M R.B. Nicol. …