New Online Championship for Amateur Pipers Announced by the Piping Centre

The Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) was set up by the National Piping Centre in 2003 to give adult amateur pipers a competition platform through a series of grading competitions held yearly throughout Scotland and the UK. In its 20 years, CLASP has evolved, gaining a global membership base. To celebrate this milestone, CLASP is working with other events across the world to create a premier amateur solo…

Atholl Gathering 2023 Results: Updated with Juniors, Pictures and Comment

The Atholl Gathering was held today (May 28) in the grounds of Blair Castle, Perthshire. More than 60 solo pipers, junior and senior, competed. There were graded senior contests for piobaireachd. Light music events for March, Strathspey and Reel and Hornpipe & Jig were open. The ceòl beag was split into four heats with four pipers in each progressing to the final. Three tunes were asked for in ceòl mòr…

CLASP May 6th ‘Live Online’ Competition Results

This was another well attended ‘live online’ CLASP competition. For Grade 1 CLASP competitors there was one final chance to win an invite to compete at the inaugural amateur invitational competition at the Sun Belt in Florida in November 2023. By Margaret Houlihan Eric Stein, who runs the Sun Belt Professional Invitational Competition in Florida, has expanded this event to include an amateur invitational and Eric is kindly sponsoring flights…

Editor’s Notebook: Practice Time/ Low G Taorluath/ Sgian Dubh/ Internship/ Coronation Tune/ Results 1996

How many of you come close to following the guidance in this practice table? I suspect not many will manage the five hours a day. The maximum I could ever do, in say the run up to to Oban and Inverness, would have been two hours. For my pupils I recommend a minimum of an hour a day. This can be split into three sections: 20 minutes on the practice…

Blair Atholl Gathering Order of Play and Judges

This Sunday, May 28, sees the Blair Atholl Gathering with more than 60 solo pipers, junior and senior, scheduled to compete. In the Seniors there are graded contests for piobaireachd. Light music events for March, Strathspey and Reel and Hornpipe & Jig are open competitions. Such are the numbers that the ceol beag will be split into four heats with judges selecting four in each category to go forward to…