Australia: President of PBA Responds to Recent Resignation of Drumming Principal

The President of Pipe Bands Australia (PBA), Mr Chris Earl, has today responded to the recent resignation by Mr Greg Bassani from his position as Drumming Principal at PBA. Mr Earl thanked Mr Bassani for all his work for pipe bands in Australia and said that through it he had ‘engaged hundreds of drummers at workshops and in structured progressive examinations over two decades’. In his response Mr Earl also…

CITES Latest – Repairs Freed from Regulation

Overseas pipers sending broken blackwood joints back to manufacturers in the UK for repair will not have to comply with the new legislation covering the import and export of African blackwood products. A spokesman for the UK’s regulator, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), said the European Union had issued a directive confirming the above. Other countries around the world seem to have adopted a similar stance though he said…

PP Ed’s Blog: Piob Soc Conf./ Tain Games/ Donald MacKinnon/ Gillie’s Family

The Piobaireachd Society conference enters its second day today and I must say it has been a roaring success so far. I’ll have a full report later as the there is not a lot of time before the next session on the 2017 set tunes begins. The weather up here in Birnam has been amazing – as it has been in much of the UK. Last night’s ceilidh went on…

Band Cut Offs and Why Do Some Pipers End With a Rabble of Finger Gymnastics?

For decades, possibly even centuries, pipers have been vandalising their own performances. I have been fortunate enough to hear some of the finest pipers ever, and I must admit that many of them have been as guilty of this crime as the rankest amateur. The vandalism I refer to is defacing their own performances by tacking on the end ‘wee twiddly bits’ rather than cutting off smoothly. Bands are expected to make perfect cut-offs. Why…

PP Ed’s Blog: Schools Poll/ Gordon’s Recital/ SPA Pro/ Piob Soc Conf/ Barnaby

The result of our poll into the suitability or otherwise of the new venue for the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championship were as follows:  Some heart for the organisers if we amalgamate the two bottom stats: 41% think it okay or are prepared to give it another go. The majority however were clearly not happy. Read about the 2017 contest here. The picture up top shows the main winners, George…