Category: Pipe Bands

Be a Better Piper – What to Look for When Selecting an Instrument Part 2

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The following guide to selecting a bagpipe first appeared in Piper Press in the 1990s. It came from the renowned pipemaker Jimmy Pettigrew who for many years was the leading bagpipemaker for RG Hardie & Co……. Bagpipe making today is not as skilled as it once was. There is not enough good training these days. No one seems to do a full apprenticeship. When I started everything was done by…

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PP Editor’s Blog: South Florida/ Couer d’Alene/ NPC Juniors/ SPA KO

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Well here we are in sunny Florida for the second annual South Florida Pipe and Drum Academy. The temperature is in the 70s and though there was torrential rain for a period yesterday the conditions were near perfect for our outdoor massed band. This, and all our classes, are being held at a fine facility belonging the  Boca Raton Fire Department and our grateful thanks and that of the 45…

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A Look Back at Pipe Bands in the Summer of ’08

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The following is from the Pipe Band Magazine of October 2008 and was written by the then senior adjudicator Alistair Aitken in his ‘Judge’s Journal’ column for the magazine. The article was headlined: ‘Burst Bags and Drumskins – Adjudicator Experiences Over the Summer ‘: ‘Since the last edition of the magazine the competition season, including Major Championships, has been in full swing.  Inevitably the unexpected tends to happen when things…

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PP Editor’s Blog: Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band/ SG KO/ Willie Ross/ Metro Cup

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Tom Johnstone, President of the Scottish Pipers’ Association, has responded to our call for more on the demise of the celebrated Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band by forwarding a couple of pictures from the last days of the band. Tom writes: ‘The first [below] is of Donald MacDonald, brother of the late Willie (Benbecula), who now lives in the Inverness area, helping someone on with his plaid. The second [top] is…

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PP Editor’s Blog: John MacDougall/ Joe Wilson/ South Florida

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A sad loss this week with the passing of John MacDougall. John was a hugely respected figure and a great example to the younger generation of solo competitors with his dedication to his art, his prodigious ability. On the boards he was a fearsome competitor, very seldom ever opening the door to a rival with a slip or a poor pipe or a missed taorluath; off the boards a thorough…

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