Band Playing Requirements for 2015 Season – Important Amendments

The RSPBA has issued revised details of tune sets competing bands will be expected to play this summer at the various major championships. The Association has apologised for the earlier errors. The first is the British at Bathgate on May 30th where Grade 1 will submit two MSRs, Grade 2 one medley, Grades 3a and 3b one MSR, Juvenile a Medley, Grade 4a one four-part or two two-parted marches and two…

Strathclyde Police at Cowal Gathering

The above picture shows the front rank of the all-conquering Strathclyde Police Pipe Band in the 1980s playing up the road at the Cowal Games. It comes to us courtesy P/M Barry Donaldson, now of the City of Edinburgh Pipe Band. P/M Donaldson writes: ‘The picture shows the band parading up the street on the Saturday morning. The picture shows [left to right] P/M Ian McLellan, the late Harry McAleer, myself and…

Douglas Elmslie – Funeral Details, Pictures added

Douglas Elmslie, one of the mainstays of the legendary Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band in the 1960s, has died after a short illness. He was 68. His funeral will be held at Daldowie Crematorium, Glasgow, next Friday, January 23rd, at 9am, repeat 9am, and to which all friends and family are respectfully invited. Douglas, or Dougie as he was better known, learned his piping in the 214th Glasgow Company of…

PP Editor’s Blog 10/1/15 – Erwan’s funeral added

Erwan Ropars funeral will be held in Quimper Cathedral at 2.30pm this Tuesday, January 13th. Following sales this week, these are the only issues now remaining of paper copies of Pipe Band magazine: July 2003, Oct 2006, Oct 2007, Apr 2010, Jan 2011, Apr 2011, Oct 2011, Jan 2012, Apr 2012, Oct 2012, Jan 2013, April 2013, July 2013, Oct 2013, Jan 2014, Jan 15. Go to the ppresshop. Magazines are free. Charge is for mailing: £1.17 UK, £3.70 Europe, £4.75 RoW. [wds id=”2″] Real journalism is…

Erwan Ropars – Updated

Robert Wallace: One of the giants of Breton piping and pipe bands, Erwan Ropars, has died after a short illness. He was 64. He shot to fame in the Celtic music world when he led his band, Bagad Quimper, to multiple successes in the Breton Championships and when he helped forge a new approach to pipe band presentation in the region by encouraging and devising concerts using combinations of many different instruments….