Category: Pipe Bands

Editor’s Notebook: World Championship/ Silver Chanter/ Bobby Pinkman/ Ivory Dealer Fined/ CLASP Results/ Games Round Up

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To the Worlds today for the first day of Grade 1. It must be the most open championship for years – four different bands have each won one of the foregoing majors. Who’s your money on? I have my own picked out but will not be revealing it here. One thing is sure, whoever emerges on top after this two-day examination by 16 judges will have earned it. Results Saturday…

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European Pipe Band Championships 2024 Full Results

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South Inch, Perth, was the venue for this year’s European Pipe Band Championships, the penultimate major of the season. One hundred and fifty-seven bands entered, a huge increase on last year’s 91 at the Euros in Aberdeen. Field Marshal Montgomery were crowned Grade 1 champions. Grade 1 (4-part MSR)1 FMM2 Inveraray3 Boghall4 Shotts5 SLOT6 Police FifeDrumming: BoghallJudges: T Lee, R Walker, A Dudgeon, P Turner Grade 2 (Medley)1 N Stratton2…

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Editor’s Notebook: Juvenile Bands/ Piper Appeal/ Morar Games/ Renfrew Band Appeal/ Ken Eller

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We don’t give prominence to anonymous commentary unless it has some sense or truth about it. Here’s one on the dearth of bands in our Juvenile grade. We received it this week following Alistair Aitken’s review of the Scottish Championships: ‘Until those running the best Novice A bands have the courage to accept promotion when it’s awarded, I think the Juvenile category will remain fairly sparse. ‘A few observations to…

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Scottish Pipe Band Championships Review Part 2

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At the Editor’s request I have recorded some thoughts on the Grade 1 performances at the Scottish Championships from a drumming and ensemble perspective.  I would emphasise that the views expressed are personal.  I was standing in a position at the head of the bands.  It is quite possible that things could have been happening at the drum corps end of the bands which I would not see or hear…

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Scottish Pipe Band Championships: Grade 1 Review Part 1

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I have railed already about the dearth of good strathspeys among our bands. At Dumbarton, some pipe corps fought manfully against the 12/8 drumming tide, notably Inveraray, the Power, and Field Marshal, but the ‘band strath’ was in evidence throughout the Grade 1 contest. The other great carbuncle on the handsome face of today’s bands is a form of tune soup, or melody salad, that we are hearing at the…

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