Editor’s Notebook: Nick’s Medal Ceremony/ Talk Piobaireachd/ Bagpipe Blower/ Pipers’ Persuasion

I mentioned Arthur McAra in my report from Pittsburgh the other day. Another story Arthur related to me when I was over concerned the new 2022 Inverness Gold Medallist Nick Hudson. Arthur was on MC duty at Loon Mountain games in September. Nick was on judging duty with that other well-known US piper Derek Midgley. Derek approached Arthur and explained that Nick had had to leave the Northern Meeting early…

New Humidity Controlled Pipe Case/ NZ Pipe Band Entries

A new pipe case which the manufacturers say controls the humidity around the instrument has been launched by innovations company Flux and McCallum Bagpipes The ‘FLUX Bagpipe Humidity Case’ comes with the tagline: ‘An Environment for A Stable Bagpipe’.  It is described as: ‘Maintaining a constant humidity for your drones, bag and reeds to achieve a consistently rich sound from your pipes.  ‘Constant humidity will increase the longevity of your instrument,…

Inverness Cancels European Pipe Band Championships

The Inverness Courier newspaper is reporting today that the local council has withdrawn sponsorship for the 2023 European Pipe Band Championships due to be held the city’s Bught Park next July. The competition was seen as ‘no longer financially viable’ according to councillors. The report reads: ‘It is with deep regret that we must announce the cancellation of Piping Inverness 2023, incorporating the European Pipe Band Championship. ‘Due to the…

Editor’s Notebook: Balmoral Classic/ Logan Tannock/ Florence Allan/ Jimmy Banks

In Pittsburgh, PA, for the annual Balmoral Classic US Amateur Piping Championship. The judges are myself, Amy Garson and Lezlie Webster. The 12 competitors and their tunes: It should be a good competition. Lots of excellent prizes for the winners. I do a free workshop for all competitors on the Sunday. More details here. Pittsburgh is of course the home of Carnegie Mellon University where Jimmy McIntosh established the first…

John MacFadyen on the Art of Judging – Part 2

We continue the recording of John MacFadyen talking about judging. We are once again grateful to reader Jack McLachlan for forwarding the recording, made by John Davidson, Parkview, Johannesburg, at his home on 12th August 1973. John MacFadyen was visiting to run a piping school for the Scottish Piping Society of the Witwatersrand and gave this lecture the week before it was due to start. In this part of the…