History: Tales from the Castle and P/M Willie Ross

If, like many, you enjoy piping history, you will read the following with avidity. It is from P/M Sandy Hain, formerly of Fife and now domiciled in Ohio, USA. Sandy ‘did the course’ at the Army School of Piping, Edinburgh Castle, 1950 -51. He has many stories of his time there with P/M Willie Ross, great piper and a great character (as you will see). We asked Sandy if he would…

‘Old Pipes for New Players’ Schools Bagpipe Amnesty Initiative is Launched

An important initiative to help youngsters learn the pipes has been launched by the Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust. ‘The Bagpipe Amnesty’ is asking for individuals with old sets of pipes to donate them to the trust so that they can be handed over to needy children. The Trust is being supported by Scottish Fire and Rescue Services who have offered fires stations as drop-off points for the instruments. The…

PP Editor’s Blog: Gold Medal Lists/ George Cruikshank/ Gordon Duncan Concert etc

The PP database of Gold Medallists at Oban and Inverness has now been updated and includes all of the tunes played by all of the winners since the competitions resumed after WW2. The lists make very interesting reading and show a remarkable breadth of tunes played. When we consider that at the turn of the last century there were probably no more than a handful of tunes heard round the Highland games…

Field Marshal Concert/ CLASP/ CPA Poll/ Guide to the Games/ Letter

Former World Champions, Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band have announced that the audience can help pick the tunes for next August’s sure-to-be-a sell-out concert in Glasgow. The band have posted a form on their website asking for suggestions: ‘Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band is delighted to be returning to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to perform at the prestigious pre-Worlds concert on Wednesday 10th August, 2016. Hosted by the Glasgow Skye Association…

PP Editor’s Blog: CPA Gradings/ Guide to the Games/ Gordon Recital/ Winter Storm/

Gradings for 2016 have been issued by the Competing Pipers’ Association to all their members. These are important for those wishing to gain places to play at Oban and Inverness. The promoters at both need to squeeze a lot of events into two days and as a result have to restrict numbers in the Gold & Silver Medals. Last year thirty got to play at Oban and 25 at Inverness….