World Solo Drumming – An Interview with Maestro Jim Kilpatrick MBE

Saturday sees the RSPBA’s World Solo Drumming Championship being held in Caledonian University in Glasgow. As a warm up for that event, and as a possible assist to competitors, we run the following interview with master drummer Jim Kilpatrick MBE, the record winner of the top title, and now retired after a wonderful pipe band and solo drumming career. The interview comes to us courtesy the Association and their official magazine…

Festival of Juvenile Solo Piping Results

A very large entry at this competition held yesterday in Ardrossan High School, Ayrshire.  Event Co-Ordinator Gerard McClumpha sent this: ‘The competition had over 200 entries playing in seven different arenas covering 20 disciplines – which all went like clockwork. (Being the event co-ordinator, I couldn’t say that without being biased, so I have repeated what many players, parents and judges said to both myself and the other volunteers on the day!) As a date…

Northern Ireland’s Piper of the Year Results

Organiser Ken Stewart has sent this about this important annual contest held in the Province…..The annual Piper of the Year competition was held on Saturday 8th October 2016 in the Adair Arms Hotel in Ballymena. This competition is promoted by the Northern Ireland Piping Society and is an invitation only event. Competitors are selected on merit determined by their competition results, in Ireland, during the current year. Each player is…

Captain John MacLellan Memorial Solo Piping – Updated with Pictures and Comment

As ever this was a very well run competition held at Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh, home of the Army School of Piping and Highland Drumming, by permission of ASBMHD retiring Director Major Steven Small. Stewarding was by students of the Army School under the command of Captain Gordon Rowan. Prize money this year was increased by £1,000. Generous sponsorship came from McCallum Bagpipes who donated a set of new pipes to the…

PP Ed’s Blog: Former Winners’ Tunes/ Logan’s Publishers/ Uist & Barra History

Listening to part of the Former Winners’ MSR at the Northern Meeting this year I was struck by the number of comparatively easy tunes some pipers are submitting. All great tunes of course, but is Mrs MacDonald of Dunacht suitable for this level? And whilst I love Donald MacLeod’s music I’m not sure that some of the reels such as Drumlithie are as much of a test as, say, eight parts…