Category: Reviews

‘Beyond Binneas’  – A New Look at a Famous Piobaireachd Collection

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The ground breaking piobaireachd collection ‘Binneas is Boreraig’ (BiB), was published by Dr Roddy Ross some 60 years ago, and aimed to capture the playing of the master piper Malcolm Macpherson.   By Pat Terry It employed notational devices that pipers familiar with the notation used in many other collections of ceòl mòr found strange [colour coded, three-line stave].  In 2022, Chris Terry (a pupil of John MacFadyen) set out…

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More Information on Donald Cameron’s Powder Horn

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We are grateful to piping historian Jeannie Campbell MBE for forwarding this information following last week’s article on Donald Cameron’s powder horn…. A piping competition was held on 4th October 1839 in a Pavilion at the Great Agricultural Meeting, Academy Park, Inverness, in aid of funds of the Northern Infirmary. The prizes were: 1 ‘A Handsome Bagpipe’ made by Macdonald [Donald] of Edinburgh, to Angus MacKay, piper to WF Campbell…

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Lochnell Intermediate Piping Championship Results

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This prestigious contest for solo pipers aged under 22 was held on October 10th, at Lochnell Castle, Benderloch, Argyll, courtesy the Earl of Dundonald. The overall champion at the 5th annual competition was Magnus Stone from Massachusetts, USA. He became the first overseas winner of the coveted title. He is 17 years old. He qualified for Lochnell by placing third in the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd at this year’s Argyllshire Gathering….

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Review: ‘Back from the Battlefield’ Recital

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‘It will take more than a storm to derail me’, was Duncan MacGillivray’s response to the threat of cancellation of Inverness Piping Society’s recital last Friday night, writes Les Hutt. Duncan’s journey home was to be a serious challenge thanks to Storm Amy and the high winds and rain which blocked many roads and brought down power lines across the Highlands. Nevertheless, an enthusiastic crowd of around 60 came to…

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The Importance of Schools Music Education

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In Scotland we have become inured to idiotic statements from well paid public employees and politicians struggling to connect the family brain cell with their vocal cords. This produced another candidate for dunce of the decade last week. In a live-streamed statement the Head of Education at East Ayrshire Council declared her opposition to schools music teaching by stating that she was ‘no [not] really seeing the point of a…

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