I didn’t think Saturday’s Grade 1 contest was reflected in the way the summaries eventually showed. For me there were three bands in the mix for first at Dumbarton: Field Marshal, St Laurence and Inveraray. The title could have gone to either one and no one could have complained. That said, Inveraray’s four straight first places tells its own story and I bow to the superior insight and positioning of…
I am not sure the prestige of Inveraray Games is helped by the pipers being given their piobaireachd a week before the contest. It makes things easier all round for the competitors but is much less of a test. Compare it with Braemar where it’s eight tunes, the chosen piece given at the bench. Promoters often justify the ‘early tune’ decision by saying it cuts down the number of breakdowns….
A warm, sunny day and a high standard of play. Apart from the solo piping boards, the large crowd was entertained royally by Oban High School Pipe Band under P/M Angus MacColl Snr. and the Mull & Iona Pipe Band under P/M Neil MacCallum. Angus is pictured above on his way to glory in the ceol mor. Piobaireachd (three tunes asked for and given and selected tune given at the…
The Masters of Piobaireachd series comprising 10 CDs was an initiative of Norman Matheson and Robert Wallace. As each CD was released, Norman sent a copy to the late James Campbell who responded with letters of analytical content, extracts of which appeared in Piping Press from March 2015. For those pipers who have the CD collection, the letters are of interest, and to retain them along with their collection would be…
A couple of points on yesterday’s report on the European Pipe Band Championships. Firstly I noticed the judges enjoying a friendly confab between performances and wondered if this was part of the consultative judging pilot scheme being trialled at both the UKs at Stormont and at Forres. There was certainly a welcome unanimity in the results – despite the piping judges wending very different and varying paths round the circle….
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