Category: Reviews

A Classical Musician’s Take on Piobaireachd

Posted on      by      3 Comments

When asked to offer some thoughts about piobaireachd as an art form, I was delighted to oblige. This is not least because I was brought up as a flute-playing Scot in England by a piper for a father. With my career now in the performing arts as a conductor specialising in working with singers, I have regularly looked upon piobaireachd with a great deal of interest, even if my knowledge…

More A Classical Musician’s Take on Piobaireachd

Editor’s Notebook: Circle Formation/ Royal Piper/ NZ Judges/ Band Medleys/ 1st Port Poem

Posted on      by      5 Comments

Those bands getting themselves into a tizzy over the prospect of a change to the circle formation can rest easy. It ain’t ever going to happen. There has been considerable huffing and puffing since my last foray into this forbidden zone. The ‘we love the circle campaign’ is in full swing. Like us all, bands are change averse and are happy with the status quo. Why should pipers and drummers…

More Editor’s Notebook: Circle Formation/ Royal Piper/ NZ Judges/ Band Medleys/ 1st Port Poem

Readers Respond to Article on RSPBA’s MSR Rule Change

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

A mixed bag of response to yesterday’s article by Ian Forbes. (Read it here.) Before we get to them the Editor writes: ‘I was interested in the comment in the rule change which states that four part tunes should be ‘where the tune was written as a four parted tune’. ‘This is misleading. If we look through our older collections we see that many standards we accept today as four…

More Readers Respond to Article on RSPBA’s MSR Rule Change

Composer Niall Adds Another Success to his Growing Catalogue of Pipe Music

Posted on      by      1 Comment

Niall Mathieson of Easter Ross has a reputation as a composer of merit and two weeks ago added yet another tune to his burgeoning oeuvre when he won a competition for a tune to commemorate the 170th anniversary of Pitlochry Highland Games, writes our Special Correspondent. Mr Matheson’s prize was £500 and he attended the games on September 10 and performed the tune for the first time in public before…

More Composer Niall Adds Another Success to his Growing Catalogue of Pipe Music

Pipe Band Formations – Transforming from the Circle Part 3

Posted on      by      2 Comments

As already mentioned the RSPBA previously undertook a number of trials of the semi-circle format in 1998.  I participated in the trial at Bathgate Highland Games.  As far as I am aware no advice was given to the bands about how the pipers and drummers should form up in the semi-circle, so there were wide variations which resulted in different sound projections.  One band even had the drummers facing backwards…

More Pipe Band Formations – Transforming from the Circle Part 3