Successful Piping and Drumming Academy Held in South West Scotland

Andy McCartney reports…….. Friday 13th may be superstitious for a lot of people, but not for the families and friends of the youngsters who attended a week-long Summer School at SRUC Barony Campus near Dumfries. The South West of Scotland Piping and Drumming Academy (SWSPDA) had just completed its 5th Annual Summer School and this was the end-of-school concert. Thirty seven young pupils attended, and this was the time for them to…

PP Ed’s Blog: Band MSRs/ Publishing Tunes/ Brass & Pipe Music/ PS Concert/ Alden Biesen

Listening to Field Marshal’s MSR from the All-Irelands last weekend, did I detect a very slight disconnect between drums and pipes in the last few parts of Pretty Marion? Wrong to make assumptions based on videos of course, all sorts of things get altered in transmission. I may be talking rubbish, but it would tie in with the ensemble judge placing them behind SLoT. Have a listen: Those who read…

Pipe Band MSR Poll Findings and Comment Thereon

Our poll on March, Strathspey and Reels in pipe bands drew the second largest response of any we have so far conducted with hundreds of readers taking part. (The largest was on restricting band sizes.) Thanks to everyone for their valuable contribution.  The findings show that the vast majority care about the future of band MSRs, they do not want them to die, they see them as the true test…

Pipes for Sale/ MacStig on the Prowl in Canada and Ireland

A handsome looking set of silver and ivory pipes is on offer today from the PP Online Ads page. The pipes have been dated as 1920/1930 and are described as in good playing condition. They have been identified as Hendersons, a set similar to a bagpipe owned by J B Robertson dated 1926. Click here for more info. [wds id=”2″] Following Saturday’s All-Ireland and contest in Canada MacStig has sent this….. Grade 2…

Reflections on the Pipe Band Competition Season So Far – Part 2

Pipe band authority Alistair Aitken concludes his look at the season so far…. The final event I would like to mention in particular is the local competition held in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh on Sunday 24 June.  It is pleasing to see that this Lothian & Borders Branch competition (now in its second year) has been resurrected in Scotland’s capital city, as Princes Street Gardens for many years during…