Category: Reviews

Editor’s Notebook: PPBSO Archive/ RSPBA Chief/ Donald Cameron/ Finlay Drynan/ Captain John

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New President Michael Grey has certainly rejuvenated Ontario’s Piping and Pipe Band Society. There’s now new archive material from the Society’s archives available, his latest Newsletter tells me. Above is film of the innovative Vale of Atholl band under P/M Ian Duncan from the North American Championships at Maxville in 1988. The blurb reads: ‘This is the last of nine bands to play on Saturday, July 30, 1988. The Vale…

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South Africa’s ‘Hundred Guineas’ Competition, 2022

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South Africa’s pre-eminent solo piping competition took place in Johannesburg at St Benedict’s College over the weekend of 26 and 27 March 2022. On-line competitions have been a wonderful way of providing pipers and drummers with a competition outlet over the last couple of years. A major advantage of these contests has been the opportunity for pipers to compete, even on an international level, without leaving home – and several…

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Thirty-two Long Months and the Pandemic Nighmare is Finally Put Behind Us (Updated with Full Results )

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It fell to the Kilbarchan pipe band to sound the first note played in anger on a pipe band contest field for almost three years. With that first introductory E this band of 17 pipers swept away months of moribundity and declared ‘the pipe band movement is back’! The occasion was the Gourock Highland Games contest held at the weekend at Battery Park, Greenock. I arrived early just as tents…

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History: Northern Meeting 1970, Success for Andrew Wright and Ian McLellan

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Last week we ran the results from Inverness 1970. Since then our staff have been busy burrowing and have come up with an original report and pictures from the contest published in the Press & Journal newspaper dated September 18. Headlined ‘A Double Gold Success for Piper’ the article reads: ‘A Paisley engineer has scored a double success in the piping world this year. ‘Last month 33-year-old Andrew Wright won…

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‘Amazing Grace’, Tape on Chanters, Donald MacPherson and Donald MacLeod

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A student wrote to me last week following the story on Piping Press marking the 50th anniversary of the release of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards’ Amazing Grace. His point was simply that on first hearing the tune, the F, to his ear, sounded slightly flat. His observation was not intended in any way to be a criticism of the piper playing the solo, P/M Tony Crease. He agreed that…

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