Category: Reviews

A Look Back at the Scottish Piping Society of London Competitions 2015

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Because of the vagaries of the calendar, the Scottish Piping Society of London’s annual competitions took place on 31st October and not in November. They were held on Oidhche Shamhna, the eve of An t-Samhain, which is the ancient Celtic New Year’s day.  It is a great feat of organisation to fit 14 adult  and three junior competitions into one day, but under the excellent administration of Jackie Roberts, the…

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New Marketing Opportunity for PP Advertisers

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Piping Press today launches a new marketing tool for all bagpipe manufacturers and suppliers. Starting today we will accept product reviews organised and sourced by the companies themselves. Our first such review is on the Ayrshire Bagpipe Company’s new African blackwood drone reeds (pictured above). You can read the review here. Please note this facility is only available to PP advertisers. If your firm is not already on board then…

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Glenfiddich 2015 – Full Report from Blair Castle

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This was a vintage Glenfiddich, which the packed audience in the great hall of Blair Castle was privileged to hear.  To begin with, we heard ten technically faultless tunes, played by ten of the world’s leading pipers of today: a rare occurrence. But technical perfection needs another ingredient: the pipers must convey the music as well as the notes.  But there was no shortage of music, and the adjudicators must…

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Some Thoughts on London 2015

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I first travelled to London for the annual competition in 1976 and have always found it an enjoyable experience. I can’t quite put my finger on why this should be. A chance to meet up with piping colleagues in a far off land? A different competing environment? The beer? I don’t know. Certainly the lure of the big prizes, the Bratach Gorm and Gillies Cup and all the history attached…

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PP Editor’s Blog: KO Contests/ Caption Contest/ Rosneath Thoughts/ World Drumming

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Congratulations to Craig Muirhead on winning through to the next round of the Scots Guards KO against Brian Lamond. The first round of the SPA KO is on November 7 at the College of Piping. The jousters are Finlay Johnston and John Patrick. 7.30 start, bar and refreshments. The Northern Ireland Branch of the RSPBA have sent this: ‘Thanks to Ian Burrows, pictures from all 2015 pipe band contests (except Rostrevor)…

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