Category: Reviews

Northern Ireland Piper of the Year – Critique

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This contest, run by the Northern Ireland Piping Society, was held in the ballroom at the Adair Arms Hotel in Ballymena, and despite a hum from the cooler behind the bar, it proved an ideal venue for a piping competition; plenty of floor space, plenty of audience space and a draughtless ambience. There were very few listeners in for the piobaireachd in the afternoon  (not unusual, even in Scotland) but the…

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John MacLellan Memorial (Update 3 – critique and pix added)

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Robert Wallace reports: Faye Henderson won the overall trophy at today’s Captain John MacLellan Memorial competition held at the Army School of Piping at Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh. This was a superb day of piping organised with perfect precision by the Director of Army Bagpipe Music, Major Steven Small, and his assistant P/M Scott Methven. The standard was extremely high with the judges declaring Faye Henderson’s performance of Donald Gruamach’s March…

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A Different Take on Piping Centre Recitals

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Following the review earlier this week by Bill Robertson of New Zealand, Nicholas Taitz of South Africa has weighed in with his own critique…. Nicholas writes: Here are a few of my notes on the excellent series of recitals, during Piping Live, which were all of amazing streaming and sound quality.  Thanks must go to the National Piping Centre for this wonderful set of recitals and their successful efforts to…

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Argyllshire Gathering – the 2014 Gold Medal

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An Engrossing Day of Ceol Mor at Oban 2014 By Robert Wallace Argyllshire Gathering, August 27th and 28th, 2014. Those of us honoured with being asked to judge at the Argyllshire Gathering  meet the evening beforehand to receive our instructions from Piping Steward Jamie Mellor and his Assistant Torquil Telfer.  It is always a convivial gathering with a distinct air of expectation for the morrow and the main…read more…

Comments on Piping Live Performances

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One of the most fearless commentators on piping is Bill ‘Robbie’ Robertson (right), formerly a Pipe Major in The Royal Scots and now domiciled in New Zealand.  Bill has his own teaching website with some very good tutorials on piping. Here’s his report on some recitals streamed live from the National Piping Centre during this summer’s Piping Live festival: ‘I listened to the recitals in sections mostly. The following includes…

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