PP Editor’s Blog: Gold Medal Lists/ George Cruikshank/ Gordon Duncan Concert etc

The PP database of Gold Medallists at Oban and Inverness has now been updated and includes all of the tunes played by all of the winners since the competitions resumed after WW2. The lists make very interesting reading and show a remarkable breadth of tunes played. When we consider that at the turn of the last century there were probably no more than a handful of tunes heard round the Highland games…

PP Academy: Dealing With Cane Drone Reeds Part 2

Reed expert and professional maker Chris Apps continues with his monograph on cane drone reeds and addresses further problems that can be encountered with them…. Dealing With Cane Drone Reeds Part 2 by Chris Apps The Reed Squeals There can be more than one cause of this problem: a) The bridle is too tight. Re-tie the bridle a little looser and test again (there are instructions for tying bridles later in this…

PP Academy: Dealing With Cane Drone Reeds

This article, by reed expert and professional maker Chris Apps, first appeared in the Pipe Band Magazine 15 years ago but is as relevant today as it was then, especially as more bands are turning to cane to add depth to their overall sound… Are You Able to Handle Cane? by CHRIS APPS I LIKE the sound of cane  drone reeds but don’t use them because plastic is so much easier to  set and maintain….

PP Editor’s Blog: CPA Gradings/ Guide to the Games/ Gordon Recital/ Winter Storm/

Gradings for 2016 have been issued by the Competing Pipers’ Association to all their members. These are important for those wishing to gain places to play at Oban and Inverness. The promoters at both need to squeeze a lot of events into two days and as a result have to restrict numbers in the Gold & Silver Medals. Last year thirty got to play at Oban and 25 at Inverness….

Famous Pipers: Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies Part 6

We conclude our feature on the late Pipe Major with the final excerpt of the interview given in 1999 where he talked of his many successes in the Former Winners’ March, Strathspey & Reel at the Northern Meeting at Inverness. The picture above shows Alasdair when he won the title of ‘Piper to the Lord Provost of the City of Glasgow’. Presenting him with the official banner displaying the city’s coat…