Scottish Pipers’ Association Online Professional Results (Updated with full details)

Each competition was judged by two judges, and the competitors had to upload each performance to YouTube and send the links to the SPA. I would say that running this competition was a steep learning curve for the Association and there are definitely things that I would have done differently with hindsight, not just on the media side, but in how other things were done. By Logan Tannock, President, Scottish…

Editor’s Notebook: Lack of Contests/ Piping Live!/ Dublin Poster/ Iain McLeod and Mod banner

I am not surprised that bagmaker Jim Begg got almost universal support for his views on the dearth of contests this year. Piping Press has been banging on about this for some time too. It is rather late now to do anything for this summer but the performance of our promoters in keeping the national music alive over this difficult period has been poor, it must be said. Part of…

Bag Maker Jim Launches Blistering Attack on Pipe Band and Solo Promoters – Readers React

Pipe bag maker James Begg has used his monthly newsletter to severely criticise the dearth of pipe band and solo piping events this summer. Jim points to the thousands of people attending large sporting events in the UK, yet here in Scotland we cannot even put on an open air piping contest. Jim says it is a ‘disgraceful outcome’ for piping and pipe bands. He writes: ‘There were 66,000 football…

Piper Steve On the High Seas with the Canadian Navy

Maintaining helicopters, playing the bagpipes, that’s Sgt Steven Drinkwalter of HMCS Calgary. British Columbia’s Sergeant Drinkwalter is deployed on the Canadian warship and has just finished taking part in Operation Artemis, a successful counter-terrorism and maritime security mission in the Middle East. He’s the ship’s unofficial piper. Steve is pictured above playing during a Battle of the Atlantic commemoration ceremony in May whilst in the Arabian Sea when the ship…

Editor’s Notebook: World Solo Drumming/ Champion of Champions Medal/ Richard Parkes/ Piobaireachd by the Sea/ Oldest Piper Search/ North East Photographs

Not surprised the RSPBA have cancelled the World Solo Drumming given that there will be no fly-in competitors, but could they not have put on something for the drummers in lieu? I really cannot understand the lack of activity from this great organisation. What about a Scottish drum championship or a UK drum championship or a British Isles drum championship? They could have used Headquarters in Washington Street and if…