Iain Dall Young Pipers Festival

‘It is clear that local councils’ investment in providing tuition to young people in Scotland’s national instrument is creating a generation of fantastic pipers able to perform and compete to an extremely high standard,’ said Dr Decker Forest, judging the Iain Dall Young Pipers Festival at Gairloch on Saturday 23rd September. ‘This year’s competition featured excellent performances from some of the country’s best young pipers as well as local entrants,…

Silver Medal Tunes for 2018 Available for Download/ Grade 3a Band Looking for Leading Drummer

The Piping Press Shop now has a full set of recordings of tunes set by the by the Music Committee of the Piobaireachd Society (PS) for the 2018 Silver Medal competitions at Oban and Inverness. They are played in full on the practice chanter by Piping Press editor Robert Wallace more or less as published by the Society but with some differences as handed down in oral tradition. These differences are…

Dress at Oban and Inverness and the Standard of Play in B Grade Events

A last look at the piping at the 2017 Northern Meeting today. Before that a word about Oban and its dress code. Pipers at the Argyllshire Gathering are permitted to play without jackets. The rooms get hot at times and the laudable aim of the organisers is to make the competitors as comfortable as possible in the pressure cooker atmosphere of the small theatre at the Corran Halls and in…

Changes at the College and the Funding of Piping

Just when things seemed to be settling down at the College of Piping we hear of another departure, that of General Manager Fraser MacInnes, writes the Editor. My information is that the parting was not as harmonious as it might have been. There must have been personality issues here for, according to the Office of Scottish Charities Register (OSCR), the College’s profit last year was £21,000. The old place seemed…

Glenurquhart Games/ South West Scotland Piping & Drumming Academy

Total solo piping prizemoney at this year’s Glenurquhart Games will be over £700 the organisers have announced. Spokeswoman Jane Drennan has sent this: ‘This year’s games will be on Saturday August 26 at Blairbeg Park, Drumnadrochit. ‘There are piping competitions for seniors, juniors and chanter. Total prizemoney will be £709. This year we are delighted to welcome our four highly respected judges, Iain MacFadyen, Malcolm McRae, Robert Wallace and Dr…