Be a Better Piper – What to Look for When Selecting an Instrument Part 2

The following guide to selecting a bagpipe first appeared in Piper Press in the 1990s. It came from the renowned pipemaker Jimmy Pettigrew who for many years was the leading bagpipemaker for RG Hardie & Co……. Bagpipe making today is not as skilled as it once was. There is not enough good training these days. No one seems to do a full apprenticeship. When I started everything was done by…

PP Editor’s Blog: South Florida/ Couer d’Alene/ NPC Juniors/ SPA KO

Well here we are in sunny Florida for the second annual South Florida Pipe and Drum Academy. The temperature is in the 70s and though there was torrential rain for a period yesterday the conditions were near perfect for our outdoor massed band. This, and all our classes, are being held at a fine facility belonging the  Boca Raton Fire Department and our grateful thanks and that of the 45…

New Archive Recording of John MacDougall

In this, the week we remember John MacDougall, I thought it apposite that we should share a recording of his wonderful playing with our readers, writes the Editor. It comes to us courtesy of Breton piper Patrick Molard and is of John competing in the Former Winners’ MSR at the Argyllshire Gathering in 1971, a competition he won on five occasions. I don’t know what the results were (perhaps someone…

Be A Better Piper: Selecting a Good Instrument – a Very Important Decision

Forget the house or the car. The most important decision a piper has to make is the instrument he buys. Get it wrong and face years of  wasteful and expensive plumbing trying to make something out of a very bad situation. Get it right and you can have hours of musical satisfaction from an instrument that is easy to reed, steady, and an all round pleasure to play. In short,…

PP Editor’s Blog: Schools Funding/ New Letters/ Donald McKillop

The annual 214 Glasgow Co. BB Reunion is on March 4.) Three new letters added today on Willie Ross, Norrie Gillies and old pipes in North America. Read them here. If anyone is any doubt about the amazing work being done by the Scottish Schools Pipe & Drum Trust have a look at their website to see the amount of cash that is being invested in young pipers and drummers….