The KOSBs, Willie Bryson and a Mysterious Name Change of One of His Tunes

I am fortunate to have in my possession an army piper’s manuscript book. It is dated August 1941 and it belonged to Corporal W.E. Grieve, 6th Battalion of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. It contains many competition tunes well beyond regimental basic requirements. As I was searching for tunes relating to WW2, one four-parted 6/8 march, Crossing the Odon, by the well-known Willie Bryson (pictured), caught my eye immediately. The River…

Pipe Major’s Wheel of Fortune Results

Cameron Drummond of Edinburgh was the winner of the popular Pipe Major’s Wheel of Fortune competition, which was held at Danderhall Miners’ Club in Midlothian on Saturday 29 April 2023. The event, which is hosted by the City of Edinburgh Pipe Band, requires pipers to play a medley of tunes which is determined by spinning the golden chanter on the Wheel of Fortune.   The Wheel features 12 tune categories…

Highlands & Islands Festival 2023 Piping Full Results

Another successful competition was held in the Oban High School today, Saturday, April 29, with healthy entries in most competitions. Sponsors included the Piobaireachd Society and the Competing Pipers’ Association. P/A Ceol Mor for Cooper Salver (1st) and Dugald MacColl Memorial Trophy (2nd).1 Roderick MacLeod, Old Men of the Shells2 Steven Leask, MacNeil of Barra’s March 3 Darach Urquhart, I Got a Kiss of the King’s Hand4 William Geddes, Lament…

Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting Pipers and Judges

The two leading solo piping competitions in the world, the Argyllshire Gathering, Oban, and the Northern Meeting, Inverness, will be held on August 23/24, and August 31/ Sept 1 respectively. Places for competitors are limited to under 30 and are allocated on a track record basis by a joint committee of promoters, competing pipers’ representatives and judges’ representatives. Competitors for the senior events are not listed. The Senior Piobaireachd and…

Creagorry Blend, Lachie Ban MacCormick and P/M William MacLean

Christoph Warth from Germany regarding the reel, Creagorry Blend: ‘Dear Mr. Wallace, I hope you are doing well. You may remember me from the first years of the Brüggen classes in Germany. I was the one with the saffron kilt. ‘I frequently play my pipes for myself and together with a friend but stopped playing in a band or competing in lack of time. By the Editor ‘I´m looking for…