Piping Press

It is with deep regret and sadness that I have to advise that Alex Duncan, beloved son of Ian and Chris Duncan, passed away in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on September 12th. Alex was a top class sportsman and piper. He played rugby union at a top level and bagpipes in Grade 1.  Alex received tutoring over a number of years from Walter Drysdale, the teacher of his late uncle, Gordon…

Our new replacement flag was raised on the day of the current All Arms Class 3 Piper and Drummers course prizegiving after what has been a slightly unusual course due to COVID-19 here at the ASBM&HD at Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh. The majority of the students had no previous experience with their chosen instrument. For the first time in the history of the Army school the first 15 weeks were delivered…

Following on from reader Trevor Clydesdale’s list of the tunes submitted for the Grade 1 1970 ‘Medley’ Worlds, reader Ian Forbes asked for a programme from yesteryear showing the MSRs bands played back then. Within a few hours another reader, who asked not to be named, sent us in the 1968 Cowal programme. It makes interesting reading, writes the Editor. Notice the iconic cover which was used for many years…

The P/M Donald Macleod MBE Memorial Piping Competition, supported by Point and Sandwick Trust, is to be held behind closed doors this year, with the performances from the invited pipers to be broadcast online at a later date, due to the ongoing situation with the coronavirus. The Lewis and Harris Piping Society had initially postponed the competition, originally due to be held on April 3, to November 27, but the…

The late Roderick Cannon and I published an article in the pamphlet ‘West Highland Notes and Queries’, January 2013, concerning the ‘Maclean’ pipe banner [pictured above]. There was a translation by scholar Ronald Black of the Gaelic inscription in a subsequent issue of the publication. Before we get to that I have another short tale that may be of interest and could pose the query: ‘Did his pipes get wet?’…