Tag: Bagpipe Stories

Northern Meeting/ Pitlochry Draw/ Cancale Pipers

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The annual Northern Meeting piping competitions got underway last night with a reception in Inverness Town House, writes the Editor. It was a convivial gathering with refreshments gratis from the town council and music from last year’s Silver Medallist Brodie Watson-Massey and the Queen’s Own Highlanders ex-members band. Heavy rain did not dampen the occasion. It takes more than water to dilute the importance of this gathering of enthusiasts for…

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Jack Lee Retires from Simon Fraser University Pipe Band

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Pipe Sergeant Jack Lee, in an email to band members, announced that he is retiring from the Simon Fraser University competition pipe band. Said Jack: ‘It was been a terrific 50 year run but I have decided to retire from the competition band. I think the band is in a very strong position to move ahead and I anticipate more amazing moments in the future. I will be cheering you…

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Raasay Piping/ UK Drumming/ Chatsworth Results

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Ailis Sutherland from Kirriemuir and Angus Nicolson from Sleat in Skye were the first prize winners at the competition hosted by Isle of Raasay Distillers in the island’s community hall on Saturday, 6th September, writes Cailean Maclean. Ailis won the section for Piobaireachd/Seann Nòs/Slow Air tunes, the prize for which was a set of Highland Pipes in A, a copy of the legendary 1785 Black Set of Kintail, made by…

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Braemar Results and Report/ Blairgowrie Results

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The Braemar Gold Medallist for 2025 is John McDonald, Aberdeen, (above). He gave a fine rendition of the supposedly MacCrimmon tune, the Glen is Mine, on a steady, tuneful instrument, writes the Editor How appropriate that a local man should win the medal with this tune. The first few bars of it are inscribed on the memorial cairn to the Bobs of Balmoral only yards from the piobaireachd board. As…

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Editor’s Notebook: Ensemble Judges/ SPA Nights/ Inveraray Show/ MacLean request/ Peter Bain/ Cancale

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This week’s anonymous contributor should be thanked for raising the matter of wandering ensemble judges. Personally I felt that he wrote well but was guilty of pipe band overthink. Get up close to the tenor drummers to see if they are integrating with those around them. Really? What is ensemble if it is not an assessment of the entire package, pipes and drums, and how well they work together? I…

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