PP Ed’s Blog: Concert formation/ PP New Look/ Band MSRs/ Gairloch Junior Festival

Well done to Chicago Highland Games and the Mid West Pipe Band Association for continuing with their successful concert formation at their recent contest. Everyone’s a winner with this, especially the audience and the judges. The Ross Bandstand (above) in Edinburgh yesterday had the same option for bands.  Boghall won G1 as expected with Skye second. G2 went to George Watson’s juvenile band (how good is this grade?) with Boghall…

Draw for Today’s Princes Street Gardens Contest

Draw for today’s band contest in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh: Grade Novice B / 4B – Start Time 10:00 01 Burntisland and District 02 Tranent and District 03 Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia 04 City of Edinburgh Schools 05 Stow Borders Pipe Band 06 George Watson’s College 07 Camelon & District 08 Davidson’s Mains and District Junior 09 Stockbridge 10 Queen Victoria School 11 George Heriot’s School 12…

Drumtochty Games Results (updated with juniors and pic)

Pleasant conditions for this light music only games held in north-east Scotland. Judges were James Hamilton and Duncan Watson (above). March 1 John Dew 2 Callum Brown 3 Allan Russell 4 Keith Christie Strathspey & Reel 1 Allan Russell 2 Callum Brown 3 Bobby Allan 4 John Dew Under 14 March 1 Joshua Reilly 2 Andrea Yates Under 14 S&R 1 Joshua Reilly 2 Andrea Yates Under 18 March 1…

Detailed Information on Historic Northern Irish Pipe Band Photographs

We are grateful to RSPBA adjudicator Harry Stevenson (pictured) and to Tommy Johnston of Pipe Dreams for supplying the following information on our historical Irish bands feature of a week or so ago. Main Picture (above): This is the Red Hand Brian Boru  Pipe Band with Trevor Forster as Drum Major. They played the Brian Boru pipes which had been  developed by Henry Starck the famous pipemaker in London. Brian Boru…

Delaware to New England – Editor’s Letter from America

We are now well into the week at the New England Pipe & Drum Academy. Small but perfectly formed, with friendship, wonderful food and hard study the unfailing mix for a successful week. Tonight Tommy (Johnston) and I are off to the Stuart Highlanders band for a workshop. This is the band which recently had a Grade 1 standing but who are now down in Grade 5. How things can…