PP Ed’s Blog: Band Circles/ Cancale/ Northern Meeting, Lochaber, Aboyne

Difficulties over ‘concert’ formation positioning mentioned in Alistair Aitken’s piece yesterday should be easily overcome after a little trial and error. Bass sections are different in the circle set up so there is nothing new there. Going by the photographs I thought the formations at the Ross Bandstand pretty good and must have been much more comfortable for the judges than what they are used. No walking about, balancing of…

Reflections on the Pipe Band Competition Season So Far – Part 2

Pipe band authority Alistair Aitken concludes his look at the season so far…. The final event I would like to mention in particular is the local competition held in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh on Sunday 24 June.  It is pleasing to see that this Lothian & Borders Branch competition (now in its second year) has been resurrected in Scotland’s capital city, as Princes Street Gardens for many years during…

Donald MacPherson’s Bagpipe: Sad News from Down Under

Disturbing information has reached me from Australia via a well known piper and acquaintance of mine, writes the Editor. It concerns the late Donald MacPherson’s bagpipe, that glorious instrument which in Donald’s hands made him the most successful competing piper of all time. It was a pipe I had the good fortune to hear many times. We have several fine instruments on the boards today but none that quite captures…

MacStig Takes a Look at Grade 2 at the Europeans

Some say he would be confused in a round room looking for the corner….yet more that he thinks a sgian dubh is a pigeon on the piste..all we know is…. It was a scenic drive north to the picture postcard setting of Grant Park, Forres, via the highland highway that is the A9…the road, as you know, has dual carriageways with average speed cameras keeping the boy racers like me in check….

Ceres Games Results (updated)

Beautiful day in Fife and a successful one for the Army’s Ben Duncan (pictured above). Eight pipers competed. The games also saw a visit from television chef Gordon Ramsay and other tv personalities who were filming. Piob 1 Ben Duncan, Lament for MacSwan of Roaig 2 Darach Urquhart, Glengarry’s March 3 Eireann-Ianetta MacKay, Lament for the Viscount of Dundee 4 Craig Martin, Lament for Donald of Laggan March 1 Ben…