Today, we post this article from our archives. The article was written by Tommy Pearston and published in the December 1989 Piping Times. His subject was James Reid, the only piper who lost his life because he was a piper. Reid, a native of Angus in the east of Scotland, […]
We conclude our three-part serial of Neil Munro’s famous short story. By Neil Munro The tune searched through Half Town and into the gloomy pine-wood; it put an end to the whoop of the night-hag and rang to Ben Bhreac. Boatmen deep and far on the loch could hear it, […]
Following Tommy Pearston’s article last week, cultivated from the Piping Times archives, we reproduce another of his pieces on hygiene, this time on the subject of disinfecting our instrument. This article appeared originally in the Piping Times of June 1953 and covers some misconceptions and sound advice on disinfecting our […]
Yesterday, we kicked off the new year with the results of Michael Grey’s survey of pipe bands over the last century, the results of which were interesting indeed. Today, we feature another pictorial from the camera of John Slavin. This time it is the 2009 World Pipe Band Championships. That […]
2020 is rapidly becoming the year a virus devastated most of the competition season. Many will feel there isn’t really much point in practicing just now. However, perhaps this is indeed precisely the time to do the opposite: use the time to learn new tunes, perfect existing tunes, work on […]
The 2020 World Pipe Band Championships and the Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival were both cancelled today. Both events were scheduled to take place in Glasgow – the Worlds on August 14-15; Piping Live! from August 8-16. A statement from the RSPBA said: “The World Pipe Band Championships is the […]
Today’s article from our archives was originally a lecture. In 1985 James Campbell, the son of Archibald Campbell of Kilberry, delivered the John MacFadyen Memorial Trust Annual Lecture. It took place in the Chapel Royal of Stirling Castle on April 26, the night before the Piobaireachd Society Conference. Campbell’s lecture […]
The 2020 Scottish Pipe Band Championships was cancelled today by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA). The news will come as no surprise to the pipe band community. The cancellation of the ‘Scottish’ – the fourth of the RSPBA five annual major pipe band championships – came one day […]
By Peter Cooke In the first part of this article I described how two distinct performing traditions, which existed at the end of the 18th century, could be exemplified in the way notators chose to write out what is best regarded as one formulaic motif — the echoing beat on […]
With most of us self-isolating during these uncertain times, there is, perhaps inevitably, a dearth of news to report. However, we at Bagpipe.news will continue to use this time to bring you great articles from our archives. Today’s piece was written by Dr Peter Cooke and published in The International […]
Finlay MacDonald has today been appointed as the Director of Piping of the National Piping Centre (NPC). He takes up his new role in June. The NPC released the following statement today: “The Board of the National Piping Centre is delighted to announce that Finlay MacDonald has been appointed to […]
Organisers of VE Day 75, which was to have taken place on May 8-10, hope to re-schedule the event for the weekend of August 14-15 – the same weekend as the World Pipe Band Championships. Gourock Highland Games had been set to play a leading role in VE Day 75, […]
Finlay MacDonald, pictured, a member of staff at the National Piping Centre (NPC) for almost 20 years, has been appointed Artistic Director of this year’s Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping, the world’s largest bagpipe festival. MacDonald has been involved with the festival’s programming since its inception in 2003. […]
This weekend’s amateur piping competition held for members of the Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) was voted an overwhelming success by competitors and judges alike. As a result of the Conronavirus pandemic, the contest was held using videoconferencing technology and audio files. Competitors – from around the world […]
