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Scottish Pipe Band Championships, Dumbarton, 2009. ©JohnSlavin@designfolk.com/Bagpipe.news

Pipe Major Don Bradford

This photo is from the Scottish Pipe Band Championships at Dumbarton, back on May 16, 2009 when the Scottish was the first major of the season. The first major of 2022 will be the British Championships at Battery Park, Greenock on May 21. Don Bradford was P/M of Strathclyde Police […]

Building stamina in your playing

Building stamina in your playing

On day eight of the February Piping Challenge Dan Nevans presented a 30 minute Facebook live stream on the topic of developing the stamina to play your pipes for up to an hour. It’s a very informative and entertaining talk from Dan (with added bagpipe faeries), and is essential listening […]

Theory Top-Up: Double Tonic Tunes

Theory Top-Up: Double Tonic Tunes

By Tim Cummings Piping Today #76, 2015. Imagine for a moment that it’s February in the North Country, and you’ve been invited to a friend’s sauna.  You enter into the thick, steamy, blanketing air of the sauna, which in midwinter feels absolutely wonderful, rapidly softening petrified muscles that have been […]

D throw techniques with John Mulhearn

D throw techniques with John Mulhearn

John Mulhearn explained the technical aspects of learning the light and the heavy D throw on day six of the February Piping Challenge. The video can be found on The National Piping Centre’s Facebook page here. On day seven Wilson Brown spoke all about 2/4 March playing, and stressed the […]

Summer school in Tokyo. Dr Masame Yamane is fourth from the left

The first piper in Japan

Dr Masami Yamane, who founded the Tokyo Pipe Band in 1975, and is credited as being the first piper in Japan, died in February 2022 aged 91.

PPBSO prepared for outdoors and online in 2022

PPBSO prepared for outdoors and online in 2022

The ‘new normal’ way for pipers to compete and consume piping will undoubtedly include online competitions and concerts live streamed to every corner of the world. The online offering brings a lot of positives. However, everyone wants the ‘old normal’ to be reinstated ASAP. Children have been playing organised football […]

Goal setting and the rule of three tune memory tip

Goal setting and the rule of three tune memory tip

Days four and five of the February Piping Challenge were presented by Dan Nevans. Day four focused on dreaming big when setting your short and long term piping goals, and can be watched here on The National Piping Centre’s Facebook page. Day five was all about learning tunes, and using […]

Michael Grey’s Notes: Angus Mackay on trousers, life and God

Michael Grey’s Notes: Angus Mackay on trousers, life and God

GREY’S NOTES by Michael Grey Piping Today #68, 2013. Angus Mackay.  He’ll be known, at least by name, to many of you. Born on September 10, 1813 — under the astrological sign of Virgo — on Raasay, an island off the north-west coast of Scotland, he was to become one […]

Support musicians directly. It’s Bandcamp Friday!

Support musicians directly. It’s Bandcamp Friday!

On the first Friday of the month since March of 2020, the music streaming service, Bandcamp, waive their revenue share to help support the many artists who have seen their livelihoods disrupted by COVID-19. So head over to bandcamp.com NOW and browse through the thousands of albums and millions of tracks […]