by VICKIE GRAY. February 2022: CLASP Live Online, Grade 4 I’d better face the wall so I’m not distracted by movement through the window. Oh crap, my sleeve is unbuttoned. I know I’m going to screw up the 3rd part of Lady Lever Park. I always do. I just don’t […]
The National Piping Centre offers a wide range of tuition to people from very different backgrounds, and thanks to the rise in popularity of online tuition the NPC has pupils all over the world. One such student is 11 year old, Ella Stewart, who lives in Saudi Arabia and who […]
The in-person CLASP competition was held at The National Piping Centre on Saturday, June 19. The competition was for adult amateur pipers in Grade 1, 2 and 3 with the option for Grade 4 members to play up in Grade 3 events. Judges were Alastair Dunn and Simon McKerrell. The […]
Luciano Lanaro doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet. When Lou retired seven years ago he increased his musical ability by adding the Highland pipes to the range of instruments he already played. Like many pipers it is not just a pastime, but a full blown obsession that he […]
GREY’S NOTES by Michael Grey. June, 2022. The writer, Ami McKay, has a great string of words about life in a small town, and that is, “no matter what you do, someone always knew you would.” Cue the local curtain rustler’s chat with the TV reporter, “oh, they was ruthless […]
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 […]
The Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) intends to add a second league table that will filter points into a new separate online league table for 2022. The CLASP league table will incorporate all competitions (in-person/online) points. Traditionally, the league winners are announced in July each year, but the […]
By Wilson Brown (NPC Piping Instructor and Tuition Co-ordinator) On March 20, 2020, the National Piping Centre (NPC) closed its doors to students and, like most of the world, went into lockdown. The last student to be taught in person was Lou Lanaro, a 72-year-old piper from Collingwood, Ontario. Lou […]
Vickie Gray from Nova Scotia is a student of Margaret Dunn at the National Piping Centre (NPC). Last year, feeling ready to compete for the first time, the pottery maker who lives near the town of Lunenburg in the province’s south-west, joined the NPC’s Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers […]
With the summer holidays upon us what is the piper to do with his/her free time? We have two suggestions: visit some of the piping places in Scotland (if you live in the UK, that’s fairly easy) – and improve your technique and musicality. The second suggestion is also easy. […]
