Sign up to the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland’s free music workshop, being held on Sunday, June 18 at The National Piping Centre. This workshop brings together young music-makers in Glasgow to look at Mackay’s Memoirs by Martyn Bennett. Martyn wrote this piece originally for young people to play, […]
Gordon Duncan (1964-2005) inspired a whole generation of pipers in his own lifetime in a way no piper has ever done before or since. As the December 2015 edition of the Piping Times stated, his influence on the current generation is apparent even though some are perhaps too young to […]
The year is around 1707. It is only a couple of years since the burial of Sir Norman MacLeod of Berneray, one of the most famous chiefs of the Berneray branch of the MacLeods of Harris. He was the third son of Sir Roderick XV of Harris and Dunvegan. Today, […]
Few would dispute that the piping scene in Scotland has changed hugely since 20 years ago. In that time a significant swathe of pipers has emerged that have eschewed the world of competition entirely. Not because they’re not good enough – they most certainly are – but because the competition […]
Cowal Highland Gathering may not be the piping and pipe band event it once was but its organisers are celebrating winning a leading tourism prize. Cowal has just been awarded the Best Cultural Event or Festival title at last weekend’s The Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards. Cowal beat the HebCelt […]
A tribute to Dr Kenneth MacKay will be held this Saturday (21st) in the highland village where he lived and worked for many years. Dr Kenneth MacKay was an important piping figure during the post-War years. Born in Ross-shire at the turn of the 20th century he lived and worked […]
By John Mulhearn “Do you ever listen to pipe music?” “… Em, not really… I sometimes hear a busker when I’m in the town…”. So began conversations I had a with a number of students recently. In my day-to-day role as an instructor at The National Piping Centre I often […]
