I became a Piping Times subscriber in 1974 although I had bought occasional copies before that whenever I was in a piping shop. I joined the College of Piping’s evening classes in 1976 after playing in a band for six years and was soon helping with the enrolment of pupils […]
Archie MacNeill (1879-1962), is probably best known as the composer of Donald MacLean’s Farewell to Oban, The Detroit Highlanders, David Ross of Rosehall and a few other great tunes that have stood the test of time. Archie, though, was an important figure in piping and, in fact, could be regarded […]
Who doesn’t love a good magazine? Colourful. shiny pages, interesting articles of easy-to-read length and pictures … lots of pretty pictures, if you’re lucky. Magazines have been printed for almost as long as the printing press has been invented. So for 500 years we’ve had the world’s cupboards, attics and […]
By Hugh Cheape No profession of substance and reputation can be without its magazine or journal. This supplies the focus and forum for discussion for an interest group and gives shape and expression to its identity. The Piping Times performed this function with its regular output of news and current […]
After only two days, the National Piping Centre’s crowdfunder target for the project to digitise the Piping Times and Piping Today magazines has reached one third. It would appear that this campaign is clearly resonating with the piping world. For younger readers, it may be instructive for us to take […]
The National Piping Centre (NPC) today launches a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to protect the legacy of its two magazines, the Piping Times and Piping Today. The two-strand project involves the digitisation of the magazines’ archive – a resource that will be free to access online – and the […]
By Jeannie Campbell MBE The “Piobaireachd Society of Scotland” gave notice in the autumn of 1903 that it would hold a competition at the 1904 Argyllshire Gathering at which it would award a total of £30 in prizes. The first prize shall be £20 and a Gold Medal, second prize […]
James Haddow McIntosh, a true piping legend, died suddently this morning at home in South Carolina, USA, aged 95. Born in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee, one of four siblings. Jimmy’s father had arranged for Jimmy to receive his early piping tuition from Pipe Major Tom Sutherland, Royal Scots Fusiliers. Jimmy […]
I wonder if you have ever heard the old joke – “Why is the Free Kirk so opposed to sex before marriage?” Answer – “Because it might lead to dancing.” I am first going to make the assumption that everyone reading this regards the pipes as a musical instrument and […]
Two of Scotland’s leading live folk musicians are donating all their merchandise sales today to a Glasgow food bank. Pipers Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton are encouraging other musicians to do the same. In 2009, there was one food bank in Scotland. There are now 52 in Glasgow alone compared […]
