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Since the year 2000, Dr. William Donaldson has contributed his exclusive analysis of tunes set by the Piobaireachd Society for the major solo piping competitions at the Northern Meeting, Argyllshire Gathering and other significant events.

The author of the seminal work, The Highland Pipe & Scottish Society, Dr. Donaldson explores manuscripts inaccessible to most pipers, and compares and contrasts settings of these great tunes, which now number more than 100 in our series.

In addition to his work as a lecturer in Scottish history with the Open University, William Donaldson received more than eight years of ongoing instruction in ceol mor from the great Robert Bell Nicol of Balmoral, Scotland.

Dr. Donaldson also provides his on musical interpretation of the piobaireachds in MP3 file format.

Please note that the Set Tunes Series is available to all for free and copyright remains with Dr. Donaldson.

pipes|drums' presentation of Dr. William Donaldson's Set Tunes Series is the largest online collection of piobaireachd in the world. We are grateful to him for his work.



This Years' Set Tunes
09 - "Lost Pibroch": Introduction to the Set Tunes Series 2009PDF
Aldearn, The Battle of (number 2)PDFMP3
Dead, Lament for thePDFMP3
Desperate Battle, ThePDFMP3
Harp Tree, Lament for thePDF
John Garbh MacLeod of Raasay's Lament (revised)PDFMP3
MacDonalds' Salute, The (revised)PDFMP3
MacDonald's Tutor, Lament for (revised)PDFMP3
MacIntosh's LamentPDFMP3
MacKays' Banner, ThePDFMP3
MacLeod of Colbecks, Lament for (revised)PDFMP3
MacLeod of MacLeod's LamentPDFMP3
MacRaes' March, ThePDFMP3
Nameless - Hiharin dro o droPDFMP3
Patrick Og MacCrimmon, Lament for (revised)PDFMP3
Tulloch ArdPDFMP3
Waternish, The Battle of (revised)PDFMP3


Previous Years' Set Tunes
08 - Dr. William Donaldson's Set Tunes 2008 Introduction: "What are the neighbours up to?"PDF
Bealach nam Brog, The Battle ofPDF
Beinn a' GhriainPDF
Bells of Perth, ThePDFMP3
Beloved ScotlandPDF
Black Donald's MarchPDF
Blind Piper's Obstinacy, ThePDFMP3
Boat Tune, ThePDF
Captain Donald MacKenzie, Lament forPDF
Captain MacDougall, Lament forPDFMP3
Castle MenziesPDFMP3
Catherine's LamentPDF
Children, Lament for thePDF
Chisholm's SalutePDFMP3
Clan Chattan's GatheringPDF
Clanranald's SalutePDF
Cluny MacPherson's SalutePDF
Corrienessan's SalutePDFMP3
CraigellachiePDF
Daughter's Lament, ThePDFMP3
Donald Ban MacCrimmon, Lament forPDF
Donald Gruamach's MarchPDF
Donald of Laggan, Lament forPDF
Duke of Atholl's Salute, ThePDFMP3
Duke of Hamilton, Lament for thePDFMP3
Duke of Hamilton, Lament for thePDF
Earl of Antrim, Lament for thePDFMP3
Earl of Ross's March, ThePDF
Earl of Seaforth's Salute, ThePDF
End of the Great Bridge, ThePDF
End of the Great Bridge, The (II)PDFMP3
Fair HoneyPDFMP3
Farewell to the Laird of IslayPDF
Finger Lock, ThePDF
Flame of Wrath for Patrick Caogach, APDF
Gathering of the MacNabs, ThePDF
Glen Is Mine, ThePDF
Glengarry's MarchPDF
Good Health To You, DonaldPDFMP3
Grain in Hides and Corn in SacksPDFMP3
Groat, ThePDFMP3
Hail To My CountryPDF
Hardie Pipes For Sale
Hector MacLean's WarningPDFMP3
His Father's Lament for Donald MacKenziePDF
I Am Proud To Play A PipePDFMP3
I Got a Kiss of the King's HandPDF
In Praise of MoragPDF
Introduction to the 2006 Set Tunes SeriesPDF
Isabel MacKayPDFMP3
John Garbh MacLeod of Raasay's LamentPDF
King's Taxes, ThePDFMP3
Lachlan MacNeill Campbell of Kintarbert's FancyPDFMP3
Lady Doyle's SalutePDFMP3
Lady Margaret MacDonald's SalutePDFMP3
Laird of Anapool, Lament for thePDFMP3
Lament for the Castle of DunyvegPDFMP3
Little Spree, ThePDF
Little Supper, Lament for thePDF
Lord Lovat's LamentPDFMP3
Lord MacDonald's LamentPDFMP3
MacCrimmon Will Never ReturnPDFMP3
MacCrimmon's SweetheartPDF
MacDonald of Kinlochmoidart's Lament (no. 1)PDFMP3
MacDonalds' Salute, ThePDF
MacDonald's Tutor, Lament forPDF
MacFarlanes' Gathering, ThePDF
MacGregor's Gathering/SalutePDFMP3
MacIntyres' Salute, ThePDF
MacKays' Banner, ThePDF
MacKays' Short Tune, ThePDFMP3
MacKenzie of Gairloch's LamentPDF
MacLeans' March, ThePDFMP3
MacLeod of Colbecks, Lament forPDF
MacLeod of MacLeod's LamentPDF
MacLeods' Controversy, ThePDF
MacLeods' Salute, ThePDF
MacNab's Salute, The ClanPDFMP3
MacNeill of Barra's MarchPDFMP3
MacSwan of Roaig, Lament for PDFMP3
March for a BeginnerPDF
Mary MacLeod, Lament forPDF
Mary's PraisePDF
Massacre of Glencoe, ThePDF
Melbank's SalutePDF
Mrs. MacLeod of Talisker's SalutePDF
My King Has Landed In MoidartPDFMP3
Nameless - Hiharin odin, hiharin droPDF
Nameless (cherede darievea)PDF
Old Men of the Shells, ThePDFMP3
Only Son, Lament for thePDFMP3
Park Piobaireachd #2, ThePDF
Park Piobaireachd, The #2 (II)PDFMP3
Pass of Crieff, The Battle of thePDF
Patrick Og MacCrimmon, Lament forPDF
Piper's Warning to His Master, ThePDF
Prince's Salute, ThePDFMP3
Prince's Salute, ThePDF
Red Speckled Bull, ThePDFMP3
Ronald MacDonald of Morar's LamentPDF
Rout of Glenfruin, ThePDF
Rout of the MacPhees, ThePDFMP3
Scarce of FishingPDF
Sobieski's SalutePDFMP3
Stewarts' White Banner, ThePDF
Stewarts' White Banner, The (II)PDFMP3
Strome, The Battle ofPDFMP3
Union, Lament for thePDFMP3
Unjust Incarceration, ThePDF
Vaunting, ThePDF
Viscount of Dundee, Lament forPDFMP3
Waternish, The Battle ofPDF
Weighing From LandPDFMP3
William Donaldson's Introduction to the 2005 Set Tunes SeriesPDF
William Donaldson's Introduction to the 2007 Set Tunes SeriesPDF
Young Laird of Dungallon's Salute, ThePDFMP3

February 9, 1883

George S. McLennan born, Edinburgh.

Keeping time off . . .

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Test your knowledge of factoids!

Take the skill-testing quiz!

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Solo competition and the drive to improve . . .

Your chance to tell us what you think about the whole solo piping and drumming thing . . .

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Limit yourself to only two big piping and drumming goals this year; write them down; revisit them; and check in December if you have achieved them.

Andrew Berhoff, Toronto