The world's premier pipers will once again converge on Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, Scotland, for the annual Northern Meeting Piping Competitions on Thursday, September 3rd, and Friday, September 4th.
The two highlight piobaireachd events are the second of the Highland Society of London's Gold Medal competitions and the Clasp, reserved for previous winners of the Gold Medal.
Last week at the Northern Meeting's sister competition, the Argyllshire Gathering at Oban, Alastair Dunn of Glasgow won the Gold Medal, while Angus MacColl of Benderloch, Scotland, took home the Senior Piobaireachd, a contest reserved for winners of either of the two Gold Medals.
Entry to the Gold Medal events is restricted to a maximum of 30 pipers. The Competing Pipers Association's Silver Medal competition accepts 35 pipers. Competitors must submit tunes from a set list determined each year by the Piobaireachd Society
This year the Highland Society of London's Gold Medal, the CPA Silver Medal, the RSPS Silver Star Former Winners MSR and the A-Grade MSR will be on Thursday. The Clasp, the A-Grade Hornpipe & Jig and the B-Grade light music events will take place on Friday.
Willie McCallum of Bearsden, Scotland, will be competing in the Clasp, the only major piping prize that he has not yet won.
Stay tuned to pipes|drums for results from the 2009 Northern Meeting as they are announced.
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Quality reed selection is a pre-requisite to obtaining a good tone in a pipe corps. Four criteria to consider when testing reeds are balance, vibrancy, volume and strength. Check the High A Low A balance against a single sounding tenor drone - if these two notes are in the ballpark chances are the rest of the notes can be tuned.
