Milennium predictions

[Originally published as an Editorial]

Since this issue of the Piper & Drummer is the last of this century, it’s fitting that we should try to put things into some kind of perspective.

The 20th century, without doubt, was the greatest ever for piping and drumming. Never has so much been achieved for the bagpipe and pipe band drums by so many over the last hundred years.

And we owe almost all of it to technology. Technology has brought pipers and drummers together. Technology has made it possible for piping to thrive world wide. Technology has allowed there to be a world standard of excellence for our instruments. Technology has allowed the Piper & Drummer to be feasible.

Looking back to the 19th century we can see just how far we’ve come. When the great piper D.C. Mather immigrated to Montana at the turn of the century he found himself smack dab in a piping wasteland with hardly a decent piper to found for a thousand miles. A hundred years later even Montana boasts pipers capable of playing a good “Loch Carron.” If he were here today, Mather would be astounded at the world piping community.

In this issue we take a good look at the last hundred years and try to envision the future. We assembled a panel of five experts with unique insights on the history of piping and drumming. Through the power of the Internet, we also asked the world of pipers and drummers for their views at the end of the millennium.

Our predictions for piping and drumming in the 21st century: