Updated: Senior Set Tunes reduced

The Piobaireachd Society has altered the requirement for competitors in the senior piobaireachd events at the Northern Meeting and Argyllshire Gathering, reducing the number of tune combinations from four to three.

“After due discussion we have decided to change the set tune requirements for this year from four pairs of tunes to three pairs of tunes,” said Piobaireachd Society President Jack Taylor. “”It wasn’t by competitor’s request.  There were some  withdrawals last year, when tunes were relatively well known.  The competition organizers understandably didn’t like this.  We realized that memorization of some of the tunes this year was difficult and we thought that this might reduce entries,  or that  players  would enter then  withdraw nearer the time, or  withdraw on the day  when they were given their tune choice.”  

The organization made the unprecedented move to require competitors in the Clasp at Inverness  and Senior Piobaireachd at Oban to submit set combinations of shorter tunes, each pair to be played consecutively with a short tuning break, if needed, between. There are eight pairs of tunes from which to choose.

In the past the organization has responded to competitors’ requests to reduce the number of tunes to be submitted when there is substantial appeal.