StarBox: Brodie Watson-Massey lists Every. Single. Thing. in his pipe case(s)
Brodie Watson-Massey is just starting his competitive piping trek, but even at the age of only 22, he’s amassed a collection of prizes that would be the envy most much older solo pipers.
Originally from Edinburgh and now living in Glasgow, Watson-Massey’s first piping lessons were at George Heriot’s School, where he played in the school’s pipe band and served as pipe-major in his final year.
He was also a longtime member of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, and now plays with the Grade 1 Inveraray & District, with which he won the 2024 World Championship.
His top-flight instruction has helped propel him to the A-Grade CPA status in Piobaireachd and Light Music. He has received regular tuition from Colin MacLellan since 2017. In recent years, he has had instruction from Alasdair Henderson, Greig Canning, and Willie McIntyre.
His solo piping achievements include winning the 2024 Silver Medal and B-Grade overall at the 2024 Northern Meeting, the A-Grade MSR and A-Grade aggregate at the 2024 Scottish Piping Society of London competitions, and earning the overall Champion Piper trophy at the Atholl Gathering.
He won the 2023 Lochnell Invitational Championship, the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering in 2021, and the 2019 Pipe Idol Competition at Piping Live! in 2019.
Already in 2025, he’s won the SPA Open Piobaireachd and the Scots Guards Knockout Recital competitions. He has captured several prizes at the Inveraray Highland Games, one of the biggest solo contests apart from the major gatherings.
Okay, then, just what does this young piping whippersnapper cart around with him when he goes to Inveraray & District practices and competitions and solo contests?
In our ongoing series of StarBox features, we asked Brodie Watson-Massey to zip open his pipe case (or cases) to list every single thing he finds, and here are the goods:
Solo case
Case
- Custom Bagpipe Skin “Hedgehog” case – I really don’t like big pipe cases, so this one is the perfect size for me. I have my name embroidered on the handle so that I don’t lose it in the pub!
- Apple AirTag– also helps me not lose them.
- McCallum Ear Plugs
- Rain cover
Bagpipe
- 1905 Ivory African blackwood Henderson drones – I got my hands on these drones back in December 2022, and have been hooked ever since.
- Lee & Sons goatskin pipe bag (medium and tied on) – seasoned with MG seasoning. I recently made the switch from synthetic, as I was struggling with chanter reed moisture. This bag definitely suits me better.
- Ezeedrone Inverted Increased Absorption Bass
- Ezeedrone Increased Absorption Tenors
- Bannatyne Dri-Flows
- Tube water trap with Trap-Dri
- McCallum imitation ivory and nickel poly-lined blowpipe
- McCallum imitation ivory Split Stock
- R.G. Hardie corduroy bag cover
- Gold cords
Chanters
- Peter Henderson blackwood chanter with Colin MacLellan reed – I tend to alternate chanters quite a lot, but this is the one I’ve been playing for the last few months. I have also recently played an old Naill and Gandy, which are both very good.
- McCallum blackwood chanter with Colin MacLellan reed – my current spare chanter.
- Maverick “Titan” long practice chanter with Frazer Warnock reed – this was a birthday gift a few years ago and is great. Definitely would recommend Maverick chanters to anybody interested in a good quality/sounding practice chanter.
Maintenance
- Two black tapes
- PTFE tape
- Yellow unwaxed hemp
- Yellow waxed hemp
- Black waxed hemp
- Cobbler’s wax
- Beeswax
- Deburring tool
- Large cotton brush
- Small cotton Brush
Extras
- Thermo-hygrometer
- Captain John Maclellan Complete Compositions of Ceol Mor– I always like to take a copy of the music when playing 20th-century tunes.
- Manuscript for Angus Mackay setting of “Lord Lovat’s Lament” – also useful to take to contests.
- Big Bore blowpipe
- Scissors
- Paracetamol
- Colin Maclellan chanter reed – I have been using Colin’s chanter reeds since I started going to him for lessons in 2017.
- Reed tube
- Ayrshire Bagpipe Company bass reed
- Murray Henderson bass reed
- Ezeedrone bass reed
- Highland Reeds bass reed
- Four Ezeedrone tenor reeds
Band case
Case
Bagpipe
- 2017 David Naill silver and imitation ivory drones – I used to play these drones in solo contests up until 2022, but switched them over to the band when I got my Hendersons.
- Tudal Hervieux sheepskin bag – seasoned with MG seasoning.
- MG/G1 full cane – we are very lucky in IDPB to have players who work at MG and G1 and are happy to help!
- Tube water trap
- Big Bore blowpipe
- McCallum nickel Split Stock
- MacRae chanter stock
- IDPB bag cover
- Navy cords
Chanters
- Shephard MK2 with Chesney Copper reed
- McCallum standard imitation ivory practice chanter with Frazer Warnock reed
Maintenance
- Two black tapes
- Yellow unwaxed hemp
- Yellow waxed hemp
- Cobbler’s wax
- Beeswax
- Two large cotton brushes
- Small cotton brush
Extras
- Thermo-hygrometer
- Swiss Army knife
- Paracetamol and forehead stick for headaches
- Korg CA-50 tuner
- Murray Henderson bass
- Two Ezeedrone bass reeds
- Cane drone reeds from 2024 season
- Twelve cane bass reeds – this is embarrassing. These have all been played and ditched at some point for various reasons, but I’m keeping hold of them just in case!
- Eight cane tenors– not as many as the basses, but still a good collection.
Missing
- Water bottle – I usually take some water when I go to practice. I struggle to focus when I’m dehydrated.
- Snack – I tend to keep a high-calorie snack in my cases (usually peanuts). However, I must have eaten it and forgotten to replace it. There is nothing worse than trying to focus on a piobaireachd or band practice when you are starving!
Thanks to Brodie Watson-Massey for taking the time to inventory his pipe cases. Stay tuned to pipes|drums for our next StarBox feature from another of our leading lights.
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