The third in our series of performances by Grade 1 pipe band leaders features Pipe-Major Doug MacRae and Leading-Drummer Drew Duthart of the 78th Fraser Highlanders. MacRae and Duthart were one of the four duos who played at the annual Pipes+Drums Recital at the 2012 Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping. The two were joined by bass drummer Johnny Rowe and tenor drummer Matt Bellia, providing an mini-band effect. The Pipes+Drums recitals are designed to showcase the talents of the leaders of the world’s top pipe bands, with . . .
The April 1, 2013, amalgamation of the eight existing Scottish police forces into a single “Police Scotland,” and the Strathclyde Police, most famous and successful police pipe band in the world, will remain intact, but under a new name. Strathclyde Police Pipe Band spokesman Iain MacPherson said that the new name for the band has . . .
Angus Clarke of the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band of Pitlochry, Scotland, pays tribute to the memory of one of the band’s most dedicated and celebrated members, who died on January 19th at the age of 75. Ian Cramb was the band’s president and the father of its Pipe-Major, Adrian Cramb. Gus Clarke will deliver this appreciation at Cramb’s funeral on January 25th.
With a never before published photograph of the composer, Jim McGillivray continues his exclusive series with John MacColl’s classic, ” Arthur Bignold of Lochrosque,” one of the greatest marches composed by perhaps the greatest march-creator in history. Subscribers to pipes|drums can see images of MacColl and the Loch Rosque estate, and enjoy instructional scores and sound files of McGillivray on the Deger pipe, as well as the actual manuscript of “Arthur Bignold” written by MacColl’s own hand.
Turikina is a small farming settlement approximately two hours north of Wellington with a population of around 250. It has been holding an annual Highland games since 1864 and remains a favourite on the New Zealand solo piping calendar as one of the few traditional outdoor games. This year’s event was held in brilliant sunshine with large crowds and good fields in all of the piping grades. Results of the Open solo piping were mixed, with a different winner of each event . . .
The Highland piping innovator Colin Winstanley of St. Annes-on-Sea, England, passed away suddenly on December 8, 2012, of a suspected heart attack. He was 70 years old. While his creations were many, Winstanley was best known as the creator of the Universal Blowpipe, a clever ball-and-socket solution for pipers who […]