Archive
Atrocious conditions, controversial format, questionable judging top of mind after August 14 event
Oban plays host to Highland Society of London Gold Medal
Power, Strathclyde tied first; Shotts manages third
World’s top players to converge on Inverness Sept. 8-9
[Originally published as an Editorial] Instead of the usual hard-hitting, insightful editorial on an aspect of piping and/or drumming worth debating, we thought we’d talk a little about one of our favourite subjects: Us. The Piper & Drummer, in its current style, has been published for almost 17 years. (And […]
Why is it that pipers and drummers traditionally rip off each other? We’re not talking about stealing instruments or kilts or reeds; we’re thinking of the disrespect we pay to each other when it comes to tunes, arrangements, and royalties. Pipers and drummers are generally eager—often overly so—simply to […]
[Originally published as an Editorial] There’s little doubt that the roots of the pipe band idiom grew originally from the military. When Highland pipers originally joined the Scottish regiments, it was only natural that they would eventually start playing together. It follows then that drummers would get involved, since organized […]
[Originally published as an Editorial] The rivalry between pipers and drummers has gone on, as far as we know, since pipers and drummers banded together around 1850. Cross-section banter in bands is generally light-hearted, everyone has a laugh, and the friendly rivalry continues. Sometimes, though, it gets old. The drummers’ […]
[Originally published as an Editorial] Medley competitions for pipe bands have been around for almost 30 years, yet they are still judged using the same basic criteria as those applied to March, Strathspey & Reels. In fact, they’re different things altogether, and they should be judged accordingly. Today’s creative medley […]
[Originally published as an Editorial] Most readers of the Piper & Drummer compete in piping, drumming, and pipe band events. Competition can make us see our world and our music in a critical light, making us perhaps too often too quick to judge in everything what’s good and what’s not, […]