Archive
Cameron MacDougall of Orange, New Jersey, was the aggregate winner of the top solo piping events at the 22nd running of the Winter Storm solo piping and drumming competitions, held at the Marriott Hotel, Country Club Plaza.
In his latest piece, Jones explores the use of “Off-Beat Lift,” an ensemble effect in MSR music that he argues can be a powerful and positive differentiator for pipe bands at any level.
The worldwide focus on the education and regeneration of new pipers and drummers is intensifying in New Zealand right in the middle of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands Association competition season, with a call for applicants to the National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand. Pipers and drummers younger […]
In addition to their regularly scheduled first meeting of the year on January 11th, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association held a full-day training session for its Board of Directors, covering duties when attending competitions and legal responsibilities as a Charity Trustee and Company Director. RSPBA Vice Chair Stewart Orr […]
The Competition League for Adult Solo Pipers (CLASP) held its first contest of the year, an in-person event at the National Piping Centre’s Otago Street premises, in which Owain Woodman Carr, Anthony Kelly and Arthur Bass had the overall best days in Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3 events.
In an effort to expedite Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association accreditation for non-UK pipers and drummers who are on the judging panels of the world’s recognized associations but still actively competing, the RSPBA has created an “Overseas Attached Adjudicator” category. Accepted applicants for the program will have to complete the […]
He was a leader who set an example. Much could be learned in 1993 from simply watching him work and listening carefully to his words, and much can still be learned today and in years to come from our interview.
Following a failed two-year search for a suitable leading-drummer, the Grade 1 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) have decided not to compete in 2026, unless “something miraculous” happens in the next few weeks. One of only three Grade 1 bands in Canada, the Nova Scotia-based group is likely on competition hiatus […]
We revisit our exclusive conversation conducted with the legendary piper and pipe-major in his first year after retiring from competition.
The accomplished Scottish-American piper Iain Macey passed away at the age of 70 on December 22, 2025, following an illness.
We mourn the pipers, drummers and enthusiasts who sadly left us in 2025, leaders of and contributors to the art and the piping and drumming community who passed away last year.
It took a community to help pipes|drums deliver more than 400 articles to you in 2025, with no fewer than 135 supporters who willingly provided their insights throughout the year. The publication is what it is because of so many from around the world who are willing to share their […]
The name “Peter R. MacLeod” might not be among the first to come to mind when thinking of the greatest composers of Highland pipe music, but Connor Jardine, Cameron May, and Dan Nevans are out to change that. The three Scotland-based pipers are putting together the inaugural Peter MacLeod Memorial […]
Warm temperatures with intermittent rain covered the 153rd annual Waipu Highland Games in the tranquil beachside settlement at the northern end of New Zealand’s North Island, where Piers Dover of Christchurch won the aggregate in the A-Grade solo piping.
The pipes|drums New Year’s Honours celebrate 25 years in 2025, and this year was perhaps the most bountiful yet for the depth of nominees in eight award categories. The piping and drumming world continues to build and progress. The standard of performance again reached new highs; the large number of […]
The Kirkwall City Pipe Band of Orkney is celebrating the success of two of their finest members, after Raymond “Raymie” Peace and Andrew “Andy” Cant were each awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for their services to piping, culture and the Orkney community. “I am absolutely delighted and very proud […]