Editorial

Because the instrument is inherently unpitched, multi-award-winning pipe band drummer Scott Armit argues that there is no such thing as “flat” snares, and judging snare pitch based on how “cranked” a line is encourages homogeneity over artistry

If associations want to “further the art,” they might want to embrace and provide value for new and existing members who don’t want the pressures, time, and expense of competing. It could be a matter of their very survival.

Bill Livingstone, Andrew Berthoff, Lillian Livings …

Following the February 5th departure of Grade 1 Police Scotland& Federation’s Leading-Drummer David Henderson and several members of the band’s drum section to Grade 1 Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, we received the following open letter opinion piece from Police Scotland & Federation Pipe-Major Ewan Henderson.

No great artist achieved greatness by copying another artist. Indeed, art evolves and derives. The greatest artists are the risk-takers.

As the number of years lived run up, one becomes even more conscious of time running down. We’re determined to travel to those places we always wanted to see, read the books we’ve always planned to absorb, and appreciate the people we love more.

Grand altogether. Piping and drumming, like life i …

These souvenirs are just a reminder. They don’t change the fact that you were successful; they’re only admirable proof if anyone needs to be reminded.

Any association sanctioning a competition has the right to advise a competitor who they believe is entering the incorrect grade for their playing ability. What competition organizers have no right to do is re-grade a band, solo piper or drummer who is not a member of their association.

While the handover of power in a pipe band is rarely as cut-throat as what we see on TV, the lack of a cohesive and clear succession plan can bring disaster to a once-thriving and homogeneous family of pipers and drummers.

The contest that spotlights only the performances, not the judging, before, during or after the event occurs is invariably the most appealing to the contestants and the audience. All they remember is the good playing and the fair result.

The world of piping and drumming can be a strange and unusual place for non-piping/drumming parents of young kids who become involved with the art. As a child of a mother and father who knew nothing about the mysterious and exclusive club before allowing their boy to become involved, I now recognize how difficult it can be, even more so after teaching young pipers plunging into our pool of competition, decorum, and tradition.

“If they don’t understand flourishing, cannot perform flourishing, and are not experts at it, why do they think they have the qualifications to comment on it?”

I love merging two passions into a publication that gets daily positive feedback from readers and, judging from its ever-increasing readership, is appreciated by thousands daily.

The tiebreakers we use were made for a different era. Today, they make little sense, and, like so much in piping and drumming, they’re perpetually used either out of habit or sheer laziness.