PT Excerpts From April 2005

From April’s news story on the Northern Meeting.....“Aviemore is a 30 minute drive from Inverness, 45 from the airport, about two hours from Aberdeen or Edinburgh and not much more from Glasgow. Aviemore railway station provides main links to Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.   “The main competition events will be held in the new 650 seat auditorium. Other events will be held in the adjoining hotel, and the junior events will be held in the adjacent Four Seasons Hotel. There is adequate car parking within the pleasant and scenic surroundings of the Centre.....”

From this month’s ‘Be A Better Piper’ column.....“Added to all of this we must recognise that marches vary one to the other. Some may have an idiosyncratic phrase or passage which requires special treatment. Seek advice from a professional piper if the piece you are working on is causing difficulty in this regard. If you are making an early foray into 2/4 march playing it would be as well to start with the simplest tune you can find, Highland Laddie would do….

From the review of the Celtic Connections concert by Fred Morrison.....“This involved the four pipers, the traditional musicians and the full orchestra playing the taorluath and crunluath doublings, although for my taste, there was a little too much going on at once here, followed by a return to the ground and a vocal keening over the deaths of the children.Later movements included some lively jigs, reels and hornpipes, celebrating the flourishing of traditional music in the present day. On the whole ‘Paracas’ was an impressive piece of music and well worthy of future performances.....

PT Excerpts From March 2005

“There has been a deluge of new music publications swamping the bookshelves in the past few years. They have been encouraged by relatively cheap production costs and computer-based music writing software. Some of the tunes leave a lot to be desired but we should not discourage today’s scribes. It really is extremely difficult to come with something original when all you have to play with are nine notes, three pentatonic scales and a sprinkling of musical modes.....

Hugh MacCallum on ‘Piping Galore’.....“The late Pipe Major Robert Reid said on one occasion: ‘Don’t forget that the music of the great pipe can give us pain as well as pleasure!’ On this occasion it was more pain than pleasure. It is time to take cognisance of his words, or the standards passed on to us by our thorough and conscien­tious teachers will inevitably start to slide.....’

From our article on GS McLennan.....“George was a sickly child, unable to walk until the age of four and a half, but began to learn piping from his father when aged four. He had additional tuition from his maternal uncle P/M John Stewart and later had tuition from John MacDougall Gillies. By the age of nine George was winning prizes in amateur competitions and Queen Victoria on hearing of ‘this marvellous boy’ now aged ten, asked that he come to Balmoral and play for her.....”

PT Excerpts From February 2005

’All Scottish regiments, as expected, will be amalgamated into one super regiment the Royal Regiment of Scotland with the existing regimental names, and traditions being retained at battalion strength. There is to be a new cap badge and all but one of the regimental tartans will go - the new regiment will wear the Black Watch, or government tartan....'    

From  our letters special on the controversial ‘Piping Galore’ programme..... ‘Nearer home the annual ‘Blazing in Beauly’ tuition courses for pipes, fiddle and accordion ends with a traditional concert. At the interval when I asked one of the fiddle maestros Iain MacFarlane, Glenfinnan, why nearly everything has to be played so fast he replied ‘they like it that way’. Who ‘they’ were or are was never fully established. The spot-on phrase coined by the Editor ‘kitschen piping’ should now be enshrined in the piob mhor vernacular for all time….’  

From our article on ‘Scotland the Brave' ..... ‘The song version of Scotland the Brave has also captured the imagination of music lovers worldwide.  This may well be the catalyst for the many requests the piper gets to play the tune.  There are those who believe the song came first and pipers adapted the song for the bagpipes; until recently the writer was one of these.…’

PT Excerpts for January 2005

From January’s Editorial on the controversial ‘Piping Galore’ television programme:‘….Then we had a perfectly decent chap spouting off about the lack of rhythm in competitive piping and how piobaireachd had lost its soul when we doubt if anyone has ever heard him play a piece of ceol mor in anger or seen him
at a competition major or minor….’

From our interesting story on King Edward VIII’s bagpipe….‘ When King Edward left Buckingham Palace to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson he
left the pipes with P/M MacDonald for ‘safe keeping’. Over the many decades following P/M MacDonald at no time said that they belonged to him though he played them regularly and competed with them…’

From our report on the Glenfiddich competition:‘…The only criticisms I heard were on the time taken by some pipers in tuning. One listener remarked that despite all the modern innovations of bags, reeds and moisture control devices tuning now takes even longer than in the past. It was generally felt that 10 or 12 minutes tuning before
playing a march, strathspey and reel was excessive…’

PT Excerpts for December 2004

From December’s Editorial celebrating 60 years of the College:
‘Without the College there would have been no Piping Times, the most widely read and authoritative of all the piping magazines, still the market leader and the greatest repository of piping knowledge in the history of the universe - and that’s without indulging in hyperbole………’

From David Murray’s My Month column:
‘When Johnny MacKenzie took up post as Pipe Major at Dunblane he found that the Commandant, a retired Brigadier, was in the habit of attending full band practices to put forward his own views and suggestions. The first time this happened, Johnny stopped him in his tracks. ‘Look, sir, why don’t we come to an arrangement? You look after the brigadiering and I’ll look after the pipe
majoring, and then we’ll get along fine!……..’

From this month’s ‘Be A Better Piper’ column on memory lapses:
‘The solution lies in a small manuscript book approximately 3¾” square. It has a canvas cover on which is written in fading ink the inscription ‘Pipe Music, Alex Morrison, 482 St George’s Road, Glasgow’. Who Mr Morrison was or how his small book came to be in John MacColl’s possession we know not but if anyone can enlighten us please get in touch…….’

PT Excerpts from November 2004:

From Hugh Cheape's report on the Donald MacDonald bagpipe: "This must now be a very rare surviving instrument by MacDonald (1767-1840) the Skye man and Edinburgh bagpipe maker, made possibly as early as 1800, and bearing the tradition from its former owners in Canada of having been played at Waterloo. An instrument, even a chanter, by this maker is now a comparatively rare ‘discovery’ and, in this case in a complete and obviously little played state, it would seem an almost unique survival..."

From our report on the Northern Mtg. Silver Medal Andrew Wright writes: "This competition was well up to the standard of similar events in recent years. Thirty- one competitors played with only one breaking down. Of the set tunes Melbank’s Salute could be considered the most technically demanding. It is of basic melody and its beauty lies in its simplicity. If well played it can be very effective...."

From our Obituary column: "Frank MacKinnon, piper, piping judge and administrator, died on July 28 th, 2004, at Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington, New Zealand. A large gathering of family and friends and the New Zealand Piping and pipe band community gathered at St John’s Presbyterian Church for the funeral service later. Piping duties were carried out by Robert Loan and the City of Wellington Pipe Band. We are grateful to Comunn na Piobaireachd NZ, for this tribute...."

PT Excerpts from Oct 2004

From our report on the Argyllshire Gathering: "Iain [MacFadyen] also stated that from the judges and the audience point of view he felt it would be better if the list of set tunes was widened to provide more variety of listening. Four tunes from six was not enough to sustain interest over a long competition with almost thirty entrants the majority of whom selected similar pieces. Some tunes were heard six times in the day...."

From our preview of the London competition: "I [Roger Huth] started to get nervous when Donald offered me Vice Presidency of the Society. This was dangerous ground for me and smelled of responsibility. But when I started to think of the status and the strong names that had held the Society together through thick and thin in their various roles - Gordon Speirs, David Ross, Jim & Anna Caution, John Shone, JB Robertson - let alone the current Committee, I felt my hand reaching for the baton......."

From David Murray's 'My Month' column: "The current recruiting difficulties have led to a chronic shortage of men in the battalions. With the heavy commitments that now come the way of the infantry, piping has to take second place. Scottish battalions deployed abroad now have to be made up to strength with men attached from other units. Some contain whole companies of Gurkhas. Fijians are also recruited. Pipers and drummers now find themselves employed as what used to be called 'dutymen', either on guard, washing down vehicles in the vehicle park, training for the next operation, or on one of the thousand other military chores that simply swallow up men........."

PT Excerpts from Sept 2004

Dugald MacNeill on the Silver Chanter competition/recital......
"Judging such an event with each performance of such a high standard is the rather difficult task which fell to Gavin Stoddart. It always seems a pity that we have to have a winner on such an evening, but it was ever thus in piping, and indeed the reason for the original silver chanter made available by the fairies, as legend would have it, was to allow a young MacCrimmon to be the best piper. We therefore sat with our critical antennae fully extended, listening for the slightest tiny fault....."

Robert Wallace on this year World Pipe Band Championships...
"In the end there really was no more than a cigarette paper between the top three bands Field Marshal, Shotts and Simon Fraser. But before we get to the performances, one thought occurs; isn't it time the RSPBA disallowed prizewinners from playing their winning pieces in subsequent years? Like me I am sure the crowd was sick to death of hearing Highland Wedding, Lord Alexander Kennedy, MacAllister's Dirk and other pipe band staples. A simple rule change forcing the top bands to learn new MSRs, would entertain the
crowd better and perhaps give lesser bands a chance of creating an
upset...."

Joe Wilson on JB Robertson, Banff, and GS MacLennan:......
"I would think that the tunes taught by Robertson would have been those most favoured by MacLennan whom he held in the highest regard - a genius he would say - a brilliant performer and equally brilliant composer. Robertson spoke of how he and his piping colleagues in the army would listen outside the door of the pipers' practice room as MacLennan would be playing and of the arrangement they had for the better players to note particular parts of any new tune being played but, he said, MacLennan got fly for it and when he repeated the part of the tune, or repeated the tune, he would change the melody around to frustrate their attempts at recording it on paper...."

PT Excerpts from August 2004

From the report on the John MacColl archive….
David Mooney said: “When I got the phone call I agreed to go over and have a look at what my friend had found. I hadn’t very high hopes but realised immediately the importance of what he was showing me. It is frightening to think that but for his good sense it would all have ended up in the incinerator….”

The Analysis column on the appoggiatura…..
“They take the accent and part of the value of the notes they precede. Where the note is a crotchet they take half the time value, where a dotted quaver they take 2/3. So the crotchet is in practice a quaver and the dotted quaver is only a semi-quaver. The long grace notes could be written as ground notes but this is not advisable seeing they play no part in the variations…..”

Angus J MacLellan on Flora MacNeill’s death……….
“No one gave more of their time and skills to the Piping and Highland Associations in Glasgow and I trust she got much enjoyment in return for all her bard work. She made friends easily and had a wide circle of friends both at home and abroad, especially in Australia. It was never a surprise to meet some of them with Flora and learn they were staying with her during their visit to Glasgow.

PT Excerpts from July 2004:

From July's Editorial on the new 'Piping Hot' festival..........
The organisers of the Worlds, the RSPBA, could be forgiven for being just a tad miffed at the way things have unfolded. After all why is the city thronging with bandspeople during the week in question? ; because of the competition on the Saturday. Why are funders so willing to support the festival? ; because they know how much the championships are worth to the local economy (circa £1m at the last count). We hope the ‘Piping Hot’ festival can survive in the long term .......

From Norman MacLean's meeting with P/M John MacDonald.......
The great one interrupted my reverie with a snap of his big fingers. “Norman,” he intoned in beautifully modulated South Uist Gaelic, “I will teach you ceòl mòr. Allow me to guide you. You may even play my pipe at the competitions and I myself will accompany you to these competitions in order that I may set up and tune the instrument. Can’t have you displaying yourself in public with a cocuswood set of Grainger and Campbell drones.”

From David Murray's piece on the new Reid CD...
The tapes seem to have been recorded in early sixties, when the pitch of the pipe chanter was lower than what we have become accustomed to hearing. To me, it has its own charm and gives a resonance and wistfulness to the great music lacking these days. I have often wondered why Reid directed that his manuscripts and other pieces of piping memorabilia were to be destroyed. I have my own theory but it can only be conjecture. I had of course no idea that I was being trained in the Cameron style. Willie Ross was too tactful a teacher to criticise openly what Robert Reid had taught me.................

PT Excerpts from May 2004:

From the story on the Robert Reid archive: "The Reid family has done an immense service to piping in making his recordings available to us....The quality is such that I am sure the music is a true reflection of this marvellous piper's playing and teaching."

From the College Museum special offer: "....The limited edition posters make an ideal atmosphere builder for piping room or practice area. They are only for sale as a pair and cost £5 ($8)

From an Analysis column by Norman Matheson: "The topic of playing breabach variations was dealt in a consummate way by James Campbell in a paper given in 1986 at the Piobaireachd Society Conference. To summarise, with regard to the taorluath breabach, there was an irreconcilable conflict of authority...."

PT Excerpts from April 2004 issue:

From an interview with Pricipal Robert Wallace and in answer to a question regarding differences between the College of Piping and the Piping Centre: "I think it would be more apt to direct this sort of question to the Centre rather than ourselves. Remember we have been established for 60 years....."

From the Editorial on the lack of coverage of piping by BBC Scotland television: "Thirty thousand people flock to Glasgow each August for the World Pipe Band Championships and hundreds to the main solo competitions and that interest is manifold among those who cannot attend. Television coverage of any of this: nil....."

From our latest Analysis column: "Piobaireachd is such a rich music that even when it is written to guide the 'reader' towards a semblance of the tune there are still more than enough other nuances and things to learn......"

PT Excerpts from March 2004 issue

From the Editorial: "Too many prizes are going to performances riddled with sterile perfection. The immaculate pipe, the impeccable finger, the dot-by-dot adherence to the printed score and bingo! You're in. Music is taking a back seat. Not all judges are guilty of course, but we remember many fine tunes and sets of tunes condemned because of a minor slip, a wrong note, a missed taorluath, when the expression and the fact that an attempt was made at it, went unrewarded...."

From Brett Tidswell's piece on how to beat those nerves: "Imagine the hall you are to play in, the audience, how you want to feel, what your instrument will sound like, and finally how you are going to play. This can be refined depending on what you want to achieve, for example, I would imagine playing A Flame of Wrath quite aggressively compared to MacCrimmon's Sweetheart which would be much more sedate. Similarly your frame of mind during the performance of a strathspey or reel would be quite different than when you play a slow air for example. The basics of the performance are similar, but the frame of mind you are in changes slightly, hopefully enhancing the expression and feel of the performance...."

From David Murray insight piece on piping in the Irish Regiments: "But it is impossible to generalise. I have photographs that show the warpipe being played with the Brian Boru chanter. In 1948, the three Irish regiments were formed into the North Irish Brigade. The Royal Ulster Rifles took up the warpipe and a collection of Irish music for the warpipe was formed and published regimentally. A School of Piping was established at Omagh with courses for young pipers and Pipe Majors. Considerable emphasis was laid on the importance of promoting Irish pipe music without trespassing on to Scottish territory, but it was conceded that strathspeys might have to be played in a massed band. The three regiments were later amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers and Standard Settings for that regiment were published in 1975. It is to the credit of the regiment that 'The Dagshai Hills' appeared under its correct name...."

PT Excerpts from Feburary 2004

From February's Editorial: ..."There is a proposal before the AGM of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association that the Grade One World Championships be held over two days, the first for a qualifying event and the second for a final. We think this should be adopted. At the moment overseas bands placed in the previous year’s Worlds’ top six go straight into the final along with home bands that have done well in the major championships prior to the Worlds. The remainder have to play in a qualifier on the morning of the final. If they make it through they are unlikely to place high up the list. There are two reasons......."

From David Murray's 'My Month' column:.... "Many of these modern day pipers are including bellows piping in their endeavours and the proliferation in the numbers and types of warm and ‘cold wind’ bagpipes now being played -and played well - is one of the wonders of the modern folk world. They turn up all over the place. No folk evening is complete without a contribution from the bellows pipes, be they Small, Border, Northumbrian, Uillean or whatever. And the mammoth pipers’ ceilidh following a long days’ listening on the bench or even in the audience can begin to pall on the most devoted lover of the great Highland bagpipe unless interspersed with a couple of good players on a bellows instrument...."

From Robert Wallace's article on Robert Hardie....."Before we leave the subject of piobaireachd I should say that although he was schooled by Reid, I never once heard Bob Hardie say that he thought the Cameron style in any way superior to that of John MacDonald. He had the Cameron style alright, the pause before the cadence Es, the short E introductions to the Bells of Perth, Cille Chriosd and others, and the passage and phrase approach to expression. But as far as he was concerned, that all sat pretty well with what the other ‘school’ was doing and this would be reinforced by the reputation he gained in later life of being one of the fairest judges on the circuit....."

PT Excerpts from January 2004

From an Editorial on the loss of James Campbell:….
"…..at no time did James adopt a defence or prosecution based on emotion or some skewed idea that he must, at all cost, defend the family reputation. As you would expect from a barrister and expert in law, his was a case meticulously prepared, measured, logical and powerful in its understatement….."

From the report on the Glenfiddich Championship….
"…..The quickest tuners in the piobaireachd were Jack Lee and Alasdair Gillies with four minutes each and the longest time taken was Chris Armstrong with nine minutes closely followed by Willie McCallum with eight minutes and Gordon Walker with seven. Most of the pipers took five or six minutes…."

From the latest instalment on the psychology of competing…
"…..It is often the case at a high level, that very little separates performers. A psychological advantage can often make the difference between a mediocre effort and a top grade performance. When competing this can often be the difference between those in the prize list and those who miss out…."

PT Excerpts from Dec 2003:

John Shone on the London Championships: "Another criticism of the London team was that the Society bears the name 'The Scottish Piping Society of London' and yet southern pipers without a northern track record around the games cannot take part"

Keith Sanger on the early origins of the pipe band: "The exact origins of the pipe band comprising pipe and drum corps is still to be determined but the following entry from the Edinburgh Courant of the 3rd Nopvember 1803 provides at least one firm reference point....:

From December's Editorial: "Perhaps the Victorians had it right after all. In this harsh world as in theirs, it is necessary to indulge in some harmless sentimentality from time to time. ..."

PT Excerpts from Nov 2003:

Speaker Michael Martin at the College Official Openingand recalling his first visit to the College...."What struck me was the friendly way I was given encouragement. Whether I was a Gold Medallist or the most basic learner I fwelt I would have been treated the same way."

From November's Editorial, a tribute to the patrons of pipjng and one man in particular: "And now to cap it all he has come to the recue of the London Champinship and the Bratach Gorm, guaranteeing the future of what was a struggling event....."

PT Excerpts October 2003:

From a hard hitting Editorial on the decision to set MacArthur tunes for Oban and Inverness: “Soundings taken in the Royal Hotel, Oban, and at the Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, confirm our own view that MacArthur tunes played strictly as written are murder to listen to. The audience at both venues voted with their feet. One or two tunes were as much as most could take. People simply could not stand listening to them. And no wonder…….”

Margaret Houlihan on making history at Oban, 2003:
“I was shocked when the result was announced. I knew I had played well but you never know how it is going to go. My tunes were John Roy Stewart and the Grey Bob once through. Maybe some people were surprised at a woman winning because we can sometimes be let down by our pipes. But all the women playing today have good instruments….”

Writer Lloyd McCaffrey on stabilising cane reeds:
“After using this treatment for a number of years in my sculpture, I decided to try it on cane pipe reeds. Of course, there is nothing new in this basic idea. I have heard of a number of treatments involving oiling cane before it is made into reeds, for example. But I think there may be something here that pipers can benefit from….”

PT Excerpts September 2003:

From the report on Skye: After a number of years in the doldrums the annual Skye Gathering is now fully restored to its former position as the number three open competition in the solo piping calendar.
This year's event saw a very large entry and an extremely high standard of performance. Most of the top players in the country, and quite a few notables from overseas, attended.."

From David Murray's column on WW1 piping heroes:
"The Highland bagpipe shares several characteristics with 'conventional’ instruments. It can make people laugh; or weep; or dance; or sing. But it possesses one unique characteristic, shared with no other. It can make men brave."

From our report on the Worlds: "The World Pipe Band Championship has returned to Scotland for the first time in three years. House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead surprised the pundits by lifting the coveted trophy by two clear points at Glasgow Green last month"

PT Excerpts August 2003:

From our News pages: "The Educational Institute of Scotland has conferred its highest award, an Honorary Fellowship degree, on one of the country's finest pipers and teachers Iain MacFadyen, Kyle.
The honour was presented at a special ceremony in the City Hall, Perth. It is the first time the award has gone to a piping instructor. As a professional body the EIS represents teachers throughout the country. Its Fellowship is granted under the auspices of a Royal Charter. Iain's name was put forward by fellow teachers in the Highland Council area. Iain was honoured for his success in producing outstanding pupils, his style of teaching, his dedication, and his patience...."

From David Murray's 'My Month' col.: "After the war, Rothiemurchus returned to the law and in due course became Sheriff of Inverness He also rose to command the Lovat Scouts. When Willie Ross left the Scots Guards in 1919. Rothiemurchus persuaded him to join as Pipe Major, so from being a Pipe Major in the Scots Guards Willie became a part time sergeant in the Territorial Army. Who was
doing whom the favour is an open question! ...."

From our Be A Better Piper col:..."Many players fail to perform at their peak in front of an audience due to the distractions around them or those created in their own mind. Many performances also fall down when preparation is lacking. The most confident of performers will not play at their best on a poorly maintained instrument, or when their performance is inadequately prepared and rehearsed. On the other hand a well rehearsed performance on an immaculate instrument can crumble, due to the performer being nervous or
inexperienced. Let's take a look at some of the basics of putting together a performance both physically and mentally...."

PT Excerpts July 03:

July's Editorial on the forthcoming International Pipe Band conference:"Their agenda will no doubt be concerned with unifying qualification standards for judges, playing requirements for bands and grading criteria. All very worthy stuff but an opportunity will be lost if they do not address the agenda most concerning that another important grouping within the pipe band world, the listening public.
First, it is time to end the hideous practice of performing musicians turning their backs on their audience and eye-balling each other instead of those they are meant to be entertaining.."

From a report on London's Bratach Gorm competition:.."Pipers will have to submit a CPA membership number before their entry form will be accepted. London has been under pressure since last year when the competition was criticised for lapses in organisation. The CPA decision follows the announcement last month that Glenfiddich whisky and their former chairman Sandy Grant Gordon are to be the main sponsors of what is one of our most prestigious competitions."

From David Murray's 'My Month' column:"With the maestro Robert Reid, pointing in strathspeys and reels was everything. On the strong and medium beat there was a definite and detectable pause. The corollary was that the tempo had to be strictly controlled. Each tune was approached and assessed as a separate piece of music. The Ewe wi' the Crookit Horn was subtly different from The Shepherd's Crook which in turn differed from Tullochgorum. The first beat of the
reel was held, for instance in Pretty Marion and Mrs Macpherson and the tempo gradually accelerated over the initial four bars."

PT Excerpts

Andrew Wright's detailed analysis of this year's Gold Medal tunes: " Nowadays lists of set tunes for competitions are awaited by a large number of people well outside the immediate circle of competitors and judges. These enthusiasts are no longer content to turn up at Oban and Inverness and just listen to what is played. There is a thirst for knowledge on the background and structure of the set tunes and this year's Senior competitions will have much to kindle this interest."

From our tribute to Dr John MacAskill: " There occasionally appears--once or twice in every decade--one who is larger than life, destined to become a legend in an early part of his lifetime. Such is this year's Northern Meeting Gold Medallist Dr. John N. MacAskill. When the winner was announced, men of discernment looked for ways to escape, men of experience prepared to batten down the hatches, and men of neither are still wondering what happened. But everybody was delighted that to the roll of the immortals added a name which will shine and sparkle with the best.."

From our June Editorial on the fortunes of the Piobaireachd Society: ".The majority of the membership may be past their prime, but the Society as a body is clearly in the rudest of rude health, a fact underlined at the AGM where the treasurer's balance sheet showed a tight ship, all sails trimmed, proceeding full steam ahead Bristol fashion, (nothing like a good mixed metaphor is there?), despite the turbulent waters of world stock markets.."

From our report on the new collection Binneas is Boreraig:
"The 'Binneas is Boreraig' books represent the playing of one particular piper, Malcolm Macpherson, born 1907, died 1965. Other collections of piobaireachd are not intended to show how one particular man played the tunes, rather they indicate approximately how the tunes were played by a certain group of pipers. These collections are written in strictly barred notation and are intended only to be an aid to the memory for learner pipers,
or for master pipers who in later years may have perhaps forgotten the order of phrases. 'Binneas is Boreraig' is written in phrases, without bar lines, because this is intended to show, as accurately as possible, the way Malcolm Macpherson himself actually played the tunes. As a result it is much easier for someone learning a piobaireachd to figure out an interpretation of the notes.

From our history of the Piobaireachd Society and the part it played in the formation of the Army School of Piping:"The first official course began in October 1910 at Cameron Barracks in Inverness with John MacDonald as the tutor. The War Office paid for three men to attend and the Piobaireachd Society paid for another three and added £20
to the £40 provided by the War Office for John MacDonald’s salary. Five classes were held before the outbreak of the First World War. The last pre-war class moved in January 1914 to Edinburgh Castle where better accommodation was available, with the Society providing all the teaching equipment. In August of that year John MacDonald was ordered to join his battalion and the class was suspended"

Be a Better Piper on Pipe Bags: "The proliferation of different types of pipe bags these days has left many pipers scratching their heads in bewilderment such is the choice before them. If you are thinking of replacing your bag then the first thing to remember before shelling out your hard-earned is to buy something that works for you. Don't change a successful combination unless you really need to."

From our report on the disciplin of judges: "The Committee shall have power to discipline judges, including the power to suspend temporarily or to remove judges from the list of judges. The Chairman shall have power to suspend a judge temporarily, as an interim measure, if he considers the circumstances so require. A judge shall not be removed from the list unless he is given written notice of the complaint made against him and the opportunity to respond in writing within 28 days or, if he wishes, to attend a meeting of the Committee to be heard."

From our History of the Piobaireachd Society: "..... The following week David Glen wrote to say that his book was better than General Thomason’s and he could supply any tune from his 'Ancient Piobaireachd' at one shilling or, in book form, 12 to 15 tunes for four shillings, and would supply quantities to the Society at reduced prices for distribution to their members.On October 3rd David Glen placed an advertisement saying:‘The Piobaireachd Society of Scotland. Those intending to compete for the prizes offered for the correction of 'Ceol Mor' should purchase David Glen’s Ancient Piobaireachd which will make their work easy. "

From April's Editorial on the state of piping in the Army: ".... Though still capable of spectacular ceremonial success such as the Queen Mother's funeral, we worry that at heart Army piping is in danger of slipping into the ranks of the 'walking wounded'. There is evidence to justify our anxiety. If we discount Gordon Walker who has just re-enlisted as a Territorial Army pipe major, there is not, for the first time since three drones were hoisted onto the shoulder of a British squaddie, a Gold Medallist playing bagpipes in the British Army "

From our March 2003 Editorial: " Scottish bands have to start broadening their outlook. Yes, we know they don't all have the sponsorship deals of the Scottish Power band (individual bagpipe tuners bought for every piper this winter in a bid to soak up excess cash), but this travel thing is only going to get worse, or better, depending on your viewpoint. Financial contingencies will have to be made. As we have written many times, the great Highland bagpipe is a world instrument now and the pipe band an internationally recognised musical ensemble. That being so, practitioners from the home country should expect to have to do more travelling. ."

Richard Cameron on Judges: "The Joint Committee is not in a position to exercise absolute authority over judges, but it has set itself the task of establishing standards of procedure so that there may be consistency in conduct and practice by those appointed to the 'bench'.

"Accordingly, in establishing a Code of Practice, it is hoped that judges will consider it to be helpful and any misunderstandings or inconsistencies that may have occurred in the past will not recur. "The code emphasises that judges sharing a bench have a collective responsibility for decisions.

"Declared criticism of their colleagues with whom they may disagree is not appropriate.

From our History of the Piobairachd Society: "At the beginning of the last century there was serious concern about the state of piobaireachd. The competition system had been in place for over a century and many pipers were concentrating on winning prizes. It was no longer necessary for a piper to have a large repertoire of tunes as one could play the same tunes year after year and still win the top prizes. A large number of tunes were still known and were available in the printed collections but only a few were played regularly. It was time for something to be done"

Excerpts from February 2003

From our report on the damage to a famous piper's grave:" Action has been taken to tidy up an important historical site after years of neglect. The grave and mausoleum of the family of piper Lachlan MacNeill Campbell of Kintarbert at Kilnaish, Argyll, had become overgrown and the gravestones broken.
Piping historian Bridget Mackenzie and Mr John Campbell, great nephew of Archibald Campbell of Kilberry, contacted the local authority, Argyll and Bute District Council, and workmen were dispatched to carry out remedial work. Lachlan MacNeill Campbell's features in Mrs Mackenzie's imminent new book "Piping Traditions of Argyll"

From our latest 'Be A Better Piper' feature on strathspey playing
"There are probably a number of reasons for the decline. Certainly the fact that fewer pipers are Highland dancers these days hasn't helped.
And pipers playing in the modern pipe band have more of a problem than in the past as the beatings often employed by drummers nowadays tend to fill in the spaces between the four basic beats and thus obscure the rhythmic pulse so vital to good strathspey presentation.
Another hindrance is the current fad for step dancing with the piper accompanying this type of multi-influence jigging tending to play all beats equally and at a quick tempo.
We must eschew both these influences if we want to become good exponents of the strathspey."

From our special featue on piping and the internet: " For an instrument so steeped in ancient lore and tradition, the great Highland bagpipe has, of late, received a gigantic kick into modern times. Synthetic drone reeds and bags with internal canister systems that look like they have enough plumbing to service a bungalow in Buckie have all become popular. However, the noble instrument's leap into the realms of contemporary technology is not confined to these advances; the GHB has invaded the world wide web."

Excerpts:From our January 2003 Editorial

Our pipe band favourites this year were Northern Ireland's Field Marshall Montgomery. P/M Richard Parkes and former leading drummer Andrew Scullion developed an acuity of fingering and clarity of tone which, at the World Championships, saw them sweep past the might of Simon Fraser University from Canada and a soon to be revived (we hope) Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia. Our tip for 2003 on the band front? Strathclyde Police--seriously underrated by many judges last summer."

From our special report on pipers' fingers: "An eminent Edinburgh-based physiologist has discovered something that pipers have known for years--when it comes to finger dexterity no one else can touch us.
Dr E Geoffrey Walsh has carried out a five-year study, the findings of which prove that finger co-ordination among pipers is vastly superior to that of other musicians, even trained professionals.
He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and built his own apparatus to carry out the tests which involved analysing more than 2,000 data files.."
*
From the picture special on the College rebuild: "The College of Piping is ready to rise again after the completion of the demolition of the old building in Otago Street. Reconstitution of the groundwork and foundations has already begun and the scheduled completion date, barring delays, is June this year, in plenty of time for the busy part of the summer.
There were a few dry throats as staff watched the final pieces of masonry consigned to the waste dump. No doubt there will be a few students and visitors around the world who will also have pleasant memories of the old building. But nostalgia will be mixed with a feeling of real hope for the future of the College after so many disappointments in the past.."

From our competition reports"The final two solo competitions of the year, The Glenfiddich and London Championships, produced some excellent playing but the contrast in their fiscal fortunes could not be greater. The first offered the highest prize in piping--champion Roddy MacLeod took home around £1,800--and the other has so little cash that its immediate future is in doubt. Sponsorship is of course the key and piping is fortunate that William Grant & Sons continue to back their championship in such a way as befits a competition involving the top exponents of the piping art. Cash-strapped London has made some drastic changes in the last couple of years, moving away from the expensive, though grand and acoustically marvellous, Glaziers Hall to a pleasant, if a little cramped, hotel on the Thames at Hampton Court a few miles from the city centre. To their credit the London committee have now graded their competitions, the unfortunate consequence of which is that they now have too many events to organise and accommodate in one day.

From his latest My Month column David Murray writes
"Each company was to be played into action by its company piper, who was given a specific tune to play, usually, it would appear, the company march. These varied according to the battalion, from 'The Nut Brown Maiden' through tunes like 'The Atholl Highlanders' to, believe it or not 'Lord Alexander Kennedy'. The battle began at twenty to ten - 2140 in army terms - on 23rd October 1942. It opened with an intense artillery bombardment from more than eight hundred guns. Twenty minutes later the assaulting infantry crossed the Start Line.
The enemy reacted swiftly, initially with intense artillery defensive fire and as the Infantry approached their objectives with heavy and accurate machine gun fire. All accounts describe how the pipers strode forward, apparently unconcerned, through the dust raised by the bursting enemy shells. An officer of the 1st Black Watch recalled 'The few pipers we had were playing their companies forward all the time. I had the greatest difficulty in preventing the Pipe Corporal from walking into the anti-personnel trip wires which you could generally see in the moonlight'.

From her Opinion column on the state of Calum Piobair's cairn."John MacDonald was born at Glentruim, only a couple of miles away, where his father Alexander was piper to Macpherson of Glentruim. The MacDonalds too has a close association with the Northern Meeting, Alexander winning the Prize Pipe in 1860 and the Former Winners Gold Medal in 1864, and his brother William doing the same in 1868 and 1869. John himself won the Gold Medal in 1890 and went on to win the Clasp seven times. As a young man John was employed as a gamekeeper at Glentromie near Kingussie. On one occasion he met Calum Piobair at the old castle of Ruthven and together they walked the 10 miles to Catlodge having a tune on the bagpipe at intervals along the way.
Near the cottage is the cairn erected by the Glasgow Badenoch Association in memory of Calum Piobair. The cairn was unveiled in 1960 when Dr Kenneth MacKay gave the eulogy in the presence of Calum's son Angus and grandson Malcolm.
If one does not know where to look the cairn is difficult to find

From our News column:"Deputy Culture minister Dr Elaine Murray has met with College of Piping Principal Robert Wallace to discuss the funding of piping in Scotland.
The meeting was as a direct consequence of the Piping Times' Fairer Funding Campaign launched last year. The campaign followed from the decision by the Scottish Executive to give another huge trance of cash to Glasgow's Piping Centre to the exclusion of all other piping bodies in the country. The Centre has received £550,000 in direct government support in the last two years bringing the total of public money invested in it to over £4m. The College of Piping and other bodies have received nothing.

From our report on the Northern Meeting:.. "Alasdair's win seemed to inspire his fellow Queen's Own Highlanders. Former and serving regimental pipers took first in every open light music contest. Donald MacKay won the 'B' Strathspey and Reel, P/M DJ MacIntyre the 'B' March, and Niall Matheson the 'A' MSR.
Of the latter the overall standard was said to be poor with only the prize winners playing well. A lack of musical expression was earmarked as the biggest fault with too many pipers playing safe.

From our feature on piping in Antarctica.."As was fitting for an enterprise organised and financed almost totally in Scotland, the expedition had an official piper, Gilbert Kerr, whose other duties included those of ordinary seaman and laboratory assistant.
However, Kerr's were not the only pipes aboard; there was a second set on which several of the crew and scientists refined their playing skills under piper Kerr's tutelage. The sound of the pipes was a reminder of home to the officers and men of Scotia and played an important role in supporting the morale of the whole expedition team as they conducted their scientific studies, cut off from the rest of the world, in the harsh Antarctic conditions.."

Iain Speirs on winning the Gold Medal: "On the day I had a later draw and just paced myself throughout. The pipes went well and I thought I got through the tune quite well. I am now looking forward to having a go at the senior competitions next year.
"2002 has been a great year for my wife and I with the birth of our first child, our daughter Annie."

From our 'Pipers and the Supernatural' feature:"This was an amusing tale, but it got me wondering about other stories and myths about the bagpipe. Why was it associated so firmly with the supernatural? At last, the line about the Devil having all the best tunes made sense. I thought I'd have a delve into some fanciful piping history. I like to do a bit of walking out in the wilds when I can, so I knew from looking at many Ordnance Survey maps over the years, that there were several places throughout Britain, not just Scotland, called 'Piper's Hole', or 'Piper's Pool' etc. All of these place names have at their root a rather silly story about a piper who discovers a cave, sometimes under a rock, sometimes underwater. "

From our feature on the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Tumbledown Mountain: "On June 13th the Scots Guards commenced a three-phase attack on the Argentine positions on Mount Tumbledown. Immediately the Guards were involved in a fierce fight with determined and resolute enemy. Fighting continued for two hours before the initial objective was achieved. The second phase of the assault involved some of the most brutal and bloody fighting of the whole Falkland's campaign. The British advance was having little impact against Argentine positions among the rocks; the Argentine 5th Marine Infantry battalion would not budge. To break the stalemate, a company commander personally led the Scots Guards in a fixed bayonet charge up the hill."

PT Excerpts for Sept 02

From September's Editorial:
" The BBC recorded the Argyllshire Gathering this year for the first time in its 131-year history and this no doubt caused a frisson of discombobulation at the top end of the Great Glen given that for the last several years Inverness has been the sole beneficiary of the prestige and status that radio exposure brings. But who would deny Oban its turn? For a while now they have operated in the shadow of Inverness and there is no question that competing pipers have for some years considered the Northern Meeting, self contained at Eden Court Theatre and superbly run, the pre-eminent contest"

From this month's 'Be A Better Pipe Band' column: "What could be more important to a band than its tone? Getting all the pipers sounding the same in performance is absolutely vital. Repeating the process at practice therefore is surely more than desirable. As said previously, enjoyment levels will soar. Bad blowers will become instantly identified (it is amazing how poor blowing habits on the pipes are replicated on the practice chanter) and poor unison playing will stick out like something that really sticks out. And don't be concerned about the cost. A full set of 15 or so long poly practice chanters with countersunk holes and a matt finish (better for the sweaty fingers) can be had for well under £700"

From David Murray's popular 'My Month' column: " This is a story told me long ago by the incomparable Archie MacDonald of Daliburgh on South Uist, father of Rhona Lightfoot, a man of many parts, a skilled fishing ghillie, and a highland historian. Archie had served in the Great War as a piper in the 5th Cameron Highlanders. Two of his fellow pipers in the same battalion had been Neil MacLennan, later Postmaster at Loch Boisdale, and the great John MacDonald, of South Uist and the Glasgow Police. They were exceptional men. It seemed at times to me that they could recall every tune they had played together. On the morning after the Armistice on 11 November 1918, they set off to lead the 5th Camerons on the long road leading to the River Rhine and Germany Archie reminisced 'We started off playing 'The 72nd's Farewell to Aberdeen', and a right good job we made of it, too!' Archie's skill as a raconteur was legendary, and no story lost anything in the telling. One that still comes to mind is this.."

From Aug 02 edition
From our feature on how to protect your compositions..
"Copyright will last for 70 years after the end of the year in which you die, at which time it will pass into the public domain. Many of the best-known pipe tunes and traditional songs or instrumentals are 'out of copyright', however any arrangement made of such a tune will become a fresh copyright belonging to that arranger, and will enjoy all the rights of a new composition. 'Arrangement' will assume some kind of creative input, and not just be the tune played
straight from original manuscript.."

From the feature on the unveiling of the Donald Cameron plaque.
"John Burgess then gave an excellent and informative presentation regarding the Camerons, their importance in the history of piping, their importance to pipers and their lasting influence. Donald's tutors, he said, were Donald Mor MacLennan of Moy, the great John Ban Mackenzie of Munlochy and Donald's friend Angus Mackay, piper to Queen Victoria.
John said Donald's brother Sandy (another champion taught by Mackay and Donald Mor of Moy), supposedly taught Calum Piobaire MacPherson in Greenock, a suggestion historically never well received by MacPherson adherents! Donald's tuition style, said John, was 'demanding', i.e. strict, teaching his pupils (including his own sons) to think musically 'in Gaelic'. Alick Cameron's tuition of John MacDougall Gillies was of great importance, he said."

From our feature on ceol mor and Gaelic song.
" Pentatonic scales are widely used in many folk traditions and apart from the Scottish tradition are probably best known in African music. They are, of course, the most important scales in Ceol Mor. Interestingly, the oldest collections of Gaelic vocal music such as Joseph MacDonald's Highland Vocal Airs and Simon Fraser's The Airs and Melodies peculiar to the Highlands contain very few pentatonic melodies. They are also largely absent from modem collections of Irish and Manx Gaelic song. In modem Scottish Gaelic collections, however, about one third of the songs are Pentatonic. The pentatonic may therefore have entered Gaelic song through ceol mor,"

From her Opinion column on the state of Calum Piobair's cairn."John
MacDonald was born at Glentruim, only a couple of miles away, where his father Alexander was piper to Macpherson of Glentruim. The MacDonalds too has a close association with the Northern Meeting, Alexander winning the Prize Pipe in 1860 and the Former Winners Gold Medal in 1864, and his brother William doing the same in 1868 and 1869. John himself won the Gold Medal in 1890 and went on to win the Clasp seven times. As a young man John was
employed as a gamekeeper at Glentromie near Kingussie. On one occasion he met Calum Piobair at the old castle of Ruthven and together they walked the 10 miles to Catlodge having a tune on the bagpipe at intervals along the way. Near the cottage is the cairn erected by the Glasgow Badenoch Association in memory of Calum Piobair. The cairn was unveiled in 1960 when Dr Kenneth MacKay gave the eulogy in the presence of Calum’s son Angus and grandson
Malcolm.If one does not know where to look the cairn is difficult to find.

PT Excerpts for July 02

From July's editorial " Should an 'ensemble' judge hold sway over a major contest in this way? Surely not. Is there really a need for an ensemble judge anyway? Drumming judges can assess whether their charges are doing their job supporting the pipes, playing together as a corps and enhancing the overall impact. Piping judges will consider how the melody unit of the pipe band is performing, how good is its technique, sound and quality of music. And we emphasise the 'p' word deliberately. We must remember the simple basics of the business."

David Murray on the MacArthur MS." For too long the Great Music of the Noble Instrument has been ignored by the musical establishment of Scotland. This has been largely the fault of ourselves, the playing pipers. As Roddy Cannon says in his General Preface Pipers today tend to doubt whether anyone not trained as a piper can contribute usefully to piping. Those of us who have put piping and the playing of piobaireachd at the heart of our private interests in life owe Roddy and Frans a debt of gratitude for interpreting our art to those academic musicians and musicologists to whom it has hitherto
been a closed book. and in terms to which they can relate. Let me explain.."

Robert Wallace on piping in South Africa" Accommodation is, as you should expect, African. Thatched roof circular huts called 'rondvals' to be precise with meals taken in the thatched great hall, the focal point of the camp. It reminded me of one of those wildlife programmes you see on television and featuring native African villages. Fortunately there were no wild animals but I must confess to hearing some very strange noises in the night and I'm not talking out of tune bagpipes."

PT Excerpts for June 02

Announcing new College association and diploma. "The College of Piping has signed an important agreement with one of Scotland's leading further education institutions. A partnership has been formed with Stow College in Glasgow. The formal signing of relevant documents has taken place and College of Piping students are now automatically affiliated to Stow once their registration is completed. They can benefit from all of the facilities associated with a major college of further education. In a joint initiative between the College and Stow a new Professional Bagpiping HNC/D qualification will be established soon subject to validation.
Applications for this are being taken now and should be addressed to Tom Campbell at the College. Study on specific units, including piping, can begin immediately.

"Be A Better Piper" To get good sound with your bagpipe you need a good ear. Training a good ear does not begin when you first try to blow up the pipes. It begins with the practice chanter. It is preferable therefore that teachers begin their pupils' 'sound' education by insisting on a proper tone from the first moments the practice stick enters the mouth of the putative piper. Steady blowing and good tone here augurs well for the future. More experienced players should also make sure they have the best possible sound from the practice chanter. Ask yourself this. Am I producing a true scale? Do I try to alter my blowing to accommodate sharp or flat notes? If so use tape and tune the practice as you would the pipe chanter so that your blowing is even at all times.."

David Murray on teaching the Gurkhas " We had learned too they gave all the tunes numbers because they found it impossible to get their tongues round the names. They could manage the Barran Rocks all right, but The Atholl and Breadalbane Gathering and Loudons Bonnie Woods and Braes were way beyond them. Tuning the pipes turned out to be an exercise in patience and self-control. Norman and I would set all the chanters at something approaching an acceptable pitch, but when our backs were turned the Gurkhas would chew (literally) their chanter reeds to get their preferred Eastern tone. They would return sounding like bloody snake charmers again as I found myself saying after a particularly trying session.."

From May's Editorial " and it is disappointing to have to report that the Gold Medal, the Holy Grail for competitive pipers for more than a century, has been reduced nowadays to a tinny disc of nondescript alloy covered with the thinnest veneer of gold leaf. The microns of gold seem so fragile that to attack them with polish risks loss of the yellow sheen in favour of the ugly substance underneath. Of course such action would be unnecessary if we were dealing with the real thing."

Fair Funding Campaign latest: " Dr Elaine Murray, Deputy Culture Minister, has agreed to visit the College "later this year" and her private secretary has written to us saying: "any future funding requests will be carefully considered. The minister appreciates the work the College has done in promoting piping all over the world." The Scottish National Party's Culture spokesman, Mike Russell, has written saying: "I share the concerns expressed regards due process and the fair distribution of public funds. The College of Piping is a tremendous asset to Scotland and deserves to be consulted on issues affecting the piping community."

Jock Agnew's Bellows column on playing with other musicians:
" According to Nigel Richard: "The first guideline is to be aware of the importance of the drone, and appreciate that if you play a chord on your instrument that could not comfortably include the drone note, then it is unlikely to sound good with the pipes," If the flattened 7th on the chanter (i.e. high and low nominal G) poses a problem for other instruments, it might be best to try, initially, tunes that do not require these notes at all.
There are plenty of them: Mony Musk; I'll Gae nae Mair to Yon Toon; Farewell to the Creeks; Drops of Brandy etc.

"The pipes have no loud and soft to aid the performer in giving expression to his music. He has to get in his expression by tricks with his fingers, emphasising one note and cutting another short, putting a gracenote on one and not on another etc., and when he is giving individual exhibition he ought to be free to choose his time. This is a long screed I'm afraid, but I hope that it is not confused and that it shows that it is fairer to the competitor and to the judges not to tie them down to stringent rules."..A Campbell, Kilberry, on the competition march.

From this year's guide to the Games: "As last year, the Piping Times' unique guide to the Highland games has been compiled by our staff. Every effort has been made as to accuracy but we recommend intending competitors and enthusiasts check before travelling to, or entering, any of the events. And we've a special message for readers who are always asked to hand on their copies of the magazine--don't. You're bound to need this issue as a reference
later in the year. Can we respectfully suggest that you ask your friends to contact the College of Piping for their own copy?"

College Rebuild story: "The first phase of the rebuilding the College of Piping will begin in September this year. The success of our Building Appeal has been such that only a £70,000 gap remains in the funding of Phase One of the new building. The construction work, on the existing site in Otago Street, will take between six or seven months to complete. All College activities will continue throughout this period at a temporary location. Discussions are underway to finalise the details of where this will be."

From the tribute to Hugh MacInnes
" Hugh MacInnes began piping at the age of 10. He lived in a tenement building in Bell Street near Glasgow Cross. Below his family flat were two yards. One used by the City of Glasgow police for their police horses and the other by the local authority, Glasgow Corporation.In order to accustom then to loud noises and colourful distraction pipers from the police band were regularly detailed to report to the yard to play round the horses. The young Hugh was enchanted by the sight and sounds he absorbed as he leaned out of his bedroom window. Fortunately for him working in the other yard was Eddie MacLellan a pupil of John MacColl and Willie Fergusson"

Comments on our Fair funding Campaign..

"The College of Piping deserves something after fifty years service to piping", "What you are asking for is quite right. Anyone with any sense of fairness has to agree with your campaign", "It may take a while but your campaign is a just one",
"Our society is fully behind what you are doing. It is important for piping that the College gets some assistance." "Any money for piping should be shared out evenly." "It seems to me to be rather cavalier to be appropriating funds to one piping organisation but not the other"

Interview'Richard Cameron is the Convenor of the Piping Sub Committee of the Northern Meeting. It is one of the most onerous jobs in piping and one of the most important. He holds sway on the running of a competition most would agree is the high point of the solo season. He greatly influences who gets to judge and who gets to play. Yet Richard is no pen pushing bagpipe bureaucrat with a nice line in organisation and no knowledge of the subject matter. As this interview reveals he is first and foremost a piper, and a piper with a mission to make sure the Northern Meeting maintains its position at the forefront of world piping.'

David Murray..'In this column I would like to pay a tribute to one of those pipers who never see their name in lights but who are nevertheless devoted to the noble instrument and its music. These are the men who selflessly pass on to the rising generation what they themselves have been taught and who foster and encourage young players whose ambition may only extend as far as playing
in the local pipe band. Such a piper was Jock Laidlaw.'

From January's Editorial.

"The fact that the powers that be at the Piping Centre in Glasgow had to go cap in hand once again to the Government for financial assistance will come as no surprise to anyone with half an ear to the ground. Even the cats skulking around the Cowcaddens alleyways were well aware of the financial situation confronting the Centre. Mind you, if we were to believe the hype and publicity and the triumphalist claptrap on the internet then we could all order that extra bottle of champagne, toast the future, and to hell with poverty, damn your eyes. But it is not like that. The situation is worrying.
We all know what the Scottish Executive means by its euphemistic use of the phrase 'help them stabilise their financial standing'..."

From the PT News pages."A leading American college is offering scholarships to young pipers and drummers from Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.Lyon College, Arkansas, in conjunction with the College of Piping, is inviting students who wish to further their studies in the US to apply for the 2002-2003 now. Lyon campus is situated at Batesville in the picturesque foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Majors it offers include art, biology, chemistry, economics, English, history, maths, politics, religion and philosophy. Successful candidates will be expected to participate in Lyon College's prize-winning pipe band where they will receive expert tuition from the Pipe Major Willie Muirhead and drum instructor Tom Foot"

From Bridget MacKenzie's lecture on piobaireachd..
"I am convinced that piobaireachd is telling us a story, but in a language which has become obscure to us. How can we be sure that we are understanding what it is telling us? I am conscious that what I am going to suggest will not meet with universal (if any) approval, but I think it does no harm to look at things from a different angle, and tonight I am speaking not as a player but as a listener to the Great Music. We are, of course, much dependent on the titles we are given: they mostly came down to us through the oral tradition, and they are not entirely reliable. We have no way of knowing if they are the titles given by the composers themselves. Some works have
two, even three, titles - what are we to make of a work called MacLean of Coll’s Barge and clearly set in Hebridean waters, but also known as the Battle of the Pass of Crieff, which is about as far as you can get from the sea, in Scotland?