Organiser Barry Donaldson reports: Hosted by the City of Edinburgh Pipe Band, the annual P/M’s Wheel of Fortune competition is scheduled for this Saturday 11 February in Danderhall Miners Club (same venue as previous years). A first class line up is again on offer – P/M Gordon Walker (last year’s winner), Dougie Murray, Angus MacColl, Gordon McCready, Finlay Johnston, Mike Katz (piper with the Battlefield Band), Brian Lamond and Edinburgh City Pipe Band’s own Derek Graham. This is fast becoming one of the major piping events of the year and promises to be the best yet. Significantly increased prize money (£2,000 in total), revised rules and a streamlined process facilitating prompt transition between competitors will all help enhance the event this year. Unlike previous years the wheel of fortune will be spun on the morning prior to starting. Each piper is informed of  the musical categories which must be included in their performance (now including ceol mor). Pipers have 25 minutes playing time (including tuning) and require to play a March, Strathspey and Reel followed by a freestyle selection (incorporating ‘wheel of fortune’ tunes). A panel of three judges will adjudicate the MSR in standard consultative format. Freestyle performance will be judged on aggregate involving the audience and three separate judges scores. This provides four independent results cumulatively generating the winners. Three prizes in each event with prize of – 1st £500, 2nd £300, 3rd £200. The event is geared towards informality and provides the ideal setting for top players to relax and  play their own music ‘unregulated’. This leads to some of the best and creative musical performances heard in any competition and is certainly a winner with the audience. Draw at 11.30 followed by spinning the wheel of fortune. 12 mid day kick off. Voting slips available at the door prior to 12 o’clock.’

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