Gone Piping emagazine schoolofpiping.com

Transcription

1 1 Gone Piping emagazine schoolofpiping.com August 2018

2 2 Fáilte: What a tremendous thing World s week is becoming for the international piper. Lunch-time recitals on live stream, the Masters Solo Championships and of course the week culminating with the World Pipe Band Championships. This brings the piping world closer together, stimulates interaction, dialogue and enthusiasm via social media and contact with other local pipers. What a great thing for the promotion of piping and for bringing us all closer together when we cannot actually be there in person. To introduce our website, is an Internet based resource for pipers. It contains an archive of technical articles, reviews, historical information, photographic albums, sound files and video files that are freely available to pipers everywhere. Most importantly it includes a Shop that supports the work we do to promote and educate piping around the world. Please feel free to pass this magazine on to any that might benefit or enjoy reading it with our compliments. Brett Tidswell ADVERTISING To advertise your business or product in this magazine contact: schoolofpiping@gmail.com Unbeatable rates. Copyright 2018 School of Piping/Brett Tidswell All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the editor

3 1 Contents: Australian Solo Piping Championships Page 3 A return of the event that we have not seen for many a year. World Pipe Band Championships Page 6 We look at this year s event. CITES. Page 14 What is going on and how does it affect us? What s at the School of Piping Shop? Page 22 The latest products on offer. Queen s Birthday Honours For Donald Blair. Page 28 A significant award for a life of dedication. McCallum Bagpipes. Page 30 A visit to the factory. Solo Performance Tips. Page 38 Improve your performance. R U Brown events for 2018/19. Page 41 An update on the 2018 events. Argyllshire Gathering Results for Page 44 Results from this years gathering. Classifieds. Page 45 Adverts for anything piping related!

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5 3 Australian Solo Piping Championships 2018 A solo-piping event was often held at the Australian Pipe Band Championship and was sometimes titled the Australian Solo Piping Championships. I have been unable to find any records of the results apart from mention in an unofficial record of the Australian Championships, which is very far from accurate. Assumptions are made that contests moved to the Australian Championship weekend were sanctioned events, which is incorrect, and other events that were sanctioned are absent. I am aware of Richard Hepburn winning a set of silver Martin Bagpipes at one of the few sanctioned events, and this is not mentioned. The magnificent venue for Australia s Solo Piping Championship The new Australian Solo Piping Championships will be launched in Adelaide next April, when soloists will compete for the nation s top piping prizes. Pipe Bands Australian has awarded the new championships to its South Australian branch in partnership with the RU Brown Piobaireachd Society of SA Inc. who already run Australia s most prestigious solo piping event. Pipe Bands Australia president Chris Earl has had discussions with South Australian branch president Craig Masson, who is also president of the RU Brown Piobaireachd Society. He said they had shown interest and commitment to commence the national solo piping championship. This will take place as part of the Gold Medal Competition weekend to be held on the 13/14 th April 2019 at the prestigious venue at Scotch College Adelaide.

6 4 Chris Earl has stated: We were delighted that South Australia took the initiative to kick off what will be the nation s premier piping competition, showcasing the amazing musical talent within the Australian pipe band movement. Our commitment to advancement extends to piping, drumming and drum majors but until now, pathways were still to be fully developed for piping. The RU Brown Society is highly respected nationally and internationally and we believe will lay a firm foundation to grow the Australian Solo Piping Championship. Craig said: We have a proud heritage in South Australia of promoting solo piping through our branch and the RU Brown Piobaireachd Society. We thank Pipe Bands Australia for their confidence in entrusting to us the first Australian Solo Piping Championships that we believe will grow into a significance international event and showcase emerging pipers in Australia to the world. The R U Brown Piobaireachd Society events will be conducted as usual with the Australian Solo Piping Championships forming a part of the weekends piping activities. Sponsorship arrangements are currently being negotiated. Entries can be made at

7 5 NEIL SELBIE & Co Ltd Imitation Cane Drone Reeds Available from The School of Piping Shop Contact:

8 6 World Pipe Band Championships 2018 A mixed bag of results in the Championships leading up to the World Championship event meant that this year was most probably the most unpredictable World Championship for some years. The fist places at the various 2018 Championships were: British Championship: Scottish Power UK Championship: St Laurence O Toole European Championship: Inveraray and District Scottish Championship St Laurence O Toole Interesting was the fact that the exact same 6 places were attained at both the UK and Scottish Championship. Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band of Northern Ireland placed in the top 3 at every event, but a first place had eluded them all season. The World Championship began on the 17 th August 2018 with the qualifying for Grade 1 streamed worldwide. Cold wet conditions and an obvious reluctance by some bands to subject the instruments to any more moisture than necessary, resulted in some, shall we say, far from refined tuning, coming from many of the top contending bands. Twelve of the contending bands moved on to the finals at Glasgow Green the following day, which was again streamed worldwide by the BBC. No recordings are sold, but the BBC retains the performances on their website. Excellent performances by both Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band and Inveraray and District saw them finish up as the convincing forerunners. Grade 1 Overall 1st Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland) 2nd Inveraray & District (Scotland) 3rd St. Laurence O Toole (Ireland) (MSR pref) 4th ScottishPower (Scotland) 5th Simon Fraser University (Canada) 6th Police Scotland Fife (Scotland) Drumming: St. Laurence O Toole A historic result for Richard Parkes, Pipe Major of FMMPB who equalled Ian MacLellan s record of 12 World Championship wins. An amazing feat, especially when you consider he has the opportunity to win more titles at the event. The record for the most Band victories remains with the Glasgow/Strathclyde Police who sit on 20 World Championship Victories since their first in One of the obvious advantages of being one of the oldest civilian pipe bands in the world!

9 7 Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band 2018 World Pipe Band Champions Medley 1st Field Marshal Montgomery (1,1,6,1) 2nd ScottishPower (2,3,3,3) 3rd St. Laurence O Toole (6,6,1,2) 4th Inveraray & District (3,4,5,5) 5th Simon Fraser University (5,5,2,6) 6th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (Scotland) (4,2,12,4) 7th Police Scotland Fife (7,7,4,8) 8th 78th Fraser Highlanders (Canada) 8,8,7,7) (ens.pref.) 9th Vale of Atholl (Scotland) (9,9,9,9) 10th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland) (10,10,8,10) 11th Johnstone (Scotland) (11,11,10,12) 12th Dowco Triumph Street (Canada) (12,12,11,11) Judges: Jim Semple, George Wilson (piping); Paul Brown (drumming); Ciaran Mordaunt (ensemble) MSR 1st Field Marshal Montgomery (1,1,2,1) 2nd Inveraray & District (5,2,1,2) 3rd Police Scotland Fife (3,3,4,7) 4th Simon Fraser University (4,4,7,3) 5th St. Laurence O Toole (7,6,3,4) 6th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (2,5,11,5) 7th ScottishPower (6,7,5,6) 8th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (8,11,6,8) 9th 78th Fraser Highlanders (9,9,10,9) 10th Vale of Atholl (11,8,8,10) 11th Johnstone (10,10,12,11)

10 8 12th Dowco Triumph Street (12,12,9,12) Judges: Nat Russell, John Connor (piping); Gordon Parkes (drumming); Cameron Edgar (ensemble) Grade 2 1st City of Dunedin (USA) (1,1,1,1) 2nd St. Thomas Alumni (USA) (2,2,2,4) 3rd Closkelt (Northern Ireland) (3,7,7,2) 4th Manorcunningham (Ireland) (5,3,6,6) 5th Worcester Kiltie (USA) (6,4,5,8) 6th Peel Regional Police (Canada) (4,6,9,9) 7th Ravara (Northern Ireland) (9,9,8,3) (ens.pref.) 8th MacKenzie Caledonian (Scotland) (7,5,12,5) 9th Los Angeles Scots (USA) (8,8,10,7) 10th North Stratton (Canada) (11,10,3,10) 11th New Ross & District (Ireland) (10,11,4,11) 12th Bucksburn and District (Scotland) (12,12,11,12) Judges: John Wilson, Maurice Rhodes (piping); Brian Martin (drumming); Paul Turner (ensemble) Grade 3A 1st Royal Burgh of Annan (Scotland) 2nd Port Lethen & District (Scotland) 3rd Perth Metro (Australia) 4th Stockbridge (Scotland) 5th Uddingston Strathclyde (Scotland) 6th The Highlanders 4 Scots (Scotland) Drumming: St. Joseph s (Ireland) Judges: Sam Young, Robert Mathieson (piping); Bill Black (drumming); Jim Campbell (ensemble) Grade 3B 1st Pasadena Scottish (USA) 2nd Battlehill (Scotland) 3rd St. Mary s Derrytrasna 4th Johnstone 5th Clogher & District 6th Toronto Police Drumming: Toronto Police Judges: Donald MacPhee, Jim Wark (piping); Greg Dinsdale (drumming); Alan Ronaldson (ensemble)

11 9 Juvenile 1st Dollar Academy (Scotland) 2nd St. Andrew s College (New Zealand) 3rd George Watson s College (Scotland) 4th George Harriot s School (Scotland) 5th North Lanarkshire Schools (Scotland) 6th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland) Drumming: Dollar Academy Judges: Jim Semple, George Wilson (piping); Paul Brown (drumming); Ciaran Mordaunt (ensemble) Grade 4A 1st McNeillstown (Northern Ireland) 2nd Lochryan (Scotland) 3rd Tweedvale (Scotland) 4th Kildoag (Northern Ireland) 5th Glenrothes & District (Scotland) 6th Williamwood Drumming: McNeilstown Judges: Brian Switalla, Terry Lee (piping); Sandy Steele (drumming); Jennifer Hutcheon (ensemble) Grade 4B 1st Gransha (Northern Ireland) 2nd Kelty & Blairadam (Scotland) 3rd Lower Clyde (Scotland) 4th Mid-Argyll (Scotland) 5th Stockbridge (Scotland) 6th Camelon & District Drumming: Sergeant Walker Memorial Judges: Robert Shaw, Tom Brown (piping); Mark Wilson (drumming); Gordon Craig (ensemble) Novice Juvenile A 1st Dollar Academy (Scotland) 2nd Oban High School (Scotland) 3rd Brisbane Boys College (Australia) 4th Lochalsh Junior (Scotland) 5th George Watson s College Novice (Scotland) 6th Scots College (Australia) Drumming: George Watson s College Judges: Ronnie McShannon, Ross Walker (piping); Stuart Coils (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble) Novice Juvenile B 1st St. John s College (Zimbabwe) 2nd North Lanarkshire Schools

12 10 3rd Bucksburn & District 4th 1st Troon Boys Brigade 5th Kintyre Schools 6th Sgoil Lionaclaeit Drumming: St. John s College (Zimbabwe) Judges: Ronnie McShannon, Ross Walker (piping); Stuart Coils (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble)

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16 14 CITES The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Not all countries are party to the convention and hardly surprising, those who consume the most of the products under concern are not party to the convention. Fees for certificates issued to allow the import and export of listed products are collected by customs and signatory governments pass a portion back to fund CITES. Bagpipes were affected some years ago when elephant ivory was listed. Even a bagpipe that contained ivory that was well before the stated date of 1976 still needed a permit to send overseas and return, even if it was personally carried. Efforts are currently underway in many countries to ban the sale of any product within a country that contains ivory. Bagpipes usually aren t affected due to the small percentage of the instrument that is made of ivory. Some countries however are trying to pass a ruling for any ivory at all, a little over zealous perhaps, and certainly impossible to police. Pipe Bands Australia recently submitted a proposal to try and apply some common sense to the treatment of bagpipes. Ivory is still available in some countries that are not signatories to CITES

17 15 African Blackwood and many other hardwoods used in the manufacture of musical instruments have now been listed as endangered by the convention. At this stage a person can take an instrument without a permit personally in and out of signatory countries, so long as it weighs less than 10 KG. Manufacturers or suppliers who are shipping wood or instruments must pay for a permit, which amounts to approximately AUD$120 per shipment. This means that a merchant sending wood to a supplier must pay for a permit. The supplier must purchase a permit to send to a manufacturer or even another supplier in a different country. The manufacturer must pay for a permit to send to a retailer, and they must pay for a permit if sending overseas. This mounts up when you consider the purchase of a practice chanter made of wood. Local retailers hopefully can keep the final fee down to a reasonable level by ordering larger shipments, but a customer deciding to order from an overseas manufacturer is going to get slugged or run the risk of losing their purchase (which has happened recently with customers attempting to claim items where returned following repairs). Dalbergia melanoxylon (African blackwood, grenadilla, or mpingo) So what is the issue with Blackwood. Firstly, it is a very slow growing tree and therefore to plant them a farmer will not see a return for maybe 100 years. Secondly, the countries that are the primary producers have quite a lot of issues with illegal shipments and wood is being cut at a much earlier stage. I recall an incident some years ago where all shipments were held up as there were several container loads of wood for parquetry floor being illegally

18 16 sent to China. China is one of the largest consumers of African Blackwood where it is used for furniture and flooring, they are not signatories to the convention. In Africa it is also used for building, as it is resistant to termites and other insects. A certain amount is also used for fuel, both as logs and charcoal. Ironically co-operatives within the musical industry have re-planted areas where the trees where over harvested and have also created conservation projects. There are now multiple organisations involved in the conservation of African blackwood: the Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative, the African Blackwood Conservation Project, Clarinets for Conservation, to name but a few. Trees are now being planted in various countries outside of Africa, who will hopefully have a better system of habitat management and conservation. Whilst all wood with manufacturers is currently pre-cites, when these stocks deplete, we would expect to see certification becoming more difficult and the requirements for travel and shipping may soon become as stringent as ivory. We would suggest carrying a letter from a reputable manufacturer or official in your case when travelling stating the age of your instrument and place of manufacture. This can be kept with your printout from the airlines website showing their musical instrument as hand luggage policy (which they always want to dispute).

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20 18 At the School of Piping Shop we can take care of all of your Piping and Highland Dress needs and desires! Contact us at for everything from reeds to tweeds!

21 19 Bagpipes, chanters, practice chanters by David Naill and Co now available from the School of Piping Shop, contact us at: to order.

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23 21 SCHOOL OF PIPING PRODUCTS

24 22 What s at the School of Piping Shop? ebay Store For the convenience of our customers we have also opened an ebay store. Many of our products can be purchased there as well as from us direct. Some specials will be announced in the coming months. You can visit us here: It is preferable to contact us direct at schoolofpiping@gmail.com to take advantage of the best service and advice. Chanter Reeds. In addition to our normal range we have now added G1 Platinum. These are excellent band and solo reeds. Donald McPhee chanter reeds are straight cut solo reeds with a broad tone and good Piobaireachd High G. We also have a large stock of Shepherd, Megarrity and Melvin ridge cuts and Gilmour straight cut reeds at all times which are very stable, bright and excellent band reeds. From $18 ea. Reed cases also available for $15. Drone Reeds. We are now stocking Ezeedrone Increased Absorbent Reeds ($139), Selbie Drone Reeds ($115), and the new Kinnaird Evolution Reeds ($150) As always we have a large stock of Reeds from, Kinnaird, Canning, Ezeedrone, Crozier, MG. We can often mix and match bass drones with sets of tenor reeds.

25 23 Practice Chanters. We have increased our range of Practice Chanters to include the McCallum P2 ($75) and P4 ($99), which are the standard and long length Chanters with no mounts. These are inexpensive, nice sounding and excellent for new learners. We retain a large stock of the imitation ivory mounted Chanters which look excellent and sound great ($120 and $129). We always stock the College of Piping Green Book and the Logan s Tutor and we are happy to put together some packages for learners. Pipe Chanters. We have the new David Naill and Co wood solo chanters in stock. These are very full, vibrant and well pitched. The Mk3 McCallum and MC2 are both excellent solo chanters. Enquire about our special prices for matching band sets of chanters. We also have the Mk3 Shepherd Chanters as played by Scottish Power, Shotts and Dykehead and Field Marshall Montgomery. Pipe Chanter Caps. We currently stock chanter caps by McCallum, Moose and also the new Bagpipe Skin chanter caps. These are multi-coloured with a removable stopper to increase ventilation to the reed.

26 24 Pipe Bags and MCS. We are now stocking the New Ross Leather Bag ($335), Willie McCallum Bag ($290) from Bannatyne, as well as our usual stock of their composite zipper bags ($290). We now also stock the Bannatyne Moisture Control System ($125) and Dri-Flo ($90). This is an excellent system that provides a longer playing time, is easy to manage, dust free and completely airtight. We can tie on and set up the system for you, or you can do that for yourself. We also have the silica beads available separately if you would like to replace your existing desiccant with a cleaner, more effective, hassle free product. We now also stock Gannaway Bags, Bennett and Ross. TrapDri Moisture Control Systems are now in stock at $40 ea and the full system with bottle or closed hose for $57. Tuners and Electronic Chanters. We stock the Murray Blair HBT3 digital tuners. These will also tune the chanters to a correctly calibrated scale. The new Blair Professional HBT C1 is now in stock. We have the Blair Electronic Chanter now in stock also. Humifiers and Hygrometers. We are now stocking the Humistat adjustable Humidifiers that fit in your pipe case and maintain your instrument at a stable humidity level. Along with a hygrometer this is an excellent way to help prevent cracking, warping and shrinkage. At just $40 for the pair this is excellent insurance to protect your investment. This is an excellent accompaniment to our highly rated Makers Choice Range of oils and waxes. This includes, joint lube, exterior wax, bore oil and oiling rods.

27 25 All of Your Piping Needs. We stock all piping accessories and are able to supply bagpipes from most of the Worlds premier makers. We always stock McCallum, MacRae, and Naill Bagpipes. We also have a number of vintage bagpipes available. We can also quote and supply any uniform or Drumming items and have access to a wide

28 26 range of premium silver buckles, sgian dubhs and kilt pins at very reasonable prices. Our full price list and catalogues can be viewed at Feel free to contact is anytime for advice or a quotation and any specific needs. schoolofpiping@gmail.com.

29 27 THE COLLECTION a compilation album by Brett Tidswell is now available for only $9.99

30 28 Queens Birthday Honours for Donald Blair This year Donald Blair of Warrnambool Victoria received recognition for his services to piping and the pipe band community, being awarded the Order of Australia medal. This follows closely being his recent recognition by Pipe Bands Australia in the new Hall of Fame project. The influence of Donald Blair as a pipe tutor and educator has spread around Australia and internationally over the decades. He was a pioneering tutor of Victorian Certificate of Education (Year 12) piping students and continues to tutor students from far away using skype and other technology. Donald Blair OAM Donald was a co-founder of the South West Coast Piper Drummer Dancer Workshop held annually in Warrnambool for the past 17 years and has also tutored at the national summer schools and for bands in Victoria and South Australia. The Warrnambool Pipe Band has attracted generations of aspiring pipers and sent those pipers out to the world as soloists and band players. Donald is held in great esteem throughout Australia and further afield and we congratulate him and indeed salute him for the tremendous effort and contribution that he has made by teaching and motivating up and coming pipers for many years.

31 29 Quality ~ Integrity ~ Personal Attention Like a great set of drones our core values help you stand out. We stock excellent products for pipers, drummers and pipe bands, plus a full range of gift items for all occasions. office@mccarthyhighland.com

32 30 McCallum Bagpipes Factory Carolyn Macdonald Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about how your pipes or practice chanter were made? This April I was privileged to spend some time at the McCallum Bagpipe factory at Kilmarnock. It really opened my eyes as to how complex it is to produce practice chanters and bagpipes. There are 39 people working there. All the parts for the chanters and bagpipes are made on site, as are a lot of other items such as drone stoppers and reed protectors. If you have looked at a McCallum catalogue you will know that they have 11 different practice chanters, which means 3 different tops and 11 different bottoms (either blackwood or acetyl). That is not counting the 3 chanters they offer in blue, green or red. Add to this the fact that you can have imitation ivory ferrules, plain alloy or engraved in silver, techno blue, green purple and red. Then there are the bowls and the mouthpiece rings. And if this is not enough you can even have your own name engraved on the ferrule of your chanter! Practice chanters only have 2 main parts. Now think about the pipes themselves and how many parts are involved (multiply by 2 as you have the choice of blackwood or acetyl) then add the variables not forgetting the bag cover and chords.

33 31 But the list goes on as apart from highland bagpipes and practice chanters, McCallum also makes small pipes, folk pipes, reel pipes and Uilleann pipes. It is not simply a matter of putting a blank in a machine and out comes the finished piece. Many of the parts are machined several times before the end product is reached. Some processes are quick but others may take a minute or two, and for making things like drone stoppers a machine can be set and left to complete many items. Thus staff are often working more than a single machine. Working with blackwood has more steps in the process than making the same item in acetyl. What really struck me was the constant attention to detail and quality at every stage of production. For example every hole in every chanter; be it a blackwood pipe chanter or a junior size acetyl practice chanter, is individually checked to make sure it has been cleanly bored. The other thing was the friendliness of the staff and the way they worked together. The factory is divided into several parts. The largest area is the actual factory floor, which has areas for plastic, blackwood, drilling, alloy, engraving, sanding, buffing, beading and

34 32 combing. The assembly area is a room off the factory floor where pipes are assembled; practice chanters hemped and pipe chanters receive their final check. There are a couple of small rooms where the other pipes are assembled. The showroom/shop displays not only piping and drumming related items but also the Highland Dress items. When people come into the showroom a staff member is called to help. The complex is open 6 days a week. While I was there several customers were also shown around the factory areas. Some customers think that you can just come into the shop and buy a set of pipes. As each set of pipes is made to order this is not the case. When an order is placed the customer will be told when their pipes will be ready. About 30 sets of blackwood pipes are made each week and each month about 100 acetyl pipes and 40 small/reel pipes are made. The week before the blackwood pipes are due to be made a staff member profiles the parts. This can involve resetting the profiling machine multiple times. For the sets I saw prepared the machine had been changed 16 times. After profiling another staff member then finishes the preparing including adding the specified ferrules etc. The following week the pipes will then be assembled by another member of staff and packed ready for posting.

35 33 I asked about the number of different programs for the machines. There are well over 1,000 different programs. When being shown some of the lists of programs I learnt that some bands when ordering sets of band chanters actually customise the chanter by slightly changing the holes. I saw a list of programs where a band had made about 11 modifications, which meant having a chanter made after each individual modification until they got the precise sound they wanted. I learnt much more than is written here and have really only scratched the surface of what goes on! So maybe next time you pick up your practice chanter or pipes you will look at them in a different light having learnt a little of the complexity, care and devotion that goes into their making. McCallum Bagpipes are now in stock at the School of Piping Shop.

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38 36 To purchase go to:

39 37 ALLAN HAMILTON has been hard at work and there are numerous new interviews to be seen at the Pipers Persuasion website. Recent interviews include, Jim MacIntosh, Jack Lee, Jim Banks, Ken Eller, Ian Duncan, Colin McLellan, Allan MacDonald, David Murray, Brett Tidswell and many more. Combined with the existing interviews the site is becoming a significant contribution to the history of modern piping. We highly recommend a visit to:

40 38 Solo Performance Tips Performing in solo competition is an art form. It is one of the main outlets for the serious piper and has a number of long held customs and rituals. Some of these should be adhered to; some of them must be adhered to. There are also a number of expectations, that if adhered to will enhance your chance of success. P/M William Ross at Oban First, dress appropriately and be well presented. A hat, tie and usually a jacket are expected in most places. If you look the part, you will be taken more seriously. Approach the judge s table and announce yourself and your tunes. Acknowledge the judge with a small bow or a salute, don t try to shake his hand and don t be too familiar. Step well back from the table to settle your instrument and yourself before commencing. It is a good idea to give the judge a small nod to indicate that you will proceed with your tune.

41 39 Always march to a march. No excuses, compulsory. Stand stationary for everything else. Remember your shoes are not a musical instrument and should not be heard tapping. Never lift your foot off the ground when tapping, you are not conducting a band, and try to keep movement to a minimum. Even when you are marching try to keep the drones from waving about. John McColl Don t rush. The judge wants to hear good execution, accenting and phrasing. Tempo that is applicable to the idiom. The biggest mistake you can make is playing tunes that are too difficult for you and fumbling through them, or playing at breakneck speed. Big no, no s. Crossing noises. Playing too fast. Making mistakes. Choking. Blowing unsteady. Over blowing or under blowing. False fingering. Not playing to the beat. Speeding up or slowing down.

42 40 Huge no, no s. Not playing all of a tune (ie: two parts of a four part tune). Missing repeats. Jumbling parts. Making an error and stopping your chanter or going back to repeat a section (this is a break down). Learn to manage your instrument on the day and in the days leading up to a contest. Ensure that it is stable and doesn t get too wet. Learn also to manage your nerves on the day. Both of these come with practice and regular contest performance. Position yourself well back from the judge s table and in a location that allows you to direct your performance to both the judge and the audience. You should be in a position where they both can see and hear you at your best. When your performance is over acknowledge the judge, and give the audience a bow, or at least a nod and a thank you. Argyllshire gathering 1950

43 41 Upcoming events run by the R U Brown Piobaireachd Society of SA Inc. Whilst in Adelaide in 1972, Bob Brown repeatedly expressed a wish that we should regularly come together and play, not in the spirit of competition, but just to listen and enjoy all types and levels of pipe music. The Society now regularly meets to fulfil his wish. The Society welcomes all with an interest in Piobaireachd and the betterment of piping in general. Meetings The Society holds regular meetings on the first Friday of the month. Meetings are held at the Prospect RSL, Wilcox Ave, Prospect SA commencing at the new time of 7:30PM. At meeting nights, pipers are able to play both piobaireachd and light music to those in attendance, or alternatively just come along for a listen. Any person is free to play (including visitors), and they are encouraged to play all styles of music. Entrance is a gold coin donation towards the supplied supper. Everyone is welcome to attend and take advantage of some excellent piping and the friendly atmosphere. Coming Events 3 August 2018 Recital night 5 October 2018 AGM 27 October 2018 Silver Chanter Competition 13/14 April 2019 Gold Medal Competition and Australian Solo Piping Championships Tutorial Nights Tutorials for those wishing to learn piobaireachd are given throughout the year (generally the first Friday of every second month). Tutorial nights are completely free. Experienced pipers will be there to provide tuition on specific tunes to groups of varying levels. Coming Tutorials 6 July 2018 Tutorial night 7 September 2018 Tutorial night Full details for events and tutorials to be found at

44 42 Purchase The Reed Book DVD-Rom at: Also available direct from stockists and various reed makers. What others have to say about the Reed Book DVD-Rom! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about reeds, how they are made, how they work and how to adjust them for whatever result you require. Shawn Husk- Reedmaker I doubt that there is another product that covers so well what this DVD covers highly recommended. P/M Bill Robertson - ex The Royal Scots I have gone through the DVD-Rom thoroughly and find its layout superb...user friendly and a timely addition to your text. This should be a recommended referral for all pipers, especially the experienced who are often in need of true and tried methods... many thanks and all the best. Ken Eller Canada

45 43 Drone Reeds by Ryan Canning 2015 World Pipe Band Champion available from the school of Piping Shop. Carbon Bass Inverted Poly Bass

46 44 Argyllshire Gathering Results for 2018 Senior Piobaireachd 1st Stuart Liddell 2nd Angus D McColl 3rd Finlay Johnston 4th Callum Beaumont 5th Greg Wilson Gold Medal 1st Stuart Easton 2nd Derek Midgley 3rd Glen Brown 4th Peter McCalister 5th Innes Smith Silver Medal 1st Darach Urquhart 2nd Andrew Donlon 3rd Zephan Knichel 4th Greig Canning 5th Alex Gandy Former Winners MSR 1st Angus D. MacColl 2nd Stuart Liddell 3rd Willie McCallum 4th Ian K. MacDonald 5th Bruce Gandy MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd (for qualified pipers 21 years old and younger) 1st Andrew Ferguson 2nd Calum Brown 3rd Robert Allan 4th Josh Chandler Congratulations to Stuart Easton who also won the R U Brown Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal this year and to Josh Chandler who was also a prize-winner at this year s event.

47 45 CLASSIFIED ADS To make use of this service contact us at: Gold Medallist vintage bagpipes always in stock. Ask about what we currently have being refurbished. FOR SALE: grey Ettrick Tweed jacket and waistcoat with black horn buttons. Second hand, but hardly worn. Excellent condition. Size 44R. $250 + postage. Contact schoolofpiping@gmail.com

48 46 PAST EDITIONS: Past editions of Gone Piping Magazine can be downloaded from: