The club is part of a small but dedicated cadre of musicians who will celebrate St. Rude? Brazen? At the very least, out of order?Īctually, it was business as usual at the monthly meetings, which inevitably turn into jam sessions. The Solo season runs from March to November.The Great Northern Irish Pipers Club was in the midst of a discussion when one of the members picked up his bagpipes and started playing a spirited jig. Highland Games and Pipe Band Competitions are held from April to October. It’s not humanly possible to attend all of the top class events and displays held during this week.Īnd that’s just August…. The World Pipe Band Championships are already the climax of a terrific week long festival, “Piping Live”, held in Glasgow on the week prior to the worlds. Good, structured teaching, whilst always available, is now easily accessible through centres such as The College Of Piping and National Piping Centre. Within minutes of a small solo competition in, for example, Lochearnhead, the results are known all over the world via the internet. We have fantastic resources at our disposal, and piping events have grown from being localised affairs to live streamed programmes all over the world. People are aware what good playing is, and should demand it. No one has to suffer the guys torturing the tartan octopus any more.
These days, if you want to hear a good piper, there are loads of recordings available. The Scottish Diaspora has a lot to do with that, sure, but modern media has helped. And lets include Pipe Band Drumming in that. Personally, I think piping, both in Scotland and the wider world, has never been stronger. Anyone who doubts that we punch above our weight should doubt no more after hearing the pipes. And more than that, an instantly identifiable symbol of our nation. Responsible, I believe, for more tears of both sadness and joy than any other. In the right hands, however, the pipes are a beautiful instrument, unlike any other. Loud, however, should not mean discordant, and the GHB has had a hard time fighting against a bad press now and then. Something pretty loud was needed to have a hope of being heard in the heat of battle. It’s true that the pipes have a martial background. While it’s estimated there are 10,000 pipers in Scotland, there may be 100,000 in North America.
Largely due to the British Empire (whatever your thoughts on that) there are Pipe Bands of one sort or another in the armies of countries across the globe. But here, we’re talking about a particular form of pipe, namely the “Great Highland Bagpipe”, and few could argue that the Scots haven’t made it their own.Įven today, when two pipe bands from Canada and one from the Republic of Ireland have won the World Pipe Band Championships, Pipers the world over still look to Scotland as their Mecca, and flock here for both the World Pipe Band Championships, and The Northern Meetings Solo Competition at Inverness, where the coveted Gold Medal is sought. And the pipes still exist in many forms, all over the world. In fact, it has been claimed that Nero didn’t fiddle as Rome burned, but played the pipes. This isn’t really the case, as pipes have existed in many countries since ancient times. Guest Writer Neil Clark writes about Bagpipes: Most people think of bagpipes as an exclusively Scottish instrument.
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