Archive
No matter the prizes, you’ve really made it as a piper when a tune becomes synonymous with your name. For at least 30 years, “Lament for the Viscount of Dundee” has been part of Colin MacLellan’s identity as a piper. Actually, it might go back further, to 1982, when he […]
The publication of The MacIsaac Collection – Volume 1 was an ideal time to check in with him, not only about the book, but also about his composing process. It’s food for thought for any creative piper or pipe band drummer hoping to try their hand at composing, or ready to take a different approach to making original music.
pipes|drums readers can win a terrific prize package from our friends at R.G. Hardie & Co. by predicting the top-five overall winners at the 2026 Glenfiddich on October 31 at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Scotland!
The venerable Scottish Pipers’ Association is staging its annual Juvenile Solo Piping Competition on December 5th in Glasgow, and young pipers can enter starting Tuesday, October 27th, at 19:00 GMT. Pipers can compete in 18 and Younger and 15 and Younger in familiar Piobaireachd and light music genres, plus a four-part […]
The 100% Collective of 28 female pipers and drummers from the world’s Grade 1 bands, with Drum-Major Emma Barr at the front, marched down the streets of Quiberon, Brittany, on October 25, 2026, on the way to the Festival Presqu’île Breizh, a major Breton cultural event attended by more than […]
Kyle Wardell has joined Grade 1 Simon Fraser University after only five months as lead-drummer of Grade 1 78th Fraser Highlanders, and several sources have confirmed that Grade 2 Ottawa Highlanders’ lead drummer, Mark Passmore and most of his drum section have joined, with Passmore as lead-drummer. Ottawa Highlanders under […]
The MacIsaac Collection of Pipe Music Volume 1 Compiled, edited and published by Matt MacIsaac 75 compositions and arrangements by the author Available from Matt MacIsaac Music CAD$65 (~£34) print + pdf; CAD$25 (~£13) pdf only Reviewed by Brodie Watson-Massey I thought I knew “The Little Cascade” inside out. Then Matt MacIsaac put it into […]
Pipe Bands Australia, the collective body that manages the vast country’s six state pipe band associations, elected a new national leadership team, including David Doyle as president, at its annual general meeting on October 18th: President: David Doyle, Tasmania (succeeds Ainsley Hart, 2020-’06) Secretary: Joel Solak, Tasmania (Phil Weber, 2020-’26) […]
The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association has appointed Meaghan Lyons as its next chief executive officer, one of the most important roles in the piping and drumming world. Lyons will officially succeed Colin Mulhern in March 2027, following a transitional post at the RSPBA’s Washington Street headquarters in Glasgow beginning […]
“When players leave your band for another band, they haven’t been ‘poached.’ I’m going to challenge you to consider that perhaps you didn’t answer these questions for them and therefore they voted with their feet.”
After a confusing week of social media rumours and conflicting information, BBC Scotland and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association eventually aligned, confirming that the BBC’s livestream of the 2027 World Pipe Band Championships remains undecided. But the broadcast remains under threat as the UK public broadcaster faces £500 million […]
Kerr McQuillan of Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia won the 2026 World Solo Drumming Championship at Glasgow Caledonian University, taking the world’s most prestigious solo snare drumming title in a field of 33 competitors from around the world. This is McQuillan’s third world title, and his second consecutive win.
Glasgow – October 17, 2026 – After the semi-final, the 12 competitors vying for the 2026 World Solo Pipe Band Snare Drumming title have been decided (alphabetical by last name): Richard Black, Hawthorn, Australia Blair Brown, St. Thomas Alumni, USA Alex Buchanan, Field Marshal Montgomery, Northern Ireland Derek Cooper, Ulster […]
Glasgow Caledonian University will once again be the venue for the World Solo Pipe Band Snare Drumming Championships on Saturday, October 17, 2026, featuring the 33 competitors who qualified for the semi-final heats through seven competitions around the world, including defending champion Kerr McQuillan of Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate […]
After more than 35 years with the Los Angeles Scots as a piper and current pipe-major, Scott MacDonald is retiring as a competing member, with Highland Society of London Gold Medallist and former Grade 1 band leader Douglas Murray of Fife, Scotland, taking over the top spot. As LA Scots’ […]
Lochnell Castle, Argyll, Scotland – October 10, 2026 – With a second in the Piobaireachd and a third in the MSR, Thomas Fallon of Edinburgh won the 2026 Lochnell Championship at the annual invitational competition organized by the Argyllshire Gathering Trust. Eight pipers competed at the event. Magnus Stone of […]