Everything you always wanted to know about playing in solo bagpipe contests

Or "Observations of a solo adjudicator after the combined R U Brown solo piping contest and Australian Solo Championships 2019" This article offers some thoughts about HOW to go about competing in solo contests for those inexperienced in doing so.  Perhaps it will also generate some ongoing online discussion and hopefully encourage more pipers to …

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Great piper ≠ great teacher ≠ great judge ≠ great Pipe Major

Today I had a critique sheet I had written fed back to me from nearly two years ago.   I remembered the particular performance, because it involved an uncharacteristic “train wreck” on the part of the performing band in their final tune. It reminded me that people often don’t realise that judging is a skill of …

Strathspeys are not so hard to play

In my opinion, the strathspey and reel are the crown jewels of light music. Outside of Grade 1 bands, I rarely hear strathspeys played well, by bands or soloists. Even among A grade soloists I hear in NSW, I don’t believe the correct way of playing strathspeys is widely understood. Strathspeys require some strong finger …