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The big Glasgow Fair fortnight of contests is almost upon us with the first tranche happening on July 17. Looking at the calendar it is surprising how many of the games clash. Organisers should plan a bit better for next year. On the 17th alone we have Balloch, Tomintoul, Inverness and Taynuilt. The real stinker is July 25th when Lochearnhead, Airth and Halkirk clash with the Euro PB Champs at Inverclyde. Entries are bound to suffer and I know Lochearnhead, where we sponsor the junior piob., are trawling for names. Get along and support them if you can.
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on the summer school. Willie Morrison and
Gordon Walker (above with class) are in to supplement our usual teachers. Incidentally Gordon Bruce, the piping instructor for West Lothian, tells me he is putting on a recital in Livingston on July 17 starring Gordon and Stewart Liddell. Get tickets at the Box Office 01506 777666. Gordon B apologies for the deliberate mistakes in the poster (above right). Can you spot them? Answers below.
Willie has a number of students one of whom is from Paris. When he told me I picked him up wrongly and thought he said Harris. Visions of him conversing in Gaelic and using the new Gaelic Tutor 1 ran through my head until the French connection was pointed out later.
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Dugald MacNeill is back from our school in California and it went very well he tells me. He had a set of McCallum pipes to auction from which he raised quite a bit of moolah for the CoP. On Dugald's behalf I want to say a big thank you to Stewart and Kenny for their generosity.
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Nothing much new on the cops to tell you but I see the band website is still down. All the page states is 'This domain name has been reserved for future use'. By whom I wonder. Any reader checking and finding it up again might like to let me know. Here's the link.
Nothing much new on the cops to tell you but I see the band website is still down. All the page states is 'This domain name has been reserved for future use'. By whom I wonder. Any reader checking and finding it up again might like to let me know. Here's the link.
Disconcerting too is the story currently running in the press that forces throughout the land are facing major cutbacks and all may be amalgamated into one Scottish police force in the future. What would happen to the various police bands then?
The Strath. Pol. PB petition has received a boost from the Musicians Union. They've emailed their thousands of members with the link and I see quite a few have signed up. Good to see our fellow instrumentalists are on side. Thank you MU!
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Got our copy of the Piping Live! programme last week. Certainly very busy five or six days ahead. You see just what happens when the CoP and PT get on side. You can check out the festival website to earmark your must see events and then book your tickets on line here. The band quartet event look interesting and the Silver Cap is a must. And don't forget the SFU concert which is not in the programme.
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Answers: Liddell spelt with two Ls instead of three; Gordon pic is reversed showing him playing on right shoulder.





