Pipe major

He went on to an army career after that with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

He saw action with them and became Pipe Major in 2018.

He's moved on from the army now.

He teaches at George Watson's College in Edinburgh.

But maybe we can look at this from a different perspective, from a different angle.

Are we giving broadcast companies what they want out of the World Pipe Band Championships? And I raise this simply as a question.

Is this a catalyst to make us think, oh, maybe we could do it differently? Because if you think about it, yes, all of us who are really into pipe bands will linger on every nuance of the performances when they come in the bands what are they sounding like what are the the tempo changes like what are the harmonies like this year who's come up with new material and so on but for a wider audience which let's face it is what we need if we're going to continue to attract broadcasters who will um want to broadcast our product and so let's say for example this year uh independent production company company does come in um are are they going to make enough money by selling it if you like to just the hardcore of us who thought who like to listen to pipe bands in detail do we have to change the product that's the question i'm raising and it would be great to get your thoughts on that so for example when when we march into a circle um we face inwards it's the first thing we do we we turn our back on the audience face each other and face inwards and yes of course we can hear things better see each other better so probably get well certainly get a better performance because of that but is it the best is it time perhaps to think about um the other format that has often been suggested for decades now i have to say a kind of com rather than competition format a kind of concert setup physically in the arena where you have a horseshoe of pipers and the drum corps perhaps on risers behind the thing that we're very used to doing and seeing and hearing now in concerts with the pipe major perhaps conducting as it were from the front so that basically all the musicians are facing the audience is it time to do that even just in the top grade in grade one or would that be the tail wagging the dog should we continue doing what we want to do and if the broadcasters aren't interested then that's just the way it is i don't know what are your thoughts do drop me a line do drop me an email eyp at gary west dot scot eyp for enjoy your piping at gary west dot scot what do you think is it time for change or um is it not do we keep doing what we're doing in the way we're doing it and see where that gets us let's hear your thoughts here's a pipe band performance from 20 years ago in the arena a canadian band here beginning their march into the circle with the axe man this is the alberta caledonia pipe band[pipe band music] The sound of the Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band recorded at the World Pipe Band Championships in 2006.

Um, The Axeman was the first tune there, Donald Cameron's Powder Horn.

You can find me on TikTok at thebeardykay.

Or you can find me on TikTok at, um, pipemajor_liamhbuchanan, or you can follow my band on Facebook, The Lerrick Royal Brits Legion Pipe Band.

Shoot us a message.

Tell us what you w- you want to hear on the podcast.

And yeah, if you go on to the YouTube channel, you can see a couple of those videos.

I also got some videos and stuff for behind the scenes for the band and for Pipe Major, just so you can listen to the band and see where it needs improved and stuff.

But yeah, I will say the results were pretty one-sided and one band's favour, and that band was Cobarkin.

I heard they had a few good runs.

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That's a good note for any pipe majors listening.

If you are sitting at your band on a practice night, if there's people in your band that's just sitting with their faces in their phones or they're not talking to everyone else, there's something not right there.