have any of you guys ever seen a competition pipe bands drumline or a comp pipe band? Although the approach to some things are different than in the rest of the marching community it is awesome. Some of the grade 1 bands realy cram some serious notes(this is like Div.I DCI) these boys can play, and as far as rudimental snare laying goes these boys have got it down. Just wondering if anyone has ever tried to check out some of this stuff. Just trying to broaden your horizons boys. Let me know.

i heard a pipe band competition.
I didn't know you can do such snare licks to bag pipes :-D

my instructors past girlfriend was in one. they were awsome. they mostly performe in perades.

Yeah the grade 2 and grade 1 bands play some insane notes. If you guys think DCI drumlines are ramming notes go listen to a competition band play.

yea dude. My high school has a scottish theme so wer currently have a pipe band. This has been going on since around 1950 so its improved a bit. I of course play the snare drum but i'm not at the level to play grade 1. I knew a few people who are in grade 1 and yes it is true. IIt is a different style from what drumline is but its a great experiance. SO i know a bit about this subject. IF you got any questions ask away, ill be looking forward to helping people understand how great of a druming style this is.

Rock on Kod29. I love it. The style is very different is so true. But talk about some of the best rudimental players. I kind of favor the massed bands 4/4 myself I love the five strokes in the first part. I realy hope they give us another forum. I would love to see a post in the snare playing forum about some scottish rudimental snare playing.

I love that stuff. I didn't know they had competitions though. I'd love to see one! Ironman...let me know since we're in the same area.

i played in the Carnegie Pipes and Drums, under P/M Alasdair Gillies. It was still some of the toughest stuff I've ever played -- and we were a Grade III band at the time. Although, our grade was more a fact that, as a university band, we only got out for the very beginning and very end of the season (over the summer, pretty much). Kind of tough to accumulate a lot of points over a season when you only go to 4 games ;-) The book we played was closer to a grade II book, for both pipes and drums. Having one of the world's best pipers as your pipe major helps a bit with it ;-) As well as having two of the world's only bagpipe majors in the band =)

b

Yes I have seen it. I have been in pipe bands for almost 7 years now. First Boston then Cleveland. Pretty good stuff. Not good on a cold and snowy [expletive deleted]. Patricks Day.

I'm in a pipe band in Austin, and it's... different. That's for sure. If anything, it's both easier and more difficult than some DCI stuff - easier in that the writing is much more built around the beat, with less phrasing designed to confuse the ear, but much more rudimental, so there's often a *lot* more notes crammed in there!

Yes pipe drumming is much more into note ramming. Alot of times it seems that the drum parts have nothing at all to do with what the pipes are playing.

Yes it follows the melody in terms of accents but that is mostly because of the history behind the music we play. Those guys in the Gordon Highlanders where not exactly musical geniouses. The note ramming I am refering to is the stupid amount of paradiddle combinations and fast singles.

Here's some Pipe Band vid's at these two sites
http://imageevent.com/buzz/mefromglasgow
http://imageevent.com/buzz/pleasantonvideos

Enjoy
Buz

Yeah, I got pressed into service here at The Citadel for their drumline. We're all corps style drummers converted (sort of) into pipe snare drummers. Its definitly a different style, technique-wise as well. The technique is very loose grip, lot of thumb with the left hand, a lot more movement in the arm. Definitly taking some time to get used to it. It gave/is giving me more trouble to play with the technique rather than the notes, I can break down/learn the music, but my pipe band snare technique isn't great.

One of our freshman here is a grade 1, he's pretty good. Our instructor is grade 1 too, plays with Washington. I don't know too much about it, I still know more corp style than anything, but sick drumming is still sick drumming no matter what kind of style.

When you say he plays with Washington, would you happen to mean City of Washington Pipe Band? Because my instructor plays there too.

Yeah, that's who he plays with for grade 1 band. When he's living at home in Charleston he plays with the Charleston Police band (they're grade 4...probably should be at least grade 3).

I toured with the Argylle & Sutherland Pipe Band from Edinburgh, Scotland. I played the pipes and often the "side drum", as the the snare section is called.

http://www.digitalpersonality.com/BeerTent-1.wmv

This a video of the St. Andrew's Society of Fredricton. Grade 2 out of Fredricton Canada. These guys have been playing together forever. We've got some pretty good coverage of the corps for you. This is in a less formal setting than competition. It takes place in every Pipe Band afficinado's favourite place - the Beer Tent.

http://www.digitalpersonality.com/CoW_Alexandria.wmv

This is a 12 minute video of the City of Washington Pipe Band practicing at the Virginia Scottish Games in Alexandria. Lead Drummer is jon Quigg - my personal instructor. Jon's style is a combination of many influences - the Swiss Bassel Style, Scottish, Fife and Drum Corps and a little DCI thrown in for kicks.Again I get up close on the hands. City of Washington is a Grade 1 Band.

For those that don't know Competitions for pipe bands are done in grades Grade 5 in the US and Canada is the beginners Grade and Grade is basically where the professionals play. Its the Big Leagues.

Enjoy.

Ah yeah, Jon Quigg. I got to be a runner for him when he was judging a game one time. That was kinda cool. Great hands, definitely knows that style inside and out. Our pipe band's drumline instructor, Will Dillahey (great drummer himself, he has won some titles) knows him, speaks highly of him too. Those guys can definitely play some freaking notes.

Jon Quigg! Yeah man, that's him! Holy crap, that's just awesome.

Apparently he even has a tenor flourish named after him. I never realized that our modest little Grade 5-4 band brought in the best.

Don't get me wrong, I never should have doubted. He actually played something to show off a little last week, and it just blew me away. That's so cool.

Well I have competed in a pipe competition, with High Desert Pipes and Drums, from New mexico and I also compete with my high school marching band, and i'll tell you what, they are very different. the snare music in pipe bands is more melodic(or however you spell that), you can hear the pipe part in the snare music, comparred to drum corp stuff wear it is very rythmic and pulsy. I enjoy it very much and reccommend it to anyone who wants to improve their skill greatly.

I play with pipe band that is a non competing pipe band but just returned from Scotland where I attended the world pipe band championships which were awesome. There were deffinately some very good drum lines there would impress even hard core DCI drummers. The big difference between pipe band drumming and corps style drummming is in the approach to the music. In pipe band drumming rolls are deffinately pressed a lot more than they would be in DCI and the snare is not used to keep the tempo but rather to accentuate and emphesise what the pipes are playing as well as to provide dynamics because bagpipes are not able to fluctuate their valume. The tenor drums provide melody and a bit of flare with their mallet twirling and the bass drum is responsible for the beat and the tempo.

I joined the Greater Richmond Pipes and Drums here in Virginia at the beginning of this season and have really had a blast. The Scottish style drumming community doesn't really get the praise it deserves here in the states, but I believe that soon the growing exposure will help the craft along.

Good on you...

I don't know a single pipe band that isn't looking for drummers nearly all the time.

Including us

Colorado Skye Pipes and Drums

You hear that all you Colorado people!

The thing that I most like about PipeBand Druming in competition it's great for us older guys who have aged out and still get to play competively.

Yep... a life long outlet for rudimental drumming.

Got to see y'all in Kansas City this year - fun group to watch!

Mike

I am bummed that I will be missing KC this year due to work. I wish I could figure out a way to swing it.

I currently am on the snare line for City Of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band in Melbourne, Australia. It is quite different from DCI stuff although i would consider, like MikeN, pipe band drumming to be more rudimental. I also find pipe band snare music a lot easier to read.

Yeah, I got my HS kids to start using Swiss notation, and it's made life *soooo* much easier on snare.

Mike

well i grew up with pipe abnd drumming my dad been in one since i was born and hes brought me to understand it. my dad was in a grade4 pipe band in the 70s and they were good they won supreme championship after supreme championship now me and him are both in a non competitive stereet band we do fun competitions but hes over the whoel competition thing and i have tried DCI and honnestly pipe band drumming is snugglebunny better of a style in my eyes theres more of a flow to it and harder to draw up blanks in the middle of a performance