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News The grading of pipers and the


growing numbers of competitors?‘We get support from the promoters, in particular the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting. It is now a question of their accepting the difficulties that do exist at ground level, the issues the Competing Pipers’ Association are dealing with. I think both the major promoters and people like the Scottish Pipers’ Association and Inveraray Games are coming on board in terms of how to manage numbers in creating graded competitions. So I think there has been a move forward even on the part of the ‘big two’ organisations when it comes to accepting that there is a real issue there that they need to grasp. ‘Another achievement I feel has


been the acceptance that Senior Judges no longer have to have won the Gold Medal to qualify for this status. I think there were a lot of good, top level players who just hadn’t won the Medal but had won major prizes like the Bratach Gorm and the Dunvegan Medal.There was a need to change that definition so that has now been done.’ Asked if he thought there was


room for the grading of judges within the pipe band association, MrWilson said: ‘I think if we took a poll of current pipe bands, probably the Grade 1 pipe bands, the information you would get would be that there probably should be some form of grading. When you look at the development of medley playing and you look at how sophisticated that it has become, there are pipe majors


who would argue that not every person who is on the adjudication list is well placed to judge say, for example, a medley at Grade 1 level.To the association’s credit they do have formal qualifications and certification for their adjudicators which you don’t get in the solo world. ‘Nowadays I think it is good that


solo piping and pipe band playing are seen on the same plain. It has always vexed me that in this country you were either a band player or a soloist and ne’er the twain would meet. It is good to recognise that there is nothing wrong with being a top band player and a top soloist.That aspect of things is good, but when it comes down to the judging maybe there is a place for keeping that slight sense of informality in our solo judging.To go down the road of


formal educational


qualifications and all that that entails is a difficult thing to manage and maybe the parameters that we use in solo piping based on track record as a player and background in terms of tuition are basic and traditional and have great value. I am not unhappy that we don’t go down the academic road.’ Asked about the possibility of


band judges coming together to discuss performances before issuing a result he said: ‘There is talk of consultative judging in bands coming back. I think this is vitally important, and not because we want to correct discrepancies. It is not about papering over the cracks. Given the size of bands and drum corps, apart from anything else, piping and drumming judges can miss things and when


PipingTimes now available for iPad 7


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