‘Iain MacPherson, the current Pipe Sergeant has great experience.......’ PIPE MAJORS

Championship in 2003. Donald MacKay took over from Jimmy. Under Donald’s leadership the band won three championships and these were good times. I was appointed pipe sergeant in Donald's last season in the band.

When Don Bradford took

over, I continued as pipe sergeant. Don is very talented with his own very recognisable style. His prolifi c compositions meant that throughout the later part of the nineties and the fi rst decade of this century there was hardly a band in Grade 1 that didn’t play one of his compositions. I remember we used to joke about how he kept writing opening tunes for the other bands who would go on to win the worlds. Iain MacPherson, the current Pipe Sergeant in

the band, has great experience having played under P/M Ian McLellan and it is important that you can connect with someone musically when you lead a band. Both of us being ‘teuchters’, it seems to work well! I think when you

Duncan on the whistle at Celtic Connections

are in this position you need someone who you can click with to cover all the various aspects that go into running a band.

T e only drum corps I know in competitive bands

is Eric Ward’s corps. I suppose you get spoilt when you are used to hearing such a high standard of drumming and you end up thinking that it is normal. Sometimes it's not until you take a break from playing that you realise how fortunate you are to be able to rely on them.

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APRIL 2014 Pipe Band Magazine

11