Newsletter for April 2018
Pipe Major’s Report
A lot of musical changes have happened in the band over the last 12 months. We have started by standardising the settings of the tunes to those of the Scots Guards’ Books where possible or finding suitable settings that are musical and consistent in their writing. Secondly, the we have re-vamped our Set Lists to give greater balance to the play-outs and parades that we appear at and also to set goals for the musical progress of the band over the next couple of years. Finally, the band has made a long-term investment of new R.G. Hardie Chanters from Scotland and Murray Chanter Reeds from Western Australia. This has enabled the band re-gain a strong and more consistent tone and drastically improved tuning and intonation for the band on the whole. I wish to thank our Pipe Sergeant, Vic Groenhout and Pipe Corporal, Fin Parsons for their huge contribution in tutoring of all of the pipers and learners. At this point, we say goodbye for the short term to Fin as he embarks on an adventure in the UK playing with some pipe bands over there and gaining invaluable experience.
– David Barnard
Castlemaine Highland Pipe Band 