(BAGPIPES PLAY)
The highland bagpipes...
..an iconic instrument.
Its distinctive call has been used in warfare for hundreds of years.
But now modern pipe bands go to battle in a different way.
(FLOURISHES)
In August,
bands from across the globe gather in Scotland
for three internationally renowned competitions.
Just keep it calm!
Piping Live,
the North Berwick Highland Games
and the ultimate clash of the piping clans...
It's gettin' a bit real now!
..the World Pipe Band Championships...
Come on, (BLEEP) sake, guys!
..where civilian bands compete against each other...
There's a rivalry between a lot of bands.
..blow-by-blow...
My one dying wish,
I wish you all keep that tempo just for once!
..for the ultimate honour...
Listen in! Concentrate!
..to be crowned...
Let's go!
..the World Pipe Band champions!
(CHEERING)
Coming up,
the UK bagpipe competition season is in full swing!
So many things that could go wrong!
Pipe teams are gearing up for the World Championships,
including holders of the crown, Field Marshal Montgomery...
We've got a bit to go to get back to where we were last year
but I think the potential's there to get there.
..Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate...
If you chase a good performance, in the end the results'll come!
..Inverary and District.
You have to be absolutely bulletproof with what you're doing.
And it's just days before the worlds
where two of our bands go head-to-head
in the North Berwick Highland Games.
The differences between performances,
you can hardly put a credit card between them!
We meet a young, ambitious band...
Come on, you're startin' to get a wee bit tired way too early!
Let's go!
..also piping for a prize.
That's probably the tempo I want out there!
We join the army's top pipers and drummers...
Ah, yeah, centre!
Quick march!
..as they prepare for His Majesty King Charles III's coronation...
OK, troops, close in! Close in!
..in the Battle of the Bagpipes!
The North Berwick Highland Games are the penultimate contest before the worlds
and our grade one bands are in the thick of rehearsals.
This year's underdogs, Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate,
with Ross Harvey at the helm...
I'm not one to dilly-dally gettin' back into things,
we've only got a few practices before we're really up and running, OK,
so give me a couple of marches in!
..and leading drummer, 19-year-old Kerr McQuillan...
..are pushing for a win.
It's finding the little 1%s
and the bits of detail that can give us the edge over our competitors.
Current world champions,
Richard Parks and Field Marshal Montgomery,
will not be attending,
choosing to conserve their energy for the big one.
When you win the World Championship you are viewed as the best pipe band in the world
and I think you've proven that you're the best pipe band in the world.
Their absence could benefit one of this season's main challengers,
Inverary and District,
led by Stuart Liddell.
Slow is OK, slow is all right as long as it flows
and it's together!
For 17-year-old Connor Eckert from California,
it will be his first games with this band
and the pressure is on.
The buildup to the competition,
leading up to it is definitely the worst part of it, at least for me,
but when you're in the circle it's much easier.
This week's contest will be a dress rehearsal for the worlds
and a chance to rattle their rivals!
And it's not just grade one bands taking part in the games...
(PLEASANT TUNE)
On the outskirts of Glasgow, in the town of Johnstone...
..Keith Bowes,
the pipe major of the Renfrewshire Schools Band,
is on his way to rehearse for the competition.
We really do have an awesome group of young people at the moment.
It's interesting,
because you have a lot of young people that take to it like a duck to water.
Coming from a family of pipers,
Keith has been brought up playing in bands
and competing is in his DNA.
The championships, for me, are vital.
They push standards.
You push yourself to be the best version of yourself.
Keith's band is made up of 25 youngsters of all ages.
They compete in the Novice Juvenile B Category,
which means weekly rehearsals are key.
Right, go into your positions, then.
So, the plan for tonight is just like every other band practice,
OK, but obviously catered towards this Saturday.
Try and relax,
try and not worry about things going on around you.
It was free piping tuition at school
that started most of these teenagers on their piping path.
There are a lot of schools in Scotland now with...
With pipe bands, juvenile pipe bands, school pipe bands.
And I think that grass roots level promotion of piping...
..is such a kind of positive pathway for pipers and drummers.
Quick march!
The fact that there's a grading system
allows people to, you know, progress in their own playing
and, if they want to,
start off in a novice juvenile band and work their way up to grand one.
There's a real progression route there.
One, two...
Stop, stop, stop, stop!
Guys, you just did all the...
All the opposite of what I asked!
(VOCALISING)
Come on, you can do better than that!
One of the big challenges with any pipe band is tuning.
With the pipes,
because of the physical elements of it
and this...
This variation we can have in moisture
in each different breath and reeds
and everyone blows a bit differently,
you've got an instrument that's essentially constantly changing.
Electronic drone tuners have been a great invention
because someone can go around tuning the band
and the drones are all the same.
Many of the band members have piping in their blood.
Seventeen-year-old Maisie MacFarlane lives in Johnstone with her family
and has been playing the pipes since she was a wee girl.
My dad always played when we were growing up,
it was the background to my childhood!
He was very inspirational.
I mean, when you see your dad do it
and when somebody plays the pipes
you could see the joy the pipes brought everybody
and I wanted to bring that to everybody else!
I got a practice chanter for my eighth birthday
and two months later I started learning
and then my dad started teaching me just the basics!
From the beginning,
Maisie's always had her eye on the century-old set of pipes
that once belonged to her great-grandfather.
It's a big thing to me because, uh, you know, I have...
My grandfather's pipes have come down to me through the years.
Pipes need to be played
and I need to pass these on to someone
and, uh, none better than your own family
to carry forward the tradition!
Immensely proud,
I hope it continues
and keep the culture and the art goin'.
But it's the element of competition that this young piper thrives on!
I'm very competitive!
Um, yeah, I think competition brings out the best in me!
Drives me to work hard for it!
One, two...
So, I need the same amount of energy going to the low A as you do in the D!
(VOCALISING)
That pitch... (CONTINUES)
Yes, you must get that pitch in your head!
I'm just trying to push them, trying to get the next level.
I'm quite driving at times with them,
possibly too much at times,
but it is for their benefit.
Fifteen-year-old Aaron Hughes first picked up the pipes at school four years ago.
It's just somethin' to enjoy,
you always have
and I love the sound of them,
I'm always watchin' pipe music on YouTube.
It's like a sport,
competin' against other teams, keepin' fit for the season.
And the only negative about it is they are too loud
and destroyin' my ears!
I'd like the same progression between now and this Saturday
and then every single band practice and competition all the way up to the worlds.
You wouldn't want to miss out for the sake of a couple of minutes of stamina, OK?
And remember, it's about the...
The team game here.
Band, out, quick march.
The distinct sound bagpipes make is all down to their complex construction.
The instrument has pretty much stayed the same throughout the centuries,
however there's now a few high-tech twists...
Here in Kilmarnock,
McCallum Bagpipes have been making pipes for the last 25 years...
..producing 50 sets per week!
The demand is getting more and more for bagpipes, I think,
and it surprises me how many pipes are played in places all over the world
that you wouldn't expect pipes to be played!
Eighty percent of the pipes made here are exported around the globe,
from California to the Middle East.
The Sultan of Oman was educated in St Andrews
and he loved the sound of the pipes
so when he went back and became the sultan
he made all the regiments have pipe bands
but they've got three mounted pipe bands,
two on camels, one on horses,
and their big problem, they said to us,
was that they were...
Literally, the way that a camel moves,
it was literally knocking their teeth out!
We came up with a great idea of a very flexible blowpipe.
We call it the camel-friendly blowpipe
and we sent it to them
and, of course, they absolutely adored it!
They just loved it,
especially the guys that were losing their teeth!
It's the company's use of high-tech computer numerical control machinery
that lures in piping fanatics.
It takes eight hours
to transform the 14 blocks of African blackwood required for one set of bagpipes.
Clarinets, oboes,
they're all made from this same material.
It's got very good tonal qualities.
It's good for repelling moisture and it makes a good bagpipe!
These beautifully decorated pipes would be redundant without reeds,
the thin strips of material that vibrate to make the sound.
Slips are made from cane
which are then shaped, soaked and wrapped around the staple...
..and that produces the final chanter reed.
Once all the bagpipe components are made,
it's time to attach the pipes to the bag.
This is, uh, one of the synthetic bags that we use.
You can still get sheepskin bag
but the beauty of synthetic bags is because they come with zips
it allows us then to be able to fit a moisture control system,
so it's much more practical.
After ten hours of craftsmanship,
the set of highland bagpipes are ready to be played.
It's the morning of the North Berwick Highland Games
and an early start for Keith Bowes and his Renfrewshire Schools Band.
It's a really strong contest today.
We've got bands over from America,
there's a band from Zimbabwe,
so they're the kind of bands that we know are good from previous years of competing...
..and they've never played at North Berwick before,
so this is a new experience for them,
so that makes it a wee bit more exciting.
I suppose you always get nervous on the day of a competition,
so many things that could go wrong!
If I just stay concentrated, I should be fine
but anything that breaks my concentration could be DISASTROUS!
Right, can I have everyone's attention, please?
We've got one performance today,
so you can afford to put ALL of the energy into that one performance!
Have fun, good luck and let's play well!
Thank you!
Woo!
(STIRRING MUSIC)
Every August,
dozens of civilian pipe bands from across the globe descend upon East Lothian
to compete at these games.
Highland Games are hugely important to the piping world and calendar
but also to that wider Scottish cultural landscape...
..and piping has always been very much a part of that.
Highland Games can be dated back to the 11th century,
used by clan chieftains to select their best soldiers...
..but now they're a meeting of the community
where pipe bands can showcase their skills.
Having a run-out at a games like North Berwick
gives you the opportunity to get that last bit of practice,
get that last bit of nerves out before you go and play the big one.
Everybody still wants to win
but you're going out to get the experience
because playing in the circle on the day of a competition
is different from playing in the band hall.
Bands from all levels are competing today,
from the juveniles, like Renfrewshire Schools Band...
Let's really pick out... (VOCALISES)
One, two...
(VOCALISING)
..through to the grade ones,
including last year's winner, Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate,
led by pipe major Ross Harvey.
You always have to believe that you've got what it takes.
But ultimately you need to deliver the performances.
We know because of the results
we have in us to be the best on any given day
but what makes competing exciting is that it's not a given
that any band's gonna be the same week in, week out,
so that's why we keep doin' it!
Helping Ross to keep that momentum going is leading drummer, Kerr.
It's a big day for the band,
we've got to be on point and doin' everythin' right.
But competition will be tough...
Ross and his band will be playing against multiple winners
Inverary and District,
led by Stuart Liddell.
Grade one is serious,
it's a different game, in my opinion,
than a football game or a running race.
Uh, it's very subjective.
So, the best thing is to concentrate on the performance itself
and the music itself
and be the best you can be.
Stuart expects the very best performance from his band
but some things are out of his control,
like the unpredictable Scottish weather!
The weather can have huge effects on piping.
We're essentially blowing kind of hot, damp air into a sealed bag
so there's an internal environment there
and then there's the chance of moisture gettin' onto the reeds,
which affects their tuning and their steadiness.
If you're playing in a band,
you're definitely gonna be affected by the weather and the climate.
You could be tuning up in the sun,
cloud comes over, few degrees colder,
the pipes need retuned!
The weather is a risk
but it's one Ross is prepared to take for now...
If it gets too wet today we wouldn't play,
but the way it's looking it's a bit showery on and off, just a case of managin' it.
But just as the bands are starting to warm up...
Get the covers on!
Tenors under the trees!
Today's weather is a little bit touch and go.
A typical Scottish day!
We don't want the instruments to get wet, either.
If we get a real downpour, we'll probably ask to scratch today
but I'm hoping that it stays good for the afternoon.
Does it looks like it's gonna ease off? No!
Today's competition could be a wash-out for the pipes and drums...
..but one thing the rain hasn't stopped is the Highland dancing!
The history of Highland dancing, um, goes back many years
when it was only men that were allowed to dance.
Um, the females were forbidden to put on a kilt
and go up to dance.
So, they fought and fought for quite a few years
and they won their battle
and now it's more a female-orientated sport!
Competing in today's sword dance is 15-year-old Imogen McConville.
It's actually based off of the rituals that soldiers used to do
before war for good luck over the swords,
so it's difficult
and if you kick your sword then you're in trouble!
On the other side of the field...
Quick march!
..the grade one bands are getting ready to compete.
They will perform twice.
The first is the march, strathspey and reel.
Composed, relaxed, sharp!
Known as the MSR,
this traditional set of three tunes comprises the march,
whose roots are in the military,
and the strathspey and reel,
two dances that are highly technical to play.
But right now, they're warming up for the medley,
a freestyle amalgamation of different tunes.
It's a tight competition
but Inverary and District have a trick up their sleeve
that could give them the edge.
In our medley competition, we have the chanter cut off.
It's really hard to do,
especially under the pressure of being a competition.
So, yeah, fingers crossed we'll pull it off!
Because the pipes have a continuous sound all the time,
you've got your three drones going all the time,
the melody comes from the chanter.
With a slight drop in pressure,
you can cut the sound out the chanter,
so it takes a little bit of practice to do that.
But with nine other bands to beat it won't be a walk in the park,
especially with their rivals hot on their heels...
Don't rush ahead, listen to what they're doing!
Tenors, watch the runs,
we need to clock onto the timing, just listen into the pipes,
listen to Ross at all times!
Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate are the current holders of the Highland Games Trophy
so they need to keep focused to retain their title.
As pipe major,
you're trying to make sure that the overall package is working together,
so you're thinking a lot about tempo and transitions
and just little details that can try and get the performance tighter.
We've got some really good performances under our belts so far,
so it's, uh...
It's game on!
The North Berwick Highland Games are now in full swing...
(CHEERING)
..and the grade one bands are ready to battle it out
in the first of their performances,
the medley contest.
The medleys have to be five to seven minutes long,
um, so it's quite a tall order,
whereas in the lower grades you might have a march medley
where you have to play a couple of marches.
During the medley,
both pipes and drums will be under scrutiny,
with two trophies to play for.
And up first, the current holders.
From Midlothian,
the Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate
Caledonia Pipe Band!
(CHEERING)
In the crowd,
waiting to absorb every note is novice piper, Aaron.
I really like Boghall,
especially, um, this year.
I started listening to them a lot more,
picked up a few of their tunes from the medleys.
They're really in tune, compared to last year.
They've kind of, like, stepped it up
so I'm actually quite hopeful for them this year
for the worlds as well,
they're really good!
The band may have a new superfan
but the people they really need to impress are the adjudicators.
In a pipe band competition, there are four judges.
You have two piping judges,
a drumming judge...
..and an ensemble judge.
Your two piping judges are specifically listening to the pipe core.
They're listening for things like unison playing,
tone and tuning, musicality and expression.
Your drumming judge is doing something very similar with the drum core.
Listening for unison playing,
listening for dynamics...
..listening for the arrangement of the drum scores.
And then your ensemble judge is sort of looking at the whole picture.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
With Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate's medley over,
it's now time for pipe major Stuart to lead his band out.
I am absolutely delighted to welcome
the tour de force of the Inverary and District Pipe Band!
Listening to the band's every blow is adjudicator John Wilson.
It really does come down to musical interpretation,
musical arrangements,
how they present that
and the impact it has on you as an adjudicator.
So, you literally can't put a credit card between these performances!
So, at the end of the day it really does come down to what grabbed you emotionally,
what excited you
and that's where you really have to look into your musical soul.
But will the band's chanter stop impress the adjudicators?
Yes, that was the chanter stop!
To the untrained ear, it's easily missed
and as it's a break from tradition it's a risky move
that may or may not pay off...
Bagpipes aren't just associated with civilian bands.
This musical instrument has deep-rooted history in the military,
with its origins dating back to clan battles.
Music was always hugely important in the...
In the court, in the castle of the clan chief,
not only as a form of entertainment
but as part of the...
The retelling of genealogies.
So, we're talking around the late 15th
and into the 16th century.
It's no surprise, then,
that, in a period of increasing conflict,
of increased warfare,
that an instrument that is loud, that is vigorous,
that is strong
begins to...
To dominate.
Any conflict that Scots have been involved in,
typically they have gone into battle to the sound of bagpipes.
It was well-known during the First World War, for instance,
that the kilted regiments with their pipers
were called The Ladies from Hell.
And it was the piper who played
and the piper who was the aim for the...
The German snipers to kill,
because they knew the power of the piper!
When you hear a really good piper it speaks to one's soul,
it certainly speaks to MY soul,
and it's probably the only reason that I would go to war,
would be behind a piper.
The pipes take on a particularly important and evocative role
during the Battle of the Somme.
It lasted 141 days
and was one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.
Many significant artefacts from that time are held here
at the National Museum of Scotland.
This is a set of bagpipes
that was played by a pipe major in the 15th Battalion of the Royal Scots
at the Battle of the Somme.
The piper that played these bagpipes was one of 2,500 Scottish pipers.
The role of the piper in the trenches during the First World War
was essentially to boost morale of the troops
and to lead them into battle.
So, you can imagine the incredible courage it would have taken
for a piper to leave his trench unarmed,
the only thing in his hands, his bagpipes.
The losses were so high
that, after the First World War,
the role of the piper on the frontline is stopped.
Today, bagpipes are very much part of military tradition.
They now play an integral role at ceremonies and pageants.
Earlier in the summer at St Omer Barracks in Hampshire...
OK, troops, final rehearsal this morning!
..Major Gordon Rowan,
director of army bagpipe music,
brought together the best musicians from different regiments
to form a supergroup
for His Majesty King Charles III's coronation.
To deliver for the coronation
with the crowds that'll be lining the streets,
it puts the hairs up on the back of your neck,
it makes you proud to be British
but it makes you more proud as well to be part of the army pipes and drums.
Unlike the civilian bands,
the troops only had three intense days
practising together,
and with 27 tunes to perfect the pressure was on!
This is just the final confirmation check
before we head to London tomorrow
to deliver our part on the coronation.
From the minute you step off, you're in the public eye,
110% concentration throughout
and we'll deliver a magnificent performance as the pipes and drums always do.
Quick march!
Twenty-year-old trooper Ryan Smart was lucky enough to make the grade
and be part of this historic occasion.
Six weeks ago,
when I started at school,
and being at the coronation now, it is crazy...
It's obviously a tremendous honour, to be asked.
I didn't really expect it at all
and, now I'm here, it's kind of unreal.
Major Rowan is definitely looking for perfection.
With such a big band,
the rehearsals have been pretty cut-throat.
Piping first became popular with the royal family
during the reign of Queen Victoria
when she fell in love with the instrument during a trip to the Highlands...
..and it's been a royal tradition ever since.
One band member who's no stranger to a royal occasion
is Lance Corporal Norman Gillies,
who's been playing the pipes for 22 years.
I've done the queen's jubilee,
I've done the queen's funeral
and now the king's coronation.
I love everything about the bagpipes,
the culture behind it,
going from folk music to ceilidh dancing,
to the military side of things, to the solo competing,
to the band competing...
Every aspect of piping, I... I love.
Stand at ease!
After only a few days of rigorous rehearsals,
the troops are almost ready for their prestigious performance.
Thank you for all your efforts in getting us to where we are,
let's have a good performance tomorrow,
so, well done, everybody!
(PENSIVE MUSIC)
Early-morning in London
and it's the day of King Charles III's coronation.
Thousands of members of the armed forces
arrived at Waterloo Station.
Come on!
After three days of intense rehearsal,
Major Gordon Rowan and his troops are kitted out in all the regalia
ready for the performance of a lifetime.
Looking forward to it
because obviously you play an integral part,
representing the culture and heritage that we do with the pipes and the drums.
So, to be part of this parade
and giving our supporting element to it,
it's really the pinnacle for us.
Before their performance,
the band made their way to Wellington Barracks to tune up.
This is such a big event to be playing for
and being part of history,
it's a great thing to be a part of.
I'll get nervous until we strike up
and then once we can hear the sound and we're off
there's nothing you can do
so you just pray that it's all good
and then we'll have a good performance.
It really makes me proud to be part of something so special
and something quite unique.
When I step out, I'll be a bit nervous
but we'll get into the flow of things,
the tunes will start going on
and, uh, it should be a great time.
Close in! Close in!
We've done all the hard work and we're good to go,
enjoy it, relax
and make your units proud,
your family members proud
and, more so,
showcase what the army pipes and drums can deliver.
Have a good one, thank you.
It's August
and at the North Berwick Highland Games in East Lothian
it's time for Renfrewshire Schools Band to compete
in the Novice Juvenile B Category.
It's almost getting a bit real now,
we're about to finalise tuning!
For pipe major Keith,
the pressure is on.
His band will need to be pitch perfect.
That's probably the tempo I want out there, yeah?
Just keep it calm, yeah?
Fuller expression, just like the last one,
every single tune that you go into,
just dig it in a wee bit.
I think everyone's a bit nervous.
Um... Oh, gosh, I need to go!
About to enter ring one in the Novice Juvenile B Marches,
The Band of the Renfrewshire Schools.
There's 11 other bands in their category
and, having never won this competition before,
they really need to deliver a strong march medley to secure any kind of placement.
Band, halt...
Band, stand at ease.
Band, easy.
And all right, quick march!
I'm not sure any pipe major is ever ENTIRELY happy...
You know, I'm maybe being too critical
but I just want more for next week.
There was a few slip-ups but that's what you want,
you want to get the mistakes out the way before the worlds,
so, in all, it's just...
It's a good performance.
Hundreds of pipers have played in today's games,
which are now coming to a close.
And the results are in...
Keith thinks one band might have beaten us
but positive mental attitude!
I think it's deserving of a place,
just don't know about first place,
so, yeah, you always be hopeful..
So, you never know.
(TENSE BEAT)
Novice Juvenile B Contest Open...
In first place,
for Bill McMorn Memorial Trophy...
..Renfrewshire Schools.
That was us!
(CHEERING)
Renfrewshire School Novice B Open!
I'm comin'!
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Woo!
Oh... (CHEERING)
It's the first time we've won this trophy.
Still a good feeling to get it first time for a competition.
Today's a warm up for the worlds and they did a good performance
but I just know that they can do better again and they know that themselves
so we've got another week of practices
and then the big one at Glasgow Green.
(CHEERING)
The elite grade one bands have been competing all day as well,
including Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate
and Inverary and District...
..who have both performed two competition pieces.
They have been scored on the march, strathspey and reel,
which is known as the MSR and the medley.
We've all had a good day, we've all enjoyed it
and ultimately we've came here and done what we've had to do.
The bands are awarded points for their performances,
with trophies up for grabs in each section.
The points are then added up,
with a trophy for the overall winner.
We're very, very happy.
We've left everything out there,
so it's just about waitin' for the results now.
Last year, Boghall and Bathgate were crowned champions
but can they do it again?
The Grade One and Two Open MSR Contest,
in first place, for the Chieftain's Trophy,
Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia.
Come on!
We won the MSR,
it's quite good, we're happy!
In first place for the Scottish Building Society Trophy,
Inverary and District.
We won the MSR prize,
uh, and Inverary went and won the medley prize there.
It looks like Boghall and ourselves are tied today.
So, with one trophy each,
which band will take the highest cumulative score?
In first place...
..Inverary and District!
Inverary have taken the crown from Boghall and Bathgate.
Really happy with today.
Perfect, good results
and happy going forward to the worlds.
Yep, and we're in good shape,
so we'll see what happens, fingers crossed.
Inverary and District's risk certainly paid off.
Quick march!
Now, Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate will have to take it up a notch
and Field Marshal Montgomery need to rise to the challenge
if they are to reign supreme at the World Championships.
Next time...
Both military and civilian bands reach the summit of their seasons.
The detail over the eat, don't do that!
For the military,
it's the massed gathering of the Edinburgh Tattoo.
You hear the cheers and the clapping,
it puts the hairs on the back of your neck!
Accomplished players go head-to-head
for the honour of being chosen as the lone piper.
It's a great privilege.
You are the face of the British Army.
After battling it out all season,
we follow our three grade one pipe bands...
Let's go in there and do it!
..as they take to Glasgow Green
for the finale of the piping competition calendar...
The adrenaline keeps you going.
..vying to be crowed...
It's all in the hands of the judges now.
..the pipe band champions of the world.
The world champions are...
(BEAT STRIKES)
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