Nicholson Pipes and Drums https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/ A field guide to Scottish pipe band life: band histories, chanters and drones, drum scores, tuning and public performance, written for listeners as much as for players. en-us Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Reading a Drum Corps in Motion in a Photographhttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/drums/reading-a-drum-corps-in-motion-in-a-photograph/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/drums/reading-a-drum-corps-in-motion-in-a-photograph/Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTDrumsHow a pipe band drum corps is read in a photograph: frozen cadence, snare and tenor scores seen from the stands, stick height, and the flourish explained. Documenting a Chanter and Drones for a Cataloguehttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/pipes/documenting-a-chanter-and-drones-for-a-catalogue/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/pipes/documenting-a-chanter-and-drones-for-a-catalogue/Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTPipesHow a pipe maker photographs a chanter and drones so a buyer can judge scale, finish and detail before ordering a set of pipes. Photographing a Pipe Band in Available Lighthttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/performance/photographing-a-pipe-band-in-available-light/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/performance/photographing-a-pipe-band-in-available-light/Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTPerformanceHow a drum major and a full pipe band are framed on the field in available light, from procession to parade ground to group portrait. How School Music Teaching Feeds a Pipe Bandhttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/band-history/how-school-music-teaching-feeds-a-pipe-band/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/band-history/how-school-music-teaching-feeds-a-pipe-band/Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTBand HistorySchool music programmes supply community pipe bands with players who read music, hold a beat and fill the junior ranks. Here is how that pipeline works. How Local Archives Keep a Pipe Band's Recordhttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/band-history/how-local-archives-keep-a-pipe-band-s-record/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/band-history/how-local-archives-keep-a-pipe-band-s-record/Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTBand HistoryA local history collection keeps a pipe band's programmes, photographs and press clippings, dates them, files them, and opens them to researchers. Pipe Band Music at Memorials and Ceremonieshttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/performance/pipe-band-music-at-memorials-and-ceremonies/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/performance/pipe-band-music-at-memorials-and-ceremonies/Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMTPerformanceHow a pipe band plays at memorials, civic ceremonies and community occasions: tune choice, the pace of a slow air, and holding an outdoor crowd. Pipe Band and Choir: Blend, Breath, Ensemblehttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/performance/pipe-band-and-choir-blend-breath-ensemble/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/performance/pipe-band-and-choir-blend-breath-ensemble/Mon, 03 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMTPerformanceA pipe band and a choir share the same listening habits: tuning by ear, breath control, and a conductor who hears the middle of the sound. Pipe Band Volumes in Production Music Catalogueshttps://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/pipes/pipe-band-volumes-in-production-music-catalogues/https://nicholsonpipesanddrums.com/pipes/pipe-band-volumes-in-production-music-catalogues/Sun, 12 Jul 2026 08:00:00 GMTPipesHow a pipe band's recorded volumes are catalogued and licensed, what a cue sheet records, and who gets paid when the recording plays under a picture.