World Pipe Band Championships

The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association (today known as the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association) was formed. For competitive bands, the title of World Champion is highly coveted, and this event is seen as the culmination of a year's worth of preparation, rehearsal and practice.

Until 2013, the entirety of the World Championships has taken place on one day in August, the current venue being Glasgow Green. Typically several hundred bands attend, traveling from all over the world. Competition commences at 9am.

Depending on the size of the grade - or in the case of Grade One, where a band has not secured automatic qualification - bands are required to perform in a qualifying round which takes place in the morning. The top bands at the end of the qualifying round play in a second event in the afternoon to determine the winner.

To win, Grade One bands must perform in two events, a March, Strathspey & Reel event (known as a "set" or "MSR") which consists of three pre-arranged tunes, and a Medley event, which consists of a short selection of music chosen and arranged by the band.

The title is held by Field Marshal Montgomery from Northern Ireland.

New format

Since 2013 the World Championships have been held over two days.^[1] For all but Grade One bands, the competition will remain as it had been, with each grade competing in morning qualifiers and afternoon finals on either Saturday or Sunday. For Grade One, all the bands (there will be no more automatic qualifiers for the finals) will be required to compete in a qualifying round on Saturday, playing an MSR and a Medley. The 12 bands that qualify for the finals will then play a different MSR and Medley in Sunday's final for the championship.

In 2014, the schedule was changed to hold the Grade 1 qualifying rounds on Friday, and the Grade 1 finals along with the lower grade qualifiers and finals on Saturday.^[2]

Competition grade system

Prizes at the Worlds are awarded in the following eight categories:^[3]

• Grade One
• Grade Two
• Grade Three "A"
• Grade Three "B"
• Juvenile
• Grade Four "A"
• Grade Four "B"
• Novice Juvenile "A"
• Novice Juvenile "B"

In the Novice Juvenile and Juvenile categories, band members must be under the age of eighteen, with the exception of one "adult" player, often instructors, who may serve as the Pipe Major or Pipe Sergeant. The remaining categories have no age restriction, but are based on proficiency. Grade One is the highest of these categories, and Novice is the lowest. Grading and eligibility are overseen by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA), and bands must apply for downgrading or upgrading.^[4]

Because of time constraints, the RSPBA uses "A" and "B" designations in Grade 3 and 4, for major competitions. By doing this, bands are grouped based on prior-years' performances, and can receive promotions within their respective grade. It is also important to note that these vary slightly throughout the world. For example, in North America, many regional associations have implemented Grade Five, an entry-level Grade, intended to help bands familiarize themselves with competition and in Australia, New Zealand and Northern Ireland there is no Novice grade at all. There is also no Juvenile grade in Northern Ireland.

Results

The highly coveted Grade One title remained in Scotland until 1987, when the Canadian 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band became the first overseas band to win the award. In recent years, the title has travelled to Canada a further six times with Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, Northern Ireland 11 times with the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, Australia with the Victoria Police Pipe Band in 1998, and, the Republic of Ireland with the St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band in 2010. The most successful pipe bands in this competition remain the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band (known as City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band from 1912 to 1975) winning 20 times, and, the House of Edgar Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band (winning 16 times). Other multiple World Champions include the Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band (8 times), the Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band (eight times), and the Edinburgh Police Pipe Band (8 times).

Most successful bands

The following is a list of some of the most successful pipe bands at the world championships.

Notes

1. ↑ The results were originally announced with Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia in 3rd place, but the RSPBA website states that "Simon Fraser University from Canada took 3rd spot on an Ensemble Preference from 4th placed Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia. Unfortuately this was announced the wrong way around and we apologise to both bands for this error."

References

1. ↑ World Pipe Band Championships 2013 - Two Day Format
2. ↑ The Worlds 2014
3. ↑ Playing Requirements for each grade at each major championship c/o RSPBA
4. ↑ RSPBA - The Heart of the Pipe Band World

• World Pipe Band Championship 2012. World Pipe Band Championship, 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.theworlds.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx>.
• "World Pipe Band Championships 2011." BBC News. BBC, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/worlds/2011/>.
• "The Worlds 2011 - Results." The Worlds 2011. World Pipe Band Championship, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.theworlds.co.uk/about/latest-news/pages/The-Worlds-2011---Results.aspx>.
• "World Pipe Band Championships and Piping Live." See Glasgow. Seeglasgow.com, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www2.seeglasgow.com/piping/portal.htm>.
• "Glasgow Green." Piping Live! Pipinglive.co, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.pipinglive.co.uk/venues/glasgow-green/>.
• "Latest News." The World Pipe Band Championships. The World Pipe Band Championships, 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.theworlds.co.uk/about/latest-news/pages/Glasgow-Wins-Bid-to-Host-The-Worlds-until-2015.aspx>.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to World Pipe Band Championships.

• Video footage of all Grade One Bands performances from World Pipe Band Championships 2009
• Photographs from the 2004, 2005, 2006 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow
• Coverage of the 2007 World Pipe Band Championships

Coordinates: 55°51′08″N 4°14′33″W / 55.8523°N 4.2424°W / 55.8523; -4.2424