Dismal Performance at Scottish Championships by Tweedvale Pipe Band.

Tweedvale Pipe Band travelled to Dumbarton on Saturday 19 May to take part in the 100 Pipers Scottish Pipe Band Championships at Levengrove Park, the first major championship of the season. The event “enjoyed” the worst kind of weather for a pipe band contest – cold and windy with frequent showers of rain - which made setting up a sound difficult. Playing their March, Strathspey and Reel set of “Glenfinnan Highland Gathering”, “Captain Colin Campbell”, and “Lexy McAskill” for the second time ever in a competition setting, Tweedvale put in what can only be described as their worst performance in a number of years with uneven tempos and poor blowing contributing to . The band was drawn to play 12th out of 15 bands but in the end only fourteen bands played. When the results were announced Tweedvale found that it had been placed last overall, with both piping judges, the drumming and ensemble judges all placing the band 14th on their results sheet.

Reflecting on the Dumbarton result Pipe Major Bruce Gillie, in charge of Tweedvale Pipe Band said, “I’m very disappointed with today’s result but it’s no more than we deserve. As I’ve said before, this season involves a steep learning curve for all band members who have to get used to the higher standards required of a band playing in Grade 3 – it’s simply not like playing in Grade 4 where you’re playing simple marching tunes and can get away with a bit of poor blowing or the odd note error. I feel that too many of our players have yet to make that mental leap and appreciate the fact that we are now playing at a higher level. Also, the fact that a lot of our players are only just getting back to match fitness came home to roost today. I hope that this will be our worst performance of the year and that having got it out of our system we can move on to better things, both performance and results wise.”

Tweedvale Pipe Band heads for West Lothian next weekend to take part in the pipe band contest at the Bathgate & West Lothian Highland Games. This contest will see the band performing its new medley set, comprising the tunes Bathgate Highland Games, Keel Row, The Brolum, Short Coated Mary, Air Force One, Minnie Hynd and Rocking the Baby, for the first time in the Grade 3 competition.