BGRibeseya Pipe Band, has got recently the comunication that its applyment for a EU help, as part of Leader Plus Plan, as a organization promoting the activity in the area and conserving the Asturian cultural heritage, specially the eastern area of Asturies. The responsibles of the EU help, remarked the ambitious of the project, which will get new equipment of musical instruments for the band (pipes and drums) as well as Asturian traditional outfits for all the members, which has being a dream for all the members of the band and population of Ribadesella.

On other way of things, the BGRibeseya Pipe Band would like to thank all the support from the local business of the town given in the first part of the campaign “Friends of the Band”, destinated to raise funds to achieve all the aims the band has pointed for its closer future. We would like to make a second part of the campaign amongst the rest of business in town in proximate dates. You can consult the list of “Friends of the Band” on the tab Sponsors in this website.

Almost a year to the day after introducing his carbon-fibre snare drums at the 2009 Toronto Indoor Games, inventor Terry Cleland of Downsview, Ontario, has brought out a line of bass and tenor drums that complete the product line. Cleland’s band, the Grade 3 400 Squadron of which he is the Pipe-Major, competed with prototypes of the new drums at this year’s Toronto Indoor.

While firm pricing has not yet been set, Cleland says that a 28″ X 16″ bass drums will retail for approximately $2,400. Tenor drums, depending on size, will be in the range of $1,600. He says that his company can also deliver bass drums with pre-installed custom graphics on the heads as an optional extra.

“We have responded to interest and requests from bands across North America and Europe,” Cleland said. “The full complement of snare, bass and tenors is what bands wanted. The drums are not only distinctive in appearance; they have a richer, fuller sound than other drums.”

When asked about the premium price that his drums carry, Cleland said, “We acknowledge that our drum is a considerable investment. It’s important to realize that carbon-fibre extends the life of your drum appreciatively and the sound quality is in another league.”

According to Cleland the new drums feature carbon tension hoops and share the same effective head-tensioning system. He says the carbon hoops are “the first of their kind in the drum market,” and maintains that they have “a unique stiffness that enables a more even load distribution on the crimp hoop of the head and therefore more even tension on the head.” The all-carbon construction, he says, mean that the drums are “impervious to weather conditions.

Weight of the new drums is markedly less than most competitors’ products. The 28″ x 16″ bass weighs about 11 pounds, while a tenor is less than nine pounds. “This means that our bass plus one of our tenors weigh the same as a competitor’s bass drum,” he said.

Since the launch of his snare drums, Cleland says that his own band is still the only one playing them as a corps, but cited a sales resistance due to not having a complete product line. He said that he already has a waiting list for the bass drums.

Via: pipes|drums

Although the competition season is underway for the Grade 1 Los Angeles Scots, it hasn’t prevented the band from making a substantial leadership change by dropping Lead-Drummer Richard Baughman and replacing him with long-time corps member Glenn Kvidahl.

The move came after the band’s participation in the Las Vegas Highland Games over the April 17-18 weekend, where it finished second to the reigning World Champions Simon Fraser University.

Following a request for comment, a statement from the band to pipes|drums said, “The Los Angeles Scots Pipe Band has replaced Richard Baughman as Drum-Sergeant and Glenn Kvidahl, a long time member of the drum corps, will be made Drum Sergeant effective immediately. We appreciate the effort and contributions Richard has made to the band over the past few years and wish him well moving forward in his pipe band endeavors. The balance of the drum corps line-up will remain relatively unchanged and the band still plans to compete in Northern Ireland and at the World’s this summer.”

The band described Kvidahl as “a major contributor to both the pipe and drum corps’s repertoire,” and said it looks forward to the future under his leadership.

About his new role with the band, Kvidahl said, “I joined the LA Scots in 2002 and have really enjoyed being a part of such a world class competitive band and organization. With almost all of the corps intact, and a few prospects for this season, we’re already working together to make this year the best ever for the drum corps. [Pipe-Major] Colin [Armstrong] and I have worked on arranging music for the band for six years and have very similar goals for the bands overall performance and sound. Being appointed drum-sergeant is a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to this coming season with the band.”

While “philosophical differences on the direction of the band that hit an impasse” were cited by the band as the reason for the change,” Baughman was less sanguine.

Via: pipes|drums

Last saturday April the 17th, at 21:00 it was held in Ribadesella the Second Edition of the Concert “Fechu en Ribeseya” (Made in Ribadesella) in which every musical group based in the county of Ribadesella participated. Amongst all of them figures the Ribeseya Pipe Band, who offered a little show of the work they have been developing since mid-October. They opened the concert playing “Asturies” and a little set of “Entemedios”, traditional asturian melodies used in religious celebrations. The lads controlled the nerves and made a great performance that you can listen to in the following video. We hope you enjoy it and drop us a comment if you fancy it.

London, Ontario – April 10, 2010 – Snare drummer Nathan McLaren and tenor drummer Kyle Heaney were the co-winners, decided by audience vote, of the first Drumming for Drinks event held outside of Scotland, before a sell-out audience at the London Mocha Shriners Club.

Regan Jones was the winner in the bass drum category, also decided by popular vote.

Each prize winner received a Pearl drum and a Hardcase drum case. Overall winners split a cash purse and received a Remo Pro Pad.

The event was organized by the Innovation Group, which also conducted a workshop over the weekend, as part of the Kiwanis Music Festival in London.

Via: www.pipesdrums.com

The remarkable rise in popularity of pipe band bass- and tenor-drumming over the last 15 years has prompted the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario to deploy an extensive mid-section adjudication certification system, with the criteria used to determine candidates the same as those set for piping and snare drumming.

The program was launched with a seminar on March 28th that was offered both in-person and over the Internet, using leading-edge online teaching methods. As with Ontario’s piping and snare drumming exams, attending the pre-exam seminar is mandatory before sitting the examination.

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House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead took home the £2,500 first-prize at the Lomond & Clyde Pipe Band’s Invitational Indoor Pipe Band Competition, an event that marked L&C’s tenth anniversary. Playing last, Shotts outlasted the other three bands in the final round, Inveraray & District, Fife Constabulary and Vale of Atholl.

Inveraray won the audience vote, which was strictly part of the fun and had no bearing on the final result.

1st House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead (£2,500)

2nd Inveraray & District (£1,000)

3rd Fife Constabulary (£500)

4th Vale of Atholl (£100)

The event was the first band competition for Inveraray since being promoted to Grade 1 after its undefeated year in Grade 2 in 2009.

Lomond & Clyde Chairman, Fraser Sergeant, said, “I am absolutely delighted with how today has gone. I must thank all the bands, the members of Lomond & Clyde Pipe Band, the officials of the RSPBA and the audience who have who have supported our 10th anniversary event. It has been a wonderful spectacle for supporters of pipe band music.”

Bands competing but failing to make the cut were Culleybacky, Tayside Police and Torphichen & Bathgate.

Judges for the event were Alistair Aitken, Jim Campbell, Gordon Craig, Malcolm MacKenzie, Joe Noble, Bob Shepherd, James Wark and John Wilson. The contest was run under RSPBA rules, and was reportedly the largest single monetary first-prize and biggest total purse ever awarded in a UK pipe band competition.

The competition was held at the Radisson Hotel in Glasgow, and most bands appeared to compete with a combination of nine or 10 pipers, four snare drummers, two tenors and a bass.

Via: www.pipesdrums.com

Welcome to the official website of Ribeseya Pipe Band, ubicated in the village of Ribadesella, in the East of Asturies, and its membership is drawn both from domestic and outside towns in Asturies, and it is open to the incorporation of new members with their aim in self improving and with a high work ethic.

In the present the band is directed by Diego Puron Celorio, becoming the band in the first band directed by a pipe band drummer. In the pipe task he is assisted by Cristobal Garcia Collado, who take care of the leading role in the practices and Miguel Alonso Gonzalez, who is in charge of the tuning. And inside the drum corp itself, Diego is helped by Xana Rodriguez Carrion, who is responsible of the tenor section.

If you feel atracted by our roster, you want to try to be part of something big, and you are not afraid of starting again from scratch, you can get in touch with us, both through the website or attending one of our practices with total freedom. We practice every Monday and Friday from 20:00 to 22:00 in the Public School Manuel Fernandez Juncos, next to La Atalaya beach, in Ribadesella.

We are looking forward to meeting you soon in asturian and non-asturian festivals in a future that we hope is not that far away.

In October 2009, the Ribeseya PB restart again with his activity, after many years without any, and starred a TV appearance on the TV program “Nos” broadcasted on the autonomic Television channel, and presented by our friend Prospero Morán, in which he made us a small interview to explain the band method of work and finish with a little performance, that, for the time we had been practiced was satisfactory.

We would like to thank from here to Prospero and Antonio for their patience during the recording of the show. Also, by this way, the same we and you can observe and assess the evolution of the sound with the time. Please leave your comments.

The asturian Diego Puron has competed for third year in the World Solo Drumming Championships in Glasgow.

“Once they see you are not wearing a kilt, in Scotland everyone wonders where this guy with pants playing the drum come from” explained Diego Puron, who last weekend took part in the International Drumming Contest held in Glasgow for third year in a row.

In the last edition, which is being held from before the II World War, around 90 drummer competed in the Adult category and about 120 in the Juveniles section. “More than ever” said Puron, who although has never reached the semifinals is really happy with his participation. “ I stood in the middle of the table in my heat, so I can’t complain. There is still a lot to be learnt.”, he added.

Amongst the novelties this year, Puron pointed the presence of many Canadian drummers who reached the Final, and the presence of many Breton drummers. “Bit by bit, peeople is starting to warm up and compete and every year there ir more presence form different countries”, commented the only Spaniard competitor in this international contest.

“If five years ago I would have been told I was going to be there I wouldn’t have believed it”, added this drummer, a truly pasionated for traditional music who is currently working in the reactivation of Ribeseya Pipe Band. “We started practices on October the 6th, and so far there is being a good response from the people, it seems as if there would be a true interest in forming part of this.” he affirmed.

For the competition, every single drummer has to play with a piper and they have to play compulsory a Scottish music set “It doesn’t matter you are wearing a “montera picona” (asturian traditional hat), you have to play Scottish music” this music commented, who competed wearing Asturian outfit.

Puron took the most of his time while there and receive some lessons from Jim Kilpatrick, 16 times winner of this championship. “ You can meet the best in Glasgow during these days, so you have to take the most that you can to the trip” he ensured. “From one year to otehr you think you have improved a lot but when you get there you realised you have done, but you find you have still a lot of paths to explore” our asturian music added.

From his first visit to the festival, Puron recall the surprise he felt before the strong roots that Scottush music has there “Little kids play really well, and in the school you can choose to be taught in bagpipes or drums.”  he explained.

In this international drumming competition you can see children from 10 years old to adults  rounding the 50 or 60 years old sharing their passion for the percussion and putting the rythm in Glasgow streets during all the weekend.

Via: lne.es