It will take place from Sunday November 9th till Thursday 13th, 2008.

Here's the flyer:  Click here for details

I hope to see you there for a great week!

PBM1 workshop in Heppenheim was postponed to a later date.  Again stay tuned to DrummingMad and sign up for the newsletter if you haven't already.

During the day we will provide a workshop for pipers, side-drummers, bass-drummers and tenor-drummers, taught by well known pipers and drummers from Scotland and Denmark.
This will be a unique opportunity to be taught by the best of the best. The workshop will be held in the morning and afternoon divided by a great lunch. The afternoon will be ended by a true master-class followed by a magnificent diner. For the people who will not be a part of the workshop we have a great “Scottish market” provided with stands of well known suppliers.

And off course, the essential part of the day will be the concert in the evening. The only thing we have changed from last year is our selection of musicians. Like there are a mini-band from the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band, the Antwerp and District Pipe Band, piper Bernard Bouhadana (Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band), drummer Gordon Lee (Simon Fraser University Pipe Band) and of course our very own “Dutch Man” Olav Goud (Strathclyde Police Pipe Band). Next to this incredible line up of great musicians we also have a surprise act! And a great after-party will be the finish of the day. So don’t wait to long and order your day-/evening-tickets now!

This year’s event again will be organized in conjunction with Best Western Hotel “De Druiventros” which translated in English means Grapevine, the name of this event.

The Grapevine Highland Gathering will be on:

Saturday 1st of march 2008
Best Western Hotel “De Druiventros”, Berkel-Enschot, the Netherlands.

Two kinds of tickets are available:
-Day-ticket (workshop, lunch, master-class, diner and entrance to the evening-concert and party) - € 100,- p.p.
-Evening-ticket (concert and party) - € 10,- p.p.

Day-program from 09.30 till 17.00
Concert starts at 19.30 till the wee hours…

Please visit our website at http://gathering.pipeband.nl for more information and to order your tickets! Don’t wait too long and order your tickets today, time is flying and the ticket sales are going very well! Hope to see you at the 1^st of March!

All the best,

Grapevine Highland Gathering Team

Robbert van Gorp

DrummingMad with Kilts and More present the next workshop for Pipe Bands under the name PipeBandMad.  It has been a point in my mind to create a new title for these courses since we have had piping as well and this is it.  So to launch the new title, our first workshop is aimed at the Grade 4 and Grade 5 Piper and Drummer.  Additionally we will also have 2 special requested beginner piper and snare classes for the first time.

This is a great opportunity to learn better ways and means to improve your band playing on the eve of the 2008 contest season.  Come on and launch yourself into the new season!

We have some great musical surprises up our sleeves for you too, it's going to be a blast!

Also you can bring your beginners to the workshop as we wil be running 2 beginner classes.

Full details can be found here in:

Deutsch

English

There is a very good workshop coming to Germany in Piping and Drumming.  I believe that most of the piping classes are full but there might still be some space in the drumming classes.

In this course, you will learn both practical and theory.  This is a great chance for you to improve your education in notation, music and score writing.  At the end of the course, there will be an option for you to take a test and then receive accreditation (certification) for your musical level.

The system is from the official bodies of Pipe Band Music in Scotland including the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, so this is well backed.

Drumming Mad thoroughly recommends this course for all pipe band players.  More information can be found here:

http://www.college-of-piping.co.uk/html/lessons_winter_school.html

and here: http://www.piperscorner.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=74&lang=en

Last weekend 112 Pipers and Drummers hit Nideggen with a musical force never before seen in the quiet town!  Click here to read about it and see the pictures.

Nideggen Report

If anyone has any more pictures or video, I would be very happy to hear from you.

Plans are being made for the next workshop which will take place next year.

Saturday saw a very tight solo drumming competition where 8 drumming judges decided on Barry Wilson, L.D. Scottish Power as their man.  Second was Gordon Brown LD Boghall and Bathgate and Germany's favourite workshop master Steven McWhirter of Simon Fraser University came in a close third.

It was a great day of drumming well worth the trip over if you ever get the chance.  The event is normally in October and is always published on the RSPBA homepage.

So the full results were:

Registrations went very well with over 100 participants registering.

Tyler Fry will not unfortunately be able to attend the workshop however Tyler is 100% behind the Drumming Mad workshops and is looking forward to coming to Germany again soon.

We are in good hands with current World Champion Norman "Haggis" MacLeod taking the top Tenor Class in November.

So the scene is set awaiting the weekend that promises to be one of the best workshops Germany has ever seen!

I am happy to announce that the great Norman "Haggis" MacLeod, leading tenor of the world champion band, Field Marshal Montgomery will be teaching at DM3.  This is great news and I am certain everyone will enjoy his teachings.  "Haggis" has a spectacular history of Mid Section work over the years playing with the Famous "Vale" in the 80's along side Paul Turner and PM Ian Duncan.  He played a very big part in revolutionising Tenor Drumming sound, rhythm and flourish.

Alastair Dunn will not be at the workshop however Alastair has agreed to make himself available for the next workshop which is great news.  In the 2nd week of November, the St Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band are doing a USA concert tour which has unfortunately made Alen Tully unavailable to come.  He has also agreed to help out at the next workshop and he said he might even convince his father to come.  For those of you that don't know, Alen's father is the great Terry Tully, PM of the St Laurence O'Toole and arranger of many tunes including, Dawning of the Day.

So there are still more spaces available, especially in the advanced tenor class and bass drumming class, so tell your bandsmen and women and get your registrations together.

ENGLISH DETAILS   Booking Deadline : Monday October 1, 2007  DEUTSCH DETAILS 

ENGLISH DETAILS   Booking Deadline : Monday October 1, 2007  DEUTSCH DETAILS 

When: November 2(evening), 3 & 4

Where: Nideggen, Near Koln

For: Pipers and Drummers focussing on band playing "How to play in a band"

Who: Guest teachers will be Steven McWhirter (Simon Fraser University), Norman "Haggis" MacLeod (Lead Tenor Field Marshal Montgomery), Tyler Fry (Shotts), Alen Tully (P/Sgt St Laurence O'Toole), Alastair Dunn (P/Sgt Field Marshal Montgomery) and more distinguished local teachers.

Booking Deadline : Monday October 1, 2007.

Full details in English click here: ENGLISH DETAILS

Voll detail in Deutsch klick hier: DEUTSCH DETAILS

This is going to be truly an amazing workshop with such a line up of teachers and the program that is in store.  Book now!

When: November 2(evening), 3 & 4

Where: Nideggen, Near Koln

For: Pipers and Drummers focussing on band playing "How to play in a band"

Who: Teachers will be Steven McWhirter (Simon Fraser University), Tyler Fry (Shotts), Scott Curry (Shotts), Alen Tully (P/Sgt St Laurence O'Toole), Alastair Dunn (P/Sgt Field Marshal Montgomery)

Enrolment details will be published next week.

This is surely going to be one of the best workshops we have ever had.  Our aim to improve the quality of band playing comes one step closer with the first of a series of band workshops.  Top class players and experienced band leaders will be teaching from right across the world.

Reserve these dates in your diaries now.  This is not to be missed!!

DM Alex McCormick Drumming Legend

Sad news has just come in that Drum Major Alex McCormick passed away this morning in his home City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia at the age of 93.  His achievements are numerous.  He was one of "the greats" as both a player and an educator, having developed new drumming techniques in the 30's and 40's and taking on the position of Drumming Principal of the Scottish Pipe Band Association (now the RSPBA).  There he taught and examined many drummers firmly rooting the concept of music theory into the minds of drummers in those important pioneering days.  He helped set up the first college branch of the SPBA in Northern Ireland while leading his corps, The City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band (now the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band) to World Drumming victory in 1951 and 1952.  He then migrated his family to Australia and set up a branch of the SPBA college there thus setting a solid ground for generations of drummers to come.

Alex never stopped teaching and taught right up to the end.  He never missed a contest and was always seen at contests in a huddle of interested people chatting about drumming and bands.  He was admired by young and old as he always communicated with great enthusiasm and fact.

As one 14 year old girl from Ballarat once exclaimed after a contest the top of her voice "Alex McCormick is a Legend".  How true that is.  He was and will always be remembered as one of the great forefathers of our art.  He will be missed and never forgotten.  Thank you Alex!

Play a big roll for Alex next time you pick up your sticks!

Here are the band results of "The Worlds" for the Grade 1 Final.

Click here to see the latest Drumming Mad Workshop that was held on April 21/22.

REPORT

Thanks to the local initiative of The German Lowland Pipes and Drums, a "Drumming Ceilidh" will be enjoyed in Xanten.  It will be a Piping and especially Drumming extravaganza NOT TO BE MISSED.  Details below in Deutsch and here in English: 

Where, when and how much? Aula der Marienschule, Klever Str. 9, Xanten - doors open at 19:30. 5 euro entry at the door.

Hope to see you there!!

Deutsch:

Am 21. und 22. April 2007 kommt der World solo snare drum champion Steven McWhirter nach Xanten, um die Masterclass des 2. Drumming Mad workshops in diesem Jahr zu unterrichten.

Aus diesem Anlass - zu Ehren des world champions und um einem größeren Publikum Gelegenheit zu geben, ihn sehen und hören zu können - veranstaltet die gastgebende Pipeband am Abend des ersten Workshoptages ein Ceilidh.

Ort: Xanten, Aula der Marienschule, Klever Str. 9 (Eingang rechts gegenüber der Turmseite des Doms)

Zeit: 21.April 2007, 20.00 Uhr

Programm:

19:30 Einlass

20:00 German Lowland Pipes and Drums Xanten

20:30 Batavorum Pipes and Drums Nimwegen

21:00 Pause

21:30 Steven McWhirter  (Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, Kanada)

22:00 Drumcorps der Lehrer:
Oliver Bernhardt (Lead drummer der Oldenwald Pipes and Drums)
Fabian Ochs ( Frankfurt and District Pipe Band)
Maik Reckziegel (Lead tenor der Frankfurt and District Pipe Band)
Dean Hall (Lead drummer der Frankfurt and District Pipe Band und ex St Laurence O'Toole drummer)

22:15 German Lowland P&D und  Batavorum P&D
22:30 Workshop Drumcorps: Beginner Drumsalute  

Kontaktpersonen:

Thomas Klein, Tel. 01577 1843567 oder

Burkhard Hekers, Tel. 0173 9002815

Wir erheben einen Kostenbeitrag von € 5,- an der Abendkasse

The Xanten JH Hostel has kindly extended the deadline for accomodation booking until next Friday the 2nd of March for the Xanten Workshop in April.

Full Details in English     Deutsch

We still have some places left on the Xanten Workshop in Beginner Bass/Tenor (5 spaces),  Beginner Snare (5 Spaces), Andante Masterclass (2 spaces).

So if you haven't registered, you still can but be quick, deadlines:

Hostel: this Friday (Feb 23)

Course: March 30

Andante Masterclass: March 2

At some point, Steven McWhirter will be teaching all Snare Groups.  The Andante Masterclass is for Intermediate drummers who will get the most time with the corrent world champion.

Full Details in English     Deutsch

Drumming Mad 2 ~ 2007 workshop details are now complete.

When: April 21 and 22

Where: Xanten

We are proud to present Special Guest Instructor Steven McWhirter who won the World Solo Drumming Championship last September.

Full Details in English     Deutsch

Last weekend we held our first workshop for 2007.  The aim of this shorlty announced workshop was to "test" our new location with a single snare class.  All participants enjoyed it and the single day concept works well and we plan more in the coming months.

For more information about future workshops, return here soon!!

Drumming Mad 1 ~ 2007 workshop details are now complete.

When: January 6th, 2007

Where: Heidelberg

Details have only just been possible for this workshop.  Deadline for registration is very short, due in 2 weeks!!

Full Details

Drumming Mad 3 ~ 2006 workshop report click here:

Full Report

Here are the latest information points for next weeks course.  The course location has been changed!  Due to the high costs of the drumming rooms, the workshop will now take place at this location

Participants need to contact local organiser Christian to answer these questions.

Do you live too far away to receive regular drumming lessons?  This could be for you.  Click here for more on the latest on offer from Drumming Mad Education. Online Lessons