Welcome to YOU BE THE JUDGE .... an area designed to be educational and provide entertainment. Here is how it works. Performances from bands at various contests will be posted for your enjoyment. Listen to them ... adjudicate them as a judge might. Send your comments and ranking to the Captain for tallying the score and/or posting to this page below.

1979 World's Championships

Nottingham, England

  The City of Victoria Pipe Band - PM Jamie Troy

The Triumph Street Pipe Band - PM Hal Senyk

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Maxville Highland Games - August 5, 2006

       Fredericton Society of St. Andrew Pipe Band

      2006 North American Champions - Grade 2

                       Midlothian Scottish Pipe Band - Second

                   The St. Andrew Society of Winnipeg - Third

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Grade 2 - New Brunswick Highland Gathering - July 29, 2006

Band 1 - The Dartmouth and District Pipe Band, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Band 2 - The Fredericton Society of St. Andrew Pipe Band, Fredericton, NB

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Replies

From Bruce McCuaig

DARTMOUTH Band Piping
March     ""E" Good. Good Phrasing in 2nd pt
1.
2. Ds, Fs not blown well here.
3. Improved phrasing on repeat.
4. Chanters not blown full here.
5.
6. X
Generally well pointed and well phrased.
Good Break to Strathspey
1.
2. X    Flat blowing on top.
3.   VG top hand work!
4. X     Good pointing and Tight.
5.
6. Nice
Flat Blowing distracted a well played Strathspey
Good Break to reel
1.
2. Endings crushed.
3.
4.
5.   Watch endings again/ not together.
6. Good Pointing
Well played/ controlled performance
DARTMOUTH: Ensemble comments;
Chanters not blown true
Good Pointing in March
Nice constant tempos from drums
Strathspey expressed very well by both corps.
Tenor Work very complementary to both.
A well played/ controlled performance with good temps.

Fredericton: Band piping.
Good E. Good lively tempo.
1.
2.   Good positive start but sound diminishes in 2nd part. Doublings
crushed and end of a 1st phrase. Suspect needs more pointing.
3.
4. Tachums rushed at end of 1st and 2nd phrases.
5. Good pointing and clear fingering!
6.
Good Break
1.   well pointed.
2. Watch top hand work in end of 2nd phrase.
3.   Hold before grip before derado
4.   good.
Good break. Nice control and blown well.
1. Flat top hand.
2.
3. X     X Errors
4. Starting to lack pointing and clarity
5. same
6. Playing ahead of beat last 2 parts.
Fredericton : Ensemble comments
M.   Nice in 3rd
VG bass & Tenor Work. Tenors pitched well.
S. Good quality playing
R. Nice Break. Pipes lacking pointing in Reel. Rushing, most
likely brought on by note errors. Pipes playing ahead of drums last 2 parts
I Tried not to listen to the performances more than a couple of
times. The judges have to listen to it live and make their decisions
that way!   From a piping perspective I believe there was a clear
winner. Darthmouth 1st place.   I found ensemble adjudication much
more difficult as you can see by my much fewer comments. I think its
much easier to listen and form your own opinion on what is ensembly
more pleasing but putting abstract ideas and feelings on a ensemble
score sheet is much more difficult.
Overall score summary. Dartmouth   Piping: 1    Ensemble: 1
                                      Fredericton Piping: 2     Ensemble 2

From Greg Shewfelt

I thought that Fredericton provided a more musically pleasing performance overall. Dartmouth should take a look at the break into the reel and controlling tempos…even in the strathspey the pipes seem to be lagging the snares a touch. Fredricton started off their march in fine form, but by part three it was unsettled for the balance of the march. Good strathspey pulse. Break into the reel much cleaner than Dartmouth but a touch long for my tastes.

From Scott MacLean

I choose Dartmouth to be the best in the competition. I liked the tunes they (Dartmouth PB) played. For lack of a better word I would say Dartmouth's pipes sounded more in sync and they sounded like they were enjoying what they were playing..

I did like Fredericton's drumming better.. It sounded like the tennor drumming could have been better on Dartmouth's PB.

Thanks again for the tunes. Do you know the name of tunes that Dartmouth played? I liked the Strathpey they played 2nd or 3rd tune. I think if I had some spare cash I'd buy thier CD if they had one.