Pipe Major

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The Pipe Major is the director of bagpipe music in a Scottish or Irish pipe band or pipes and drums. Like Drum Major, the position of Pipe Major has derived originally from British Army traditions. As in the case of Drum Major, the Pipe Major role is a prestigious position in any Scottish regiment.

Whether it is a civilian or military pipe band, the Pipe Major is generally responsible for the following:

Band administrative work
Selection, compilation and arrangement of tunes for the band's repertoire
Co-ordinate the band's performance schedule
Conduct solo performance at weddings, funerals, dinners etc
Training junior level bagpipers

[edit] British Army

Persons holding the Pipe Major title can still be found in many civilian and military pipe bands in many countries nowadays. Apart from being an outstanding musician, a Pipe Major should by tradition be an educated person who is well-versed in the history of bagpipe music as well as the history of his/her clan/regiment. The Pipe Major of a pipe band is usually assisted by a Pipe Sergeant.

A Pipe Major position is an appointment and not a military rank. As such, he is required to attain a senior non-commissioned officer rank (Sergeant, Staff Sergeant or Colour Sergeant, or Warrant Officer) and have successfully completed the Pipe Major's Course at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming before he would be appointed the regiment's Pipe Major. Since the pipes and drums of an infantry regiment are normally required to take on a secondary role as a machine gun platoon, the Pipe Major is responsible for the following additional tasks:

Be the platoon's operational commander or second-in-charge during military exercises or war
Ensure military discipline among members of the pipes & drums
Be a transmittor of regimental history and customs

The Pipe Major is always referred to and addressed as "Pipe Major" and not by his rank. The insignia of appointment is a 4-bar chevron worn on the lower sleeve, usually surmounted by a bagpipes badge and frequently by a crown or other badge dependent on rank and regiment.

[edit] Canadian Army

Pipe Majors in the Canadian military are considered the equivalent of a Sergeant, unless the appointee holds higher rank, in which case his pipe major's insignia (a 4-bar chevron with bagpipe badge) is surmounted with the appropriate warrant officer's rank badge.

Most Pipe Majors in the Canadian military are in Militia Regiment pipe bands, many are actually civilians due to the decision in the 1990s to cut funding to the majority of military pipe bands in favour of a volunteer system. As such, most military pipe majors have no actual military responsibilities outside of the band.

Current Pipe Majors of the Canadian military include: