How are Piper accessories different??

[druid]

I've played for 2 street bands...one of them [the previous band] as a 'civilian' and Grade II competitor. The second [current] is for the City in which I live [The City Pipe Band].

Band #1 [previous]
Parades/street/performances = Muted Stewart of Apen Tartan, brown sporran/silver chain, off white [natural] hand knitted hose, Navy blue flashes, G Brogues, black Glengarry, White Hackle and cap badge. Black tuxedo jacket, custom black tie and bright white shirts for formal and competition. Pipe Major wore a tweed jacket to match the Kilt.

Band #2 [current] has 2 uniforms...summer and winter.

Summer = White short sleeved police shirt, City's Registered Tartan, black sporran with silver studs/silver chain, black Glengarry with Gold cap badge and Sgt. collar dogs [State seal and I'm the Sgt. - the band wears silver State Seal and collar dogs], name plate, Kilt belt, Dirk/Sgian, White popcorn hose, matching Tartan flashes, G Brogues, matching Tartan bag cover [for myself and the Pipe Major]...although we're working on outfitting the whole band with bag covers...

Winter = All of that ^^ with the exception of a black long sleeved police shirt, custom tie and black "V" neck police sweater.

My 13yr old daughter [banner chick] on the left side:


Also learning the Sword Dance [is on the right]:


Since I'm the Dance Piper, I bought a Prince Charlie with vest for those functions where we use the Dancers.

Before I made Pipe Sgt.:



The band:






EDIT:
I forgot to mention that I'm the Piper for the Honor Guard of the Prison I'm an Officer to...which is something actually new to our facility. Since I'm a Piper and a few retired Officers have passed on, I was requested to play at their funerals. I spear-headed an Honor Guard detail with my Captain [a deactivated/inactive US Navy SEAL] who jumped at the idea. Funding and politics are the minor delaying factors in a few things right now...

The uniform for them is a standard long-style blue tunic [Like a typical US Fire Dept Class 1] with gold buttons, white cotton gloves and black, straight-leg 5.11 BDU pants.

Mine, I had some say with my Captain ...

I asked for [and got] a short style [typical US Police Dept Class A] Navy "Ike" [Eisenhower] Jacket with gold buttons. I also wanted [but have to wait for] a Clarino Sam Browne belt and cuff case [super shiny finish] with gold [polished brass] buckle/snap on the cuff case.

Kilt is either my Black Watch or Family Tartan [my choice but the BW is actually more appropriate] until I get my Law Enforcement Kilt that I want.

Dress white police shirt, gold State Seal collar dogs, custom gold badge, white rabbit hair/Cantle sporran, Dirk/Sgian, white popcorn hose, Navy or Family Tartan flashes [depends on the Kilt worn], G Brogues and black Glkengarry with Gold State Seal. Sorry, I don't have pics of this yet.

[OC Richard]

How are Piper accessories different??

How are Piper Hose different from Regular Hose??

Also Pipers Sporans / Pipers Plaids / Pipers Jacket

Maybe the place to start is in the Army.

Intially dress of the regimental pipers varied quite a bit. In some regiments they wore the same dress as the soldiers, in some they more dress more or like the other musicians (reversed colours, wings, etc), in some they were in various forms of livery.

The dress introduced in the 1840s for the pipers of the 79th foot ended up having far-reaching influence. This dress was a dark green doublet. Why green? Because it was the "facing colour" of the regiment, and it was common practice to have musicians in "reversed colours". The whole kit was Glengarry, green doublet, black leather crossbelt and waistbelt with silver hardware, a sporran different from the rest of the regiment, diced hose and buckled shoes.



This ended up spreading to the other regiments, and to this day the pipers wear basically the same uniform:



After 1953 the colour green spread to the coatees, then to the doublets, of all of the soldiers of Highland regiments.

Anyhow, about civilian pipers, there's a particular sort of dress that was very common in the old days. Here it is in 1865:



and worn up through the early 20th century:



Here you can see how pipe bands dressed in the 1960's.



Note that the bands are either in a form of civilian Evening Dress with Prince Charlies, full hose, and buckled shoes, or in the military style Full Dress. No ghillies!

By 1980 ghillies and handknit offwhite hose were replacing the tartan hose and buckled shoes for pipers, and long neckties were being worn with Prince Charlies:



but soon after a new dress swept the Pipe Band world, and is still the most common today. It consists of a black Argyll jacket (though sometimes dark blue etc), Glengarry, Pipers Socks, and ghillies. Through the 80's and 90's the socks were usually stark white, but now that's changing and many bands are going to other colours. The most common modern pipe band sporran is a black leather Hunting Sporran with a chrome cantle on it. At some competitions three-quarters of the bands are wearing that type of sporran.

Here's the best pipe band in the world, Simon Fraser University, showing the ultimate in modern pipe band dress:



Even the Army regimental bands dress like this when competing at Highland Games.

You'll see today, and from the mid-19th century on, civilian pipers simply wearing the current Highland dress of the period, others wearing military style full dress, others wearing whatever the current Pipe Band fashion is.

By the way "Piper Socks" are a particular brand name. They're very long, going halfway up your thigh, and are intended to be rolled over three times (or more) to get a fat cuff effect.

[JSFMACLJR]

"Piper Socks" are a particular brand name. They're very long, going halfway up your thigh, and are intended to be rolled over three times (or more) to get a fat cuff effect.

Why would one want a "fat cuff effect"?

[HarborSpringsPiper]

Why would one want a "fat cuff effect"?

I always thought it was developed to accentuate the cuff in white/ecru hose, to make them look less like a tube sock at a distance. I believe it just caught on and was extended to other colors.

[Jack Daw]

Haven't competed in ages but when I started, I wasn't alone wearing a No. 1 style uniform on the boards. Liked it better when I started to wear a daywear jacket, etc. as the piper's doublet, plaid, spats, etc. is kind of bulky and hot.

I tend to guage what I wear to gigs based on the event. I try to get a sense of the setting and formality of the event and go from there, often asking the principles what their thoughts are, after offering what I see as appropriate options.

After decades, I am in the process of putting together a No. 1 uniform, interestingly enough at my wife's encouragement. Just picked up a brand new (supposedly worn once) Piper's doublet on eBay for $75. Actually all of the pieces I have picked up have been in trade or as a deal I ran across. Couple of more pieces and I'll be set. Haven't figured out when I'll wear this get up; maybe Dewar's will be having a promo in the area??

Tell me about it. In Texas heat, it's the bare minimum for piping comps, which are held outdoors. The games event in Salado is in November, but I've never had to wear a jacket for comps. When I first began to compete, I asked a sometimes adjudicator what I should wear, and he said I could wear plain black shoes, but pipers and drummers alike are expected have the head in either a glengarry or balmoral. I have 1830's clothing when I have piped as John MacGregor, and the great kilt for the days I piped with The Reddshanks.

[Jack Daw]

Perhaps the most complete explanation of piper's dress can be found in the manuals of the Regimental Drum Major's Association [RDMA]. http://drummajor.net/1Manuals.htm. It may be useful for you to know that in many bands, the Drum Major is the head of all, not just the drummers, and so sets the dress for the pipers. Enjoy!

Notice what it says about the hair sporrans.

[wildrover]

Through the 80's and 90's the socks were usually stark white, but now that's changing and many bands are going to other colours.

And all I can say is "thank goodness!"

Here's the best pipe band in the world, Simon Fraser University, showing the ultimate in modern pipe band dress:

Worth nothing that without the hat, they look hardly different from any other well-dressed guy in a kilt.

matching Tartan bag cover

Where are you getting them from? I've been looking around for a cover that fits tight to the bag...the only cover I have is loose, so I haven't used it but once.

Why would one want a "fat cuff effect"?

Because it looks better.

(All my long answers about anatomy, proportion, and the opposite sex boiled down to those four words.)

-Sean

[JSFMACLJR]

Because it looks better.

(All my long answers about anatomy, proportion, and the opposite sex boiled down to those four words.)

-Sean

I guess it looks better if you like fat calves with a thick bulging cuff around them!

I don't.

[druid]

Where are you getting them from? I've been looking around for a cover that fits tight to the bag...the only cover I have is loose, so I haven't used it but once.

-Sean

The Band uses the Registered City Tartan and not only had Kilts made from the heavy or medium weight materials [I believe the PMs, mine and the DM wear a 20oz, the band wears 16oz] and our three Kilts are pleated to the Stripe, the Band's to the Sett. We have thinner materials made for fly plaids and the DMs plaid [it feels like 10oz]....so with the excess [thin] material we started making bag covers. The PM got a pattern from somewhere and cut them and we sew them into our covers. I sewed my own and I have to tell you...what...a...pain...

I have the most simplistic of machines and trying to sew the drone mounts into the bag was a veritable nightmare. A simple bag cover took me almost 3 full hours and I didn't have to cut anything...

[OC Richard]

Why would one want a "fat cuff effect"?

That's a good question.

As far as I can see, it came in with those handknit "Aran" hose which were all the rage for pipe bands in the late 70's and early 80's.

Those hose usually had a diamond pattern on the front, and the turnover cuffs had some sort of pattern that made them thick.

Then...when? In the late 80s or around 1990? A different sort of sock became the rage. It was stark white (not offwhite/cream like the Aran hose) and though the body of the socks were plain the turnover cuffs were thick knit patterns like the old Aran hose.

In fact you could buy just the knit cuff section, and wear it over the top of inexpensive plain hose. Many pipers and bands used those. (From time to time I'd do something a bit different and wear the white heavy knit cuffs on blue soccer socks or whatever.)

Then the "Pipers Socks" came in that still were white, with plain body and knit cuffs, but made with the very long top that was designed to be rolled over a number of times for that desired thick cuff look.

Now Pipers Socks are made in a number of colours and bands are going with black, navy blue, ancient blue, charcoal grey, mid grey, Lovat green, etc... anything but cream/offwhite, which smacks of the 70's to pipers who have been around for a while:

http://www.rghardie.com/range/piper_socks.html

(I see they do offer them in the dreaded cream...)