Battle of the Bagpipes
Kerr McQuillan became drum lead at aged 19
A three-part documentary series which will lift the lid on piping
Watch on Sky Arts and NOW
Kerr McQuillan became drum lead at aged 19
A three-part documentary series which will lift the lid on piping
Watch on Sky Arts and NOW
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NewsTranscript
00:00The sense of family in our band allows you to, musically, you've got an identity that's,
00:08there's a base level of that musical understanding all the time.
00:12A huge part of any pipe band is the drum corps, and this winter Kerr McQuillan has taken over
00:24our drum corps.
00:26Within the pipe band, the drum corps adds a percussive element.
00:32It gives you a totally different feel.
00:38You work a lot as a pipe corps, but ultimately, when the drums come in, it just helps to lift
00:44it to where it needs to be.
00:46I like the stress bay there. I thought, if I was to do anything, it was probably just
00:56pull it back.
00:57Tiny wee bits guys, but it makes a difference.
01:01I'm 19 and that's, it's very young to be taking on that responsibility, especially
01:08at the top end of grade one. I'm the youngest leading drummer in the grade by about 15 years.
01:13In terms of leading the drum corps, he's had a lot of success in a short space of time,
01:18so he's shown to be a really natural leader.
01:22What I dreamed of since the day I was born was becoming the leading drummer of this organisation.
01:27When he asked me, I was over the moon. I'd been planning it for years though, you know,
01:32it's always been in the back of my head, every day I pick up my sticks, what would
01:35I do if I was the leading drummer of this band? And when he told me, it was the best
01:39day of my life, there's no doubt about that.
01:41Ultimately, we picked Kerr because he is the right man for the job.
01:46He's a very focused individual.
01:49I'm so sort of obsessed with the competitive scene in pipe bands. There's not another
01:54musical industry that has such a competitive nature about it.
02:11.