Donald Macpherson

Donald MacPherson (1922–2012) was a Scottish bagpipe player, and one of the most successful competitive solo pipers of all time.

Personal life MacPherson was born into a large family on 5 September 1922 in Glasgow. He received all of his tuition from his father Iain, who was an army piper during the First World War, and had been taught by John MacDougall Gillies. Iain injured his hand when Donald was aged 5 and rarely played his pipes after that, but gave Donald instruction in all aspects of bagpipe playing.

Donald joined the Boys' Brigade pipe band at the age of 12. He entered his first solo competition at the age of 15, at the Cowal Highland Gathering, where he won both the Under 15 March, Strathspey and Reel and the Under 18 Piobaireachd.

He worked as an engineer and lived for several years outside Scotland, working at Barr and Stroud for many years, and also spending some time at Singer. In 1954, he won both the Gold Medal and the Clasp at the Northern Meeting in Inverness.

He retired from competitive playing after winning the Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering at the age of 68, but continued to teach and adjudicate. He produced his own chanter reeds and developed tools for manipulating them. He was among the first solo competitors to use synthetic drone reeds.

He composed at least 30 pieces of ceol beag (light music), but despite his competitive success he was not compelled to compose any pibroch.

Discography Highland Bagpipes (1970) The Master Piper (1989) Piping Centre 1996 Vol. 2 (1996) Donald MacPherson – A Living Legend (2004)