4 Groups
(for pipe bands see section 3 above.)
4.1 General Rules
4.1.1 Competitors must keep inside the tuning area and must follow instructions given by officials.
4.1.2 Groups must make sure that they can be found by the stewards and keep informed about changes in the time schedule.
4.1.3 The competitions are open to pipers and drummers of all nationalities. Competitions open to Scandinavians only may be held simultaneously, within the same competition, with competitions open to all nationalities.
A Scandinavian group should:
- be based in Scandinavia, and
- consist of persons who have been resident in Scandinavia at least during one month prior to the competition.
Prizes may be awarded both to the three best placed competitors, and to the three best placed Scandinavian groups.
4.1.4 Group members are not allowed to compete in more than one group in the same discipline and on the same type of instrument. Note that when there are different levels of group competitions every level should be regarded as a separate discipline. For instance if there is one "beginners quintets competition" and one "experienced quintet competition" they constitute two different disciplines.
4.1.5 The judgement will start on the first beat of the music and cease after all instruments have stopped sounding.
4.1.6 Adjudication will be carried out by four or five adjudicators, each to rank the groups so that the best group is given first place, the second best second place and so on. All groups taking part in a competition should be ranked. There should be:
- 1-2 PIPING judges
- 1 DRUMMING judge
- 1-2 ENSEMBLE judges
The result for each competition shall be determined by the addition of the group placing from all adjudicators in each musical discipline. Should there be one piping adjudicator only or one ensemble adjudicator only the "place-point" given by that single judge should be multiplied by two. (This means that the lowest possible sum of points is always five, although the winners might have a higher sum of place-points depending on the outcome of the individual placing made by each adjudicator.)
4.1.7 In the event of a tie the decision shall be reached as follows:
- 1st Preference - Ensemble best place
- 2nd Preference - Piping best place
- 3rd Preference - Drumming best place
4.1.8 Adjudication should be carried out using score sheets, divided into sections as follows. The separate points for introduction and tone are assessments only and should not be added to the points of the total performance.
Group Competitions (determined by placing)
| Piping | Ensemble | Drumming |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction 10 Tone 15 |
Introduction 15 Tone 15 |
Introduction 20 Tone 10 |
| Place | Place | Place |
4.2 Quintets
4.2.1 Each quintet must comprise 3 pipers, 1 side drummer, and 1 bass/tenor drummer
4.2.2 Each quintet in grade four must play a selection of 3–7 minutes duration.
4.2.3 Each quintet in open grade must play a selection of 4–7 minutes duration.
4.3 Trios
4.3.1 Each trio must play a selection of 2–7 minutes duration.
4.3.2 Each trio must comprise two pipers and one side drummer.