Portland Fire Fighters Pipes and Drums

04/16/2026

Music is in the open space, the distance between movements, a patience to feel the power of music .

04/15/2026

The moment a pipe band enters a room two things occur. First, the crowd sees the pageantry and hears the power of our music. Second, the pipe band sees in an instant, the purpose of all our effort. Thank you Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation.

04/13/2026

A support system is very important. At Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation we have a tradition to walk our significant other into the event and seat them prior to our performance. This year over 65 of these members were in attendance. This is a formal recognition to honor their sacrifice. The sacrifice of long hours away for rehearsal, road trips for performance, and the highs and lows of pipe band life. These spouses and others attend to cheer us on, or work in the tuning room, or capture media for us. You are the greatest reason for our tremendous growth, as you have been always on our side. Thank you.

04/13/2026

The tuning room is a special place for a pipe band. It’s our space to listen to each other, reaffirm our belief in one another, and open the door to an opportunity to experience something tremendous.

04/12/2026

sound up! Here is a look behind the scenes at Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation final tuning check 5 minutes before marching into the event. Tone, togetherness, and tuning are the 3 big “T’s” we listen to. A pipe band is a powerful machine when the big picture collective is more important than the individual.

04/10/2026

Drumline fanfares allow the drum corps an opportunity to highlight the heartbeat of the bass drum, the voicing of the tenors which are calling and answering to one another, and the dynamics of the sides.

04/10/2026

“Flamfare!” A flam in drumming is a fundamental rudiment used to "fatten" or accent a note, produced by playing two sticks in rapid succession—a soft "grace note" immediately followed by a louder primary stroke. It makes a single hit sound larger and is used across all styles of music, including rock and marching.

04/03/2026

Every Wednesday we make it a point to march. Pipes need to listen to the drum corps behind for a driving tempo, melody and harmony players alike work to listen to each other, the attack must be clean and powerful, drums need to listen to the pipe corps in front for musical expression, and togetherness is our focus. Always with a critical ear, support for the player beside you, and the courage to work on our weakness.

Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation here we come!

03/16/2026

Here’s a quick look at a strathspey within an MSR that we have been learning. This was our first opportunity to play it in public. Thank you to Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub for hosting as we will continue this important skill development.

03/15/2026