Drum Major:                         The Drum Major is the head of the band when on parade.                         Walking in front of the band the Drum Major is usually                         of imposing bearing, and his drill is always flawless                         and his uniform immaculate. The Drum Major carries a                         ceremonial mace and in military bands wears a sash                         bearing the important battle honours of the regiment.                         The Drum Major has usually graduated to the position                         from the ranks of the drummers, although occasionally                         the Drum Major is a piper. Often the pipers and drummers                         in a band will wear different tunics and accoutrements,                         and sometimes different tartans. For example, by                         tradition drummers' tunics are red following the model                         of the English regiments, while the pipers wear tunics                         of "archer green" or black according to the tradition of                         the Scottish regiments. The Drum Major will wear the                         same uniform as the drummers, albeit with a few                         "extras", and the Drum Major is also allowed to carry a                         Sgian Dubh (a small knife) slipped into the right hose                         (sock), as worn by the pipers. In military bands the                         Drum Major carries the rank of Warrant Officer, the                         senior rank for non-commissioned officers in the army,                         and will carry a basket-hilt officer's sword.                         The Drum Major is repsonsible for discipline and dress                         in the band (including the important role of mashalling                         the players at parades and competitions), but his                         primary responsibility is to lead the band on parade by                         giving the drill commands. To do this the Drum Major                         uses a combination of vocal commands and signals with                         the mace as it is difficult to be heard over a pipe                         band! The mace will be held in different positions to                         signify halts, marking time, wheels and the end of                         tunes. These signals are all made without letting go of                         the mace,                         although some Drum Majors also "flourish" the mace -                         that is, toss it spinning into the air. This is done                         only for show, and is not done in military bands as the                         regimental mace is far too precious to risk dropping.                         Mace flourishing, however, is spectacular when done well                         and is a big crowd pleaser at pipe band competitions.

Pipe Major:                         The Pipe Major is the "boss" of the pipe band, but is                         not as visible as the Drum Major. The Pipe Major stands                         in the ranks with the other pipers, occupying the                         position on the right-hand side of the front rank.                         In full dress uniform the Pipe Major wears a distinctive                         gold-embroided badge of pipes surrounded by a wreath on                         the right sleeve, and may have other special uniform                         items aswell.                         The Pipe Major is always a first class player, and his                         authority in the band is absolute. The Pipe Major will                         select repertoire, supervise rehearsals, and set the                         tempos for parades and competitions. There are many                         jokes about the near God-like status of the Pipe Major                         within a band, which are not too far off the mark! The                         personality and abilities of the Pipe Major are the                         biggest factors influencing the success or otherwise, in                         both the musical and social sense, of a band.                         Like the Drum Major, the Pipe Major in military bands                         usually carries the rank of Warrant Officer, and is a                         respected figure occupying something of a unique place                         in the Scottish regiments. The Pipe Major is the head of                         the unit that represents the best values of the regiment                         (and country) and may well be a keeper of regimental                         traditions and also the regimental dancing master,                         another important role. These "hidden" aspects of the                         Pipe Major's position were nicely brought out in the                         1960s movie "Tunes of Glory".