RDMA Dress Manual - Regimental Drum Major Association

FOREWORD
This publication is the third major publication of the Regimental Drum Major Association: a dress
manual for pipes and drums. As with the RDMA Drill Manual for Pipes and Drums, this project turned
out to be more than describing two forms of dress.
This manual is targeted for civilian pipe bands, although military Drum Majors will find the information
very familiar. We have added text to provide those not brought up in the British military to know the
history on the items that they are wearing.
As with the other manuals, this manual is not exhaustive. We have included those forms of dress that are
most commonly used with pipe bands today and have added a few others as well. We included the Irish
Regimental dress to the manual because many, particularly those from non-Commonwealth countries, do
not know it exists.
We have also mentioned items of dress that are commonly worn incorrectly or with the wrong form of
dress. How many of us have seen feather bonnets worn with short sleeve shirts!
Many of us have joined bands that, for one reason or another, dress incorrectly. This manual designed to
educate you as to what is appropriate pipe band dress and then take the steps necessary to make
adjustments to your band’s or your own dress.
A properly and correctly dressed band will gain credibility from those knowledgeable about proper dress.
A band dressed incorrectly may be summarily dismissed as not being credible by judges or other bands.
Uniforms are too expensive for this to happen to your band. Often fixes require minor adjustments or the
exchange of one or two items.
We hope that this manual will be a resource for you and your band.
Paul E. Olson
Drum Major, Stewart Tartan Pipes & Drums of San Francisco
President, Regimental Drum Major Association
02 April 2007: v 2.0
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10 March 2009: v 2.5
Revisions to pages: 7, 39, 43, 64-76, 79