Pleat question for pipers and pipeband people.

[Sionnach]

A Peoria firefighter who is putting together a pipe band here has ordered and recieved the band's first kilts- Gordon tartan pleated to sett rather than stripe. This was chosen purposely, but I guess he wonders now if it should have been to stripe. My best answer was that I didn't know. I told him that as long as all were "uniform" I could see no reason why it should matter. But I am also no expert. And I said I would try to find out more information.
So please...

[Peter C.]

As it is a civilian pipeband it would normally be pleated to the sett. The military pleat to the stripe. That being said, he can pleat them any way he likes, as you said-it doesn't matter.

Peter

[Jack Daw]

Points will not be taken off in competition if the band kilts are pleated to sett.

[Macman]

I agree that they can choose to have them pleated however they like. That said, I think the Gordon tartan looks particularly nice pleated to the stripe. FWIW, our band is a police band and our kilts are pleated to the stripe.

[Downunder Kilt]

It is not unusual to have pipers pleated to sett and drummers pleated to the stripe or visa versa. You will even see drummers wearing a different tartan to the pipers in the same band. This can been seen in military and civilian bands.

[chasem]

The pipe band from which I am learning wears Wallace, pleated to the sett.

[EagleJCS]

The Louisville Pipe Band (of which I am a member) wears Ancient Henderson, pleated to the sett. The Kentucky United Pipe Band (in Lexington) wears the Commonwealth of Kentucky tartan pleated to the stripe (the white stripe, I think ). Some tartans lend themselves to pleating to one of the stripes (I've also heard of 'no stripe' pleating).

Doesn't really make a difference what the kilts look like. Most people are in awe of the noise a pipe band generates. (Even better if they're tuned and making harmonious noise!)

[OC Richard]

As it is a civilian pipeband it would normally be pleated to the sett. The military pleat to the stripe. That being said, he can pleat them any way he likes, as you said-it doesn't matter.

Peter

I have to completely disagree with this.

Pleating to the sett/tartan is a modern innovation, and in the old days all kilts, miltary and civilian alike, were pleated to the line/stripe, or in early kilts often pleated at random.

Pleating to the line/stripe, and pleating to the block, are very popular amongst civilian pipe bands.

(Pleating to the block is where a portion of the tartan which has no vertical element is chosen for replication across the pleats. Or, in some cases a very weak/subtle vertical element is present but the kilt still looks pleated to the block at any distance.)

In fact at many competitions I've attended (including some in Scotland) around two-thirds to three-quarters of the pipe bands (all of them civilian) are either pleated to the line or pleated to the block.

Gordon kilts, in my opinion, never look quite right when pleated to the sett. It's a military tartan, and Gordon kilts have always been pleated to the yellow line, and they look great that way.
For that matter, all military tartans look odd to me when pleated to the sett.

I'm a big fan of pleating to the line anyway, and for the vast majority of tartans I'd prefer to go that way. There are a few tartans that, no matter what portion of the tartan is selected for repetition across the back, the effect of the tartan is greatly weakened. These few look better pleated to the sett to my eye.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I also have to disagree with Peter C. Most civilian pipe bands I have seen have chosen to have their kilts pleated to stripe. It is not just a military style. Same is true of non-pipers. Pleating to stripe is in every way acceptable for civilian kilts, pipers or not.

However, that being said, I also know of plenty of pipe bands who have their kilts pleated to the sett. It all just seems to boil down to what kind of look the pipe band wants to have.

[creagdhubh]

A Peoria firefighter who is putting together a pipe band here has ordered and recieved the band's first kilts- Gordon tartan pleated to sett rather than stripe. This was chosen purposely, but I guess he wonders now if it should have been to stripe. My best answer was that I didn't know. I told him that as long as all were "uniform" I could see no reason why it should matter. But I am also no expert. And I said I would try to find out more information.
So please...

I tend to think pleating to the stripe, or line, looks more uniform and regimented. I personally prefer that look.