Why book me?

Even if I say so myself, I’m a very good piper! I’m an actively competing member of one of the very best pipe bands in the world; the Fife Police Pipe Band wins prizes in Grade 1, the highest echelon of pipe bands.

Playing the bagpipes at this level isn’t as simple as just turning up and playing. It requires a great deal of commitment and practice. Myself and my fellow band members must play our pipes nearly every day, in order to keep ourselves and our instruments playing at this very high standard.

I’m not a piper who’s “retired” from competing and has therefore “has no reason to practice”. If pipers playing in a top grade 1 pipe band don’t practice, we don’t even make the subs’ bench, myself included!

As you’ll see in the photo of some of my medals, I’ve won many solo piping competitions too. You only win this type of competition if for the entire performance, you perform very musically, have great technique, a perfectly tuned bagpipe, and of course, play better than everybody else!

YOU must also have a bagpiper with all these skills playing for you!

Practicing for, and performing in high pressure competition and concert environments, ensures that I will perform much better for your wedding or event than a piper who doesn’t practice regularly. I have the stamina to play better and for longer, and my bagpipe will always be in tune. Many pipers who only perform at events, and only pull their bagpipes out from under the bed on a Saturday, will have a poorly tuned instrument which can be prone to embarrassing malfunctions. This is why pipers who play at my level practice their bagpipes nearly every day. The piper needs to do this to consistently perform at his or her best, no matter the occasion, and the bagpipe needs this to sound its best.

Listen to me playing a variety of tunes for different occasions, on both the Highland Bagpipe and the Scottish Small Pipes, on my Wedding Bagpipe Music & More page.

Having played the bagpipes for over 30 years, I’ve performed at all sorts of events all over the world. I’ve travelled to places such as Aviemore, Instanbul, Edinburgh, Taipai, Sydney, Hong Kong, Zurich, Auckland, Seoul, Angola, Nova Scotia, China, Califonia, Tanzania and Auchterarder.

Closer to home I’ve performed at countless numbers of weddings and and corporate events.

My experience of playing for so many different types of occasion means that I can give you advice on the bagpiper-related parts of your wedding or event. The standard of my piping and my uniform means you will have a bagpiper who is musically superb, and is also dressed superbly.

Let’s be honest, having a bagpiper playing for you isn’t just about playing some music. It’s also about adding a sense of  occasion, ceremony, tradition, and making an announcement. Pipers playing the Great Highland Bagpipe have provided this for centuries. For this, you need a bagpiper dressed in the finest ceremonial Piper’s No.1 Full Highland Dress. As you’ll see in my Bagpiper Uniform Tour, I take a great deal of effort to source the finest uniform items, and I make sure each item is worn correctly. I wear three Piper’s No.1 Full Highland Dress outfits. No.1 Dress is very expensive, and as a result most pipers only have one outfit. Consequently, they often look very shabby as items wear out or get dirty from playing at many events. Having three outfits enables me to put items “into the garage” as soon as is required, meaning I will always look tip-top at your event, and in your photographs.

If you’re booking another bagpiper, please be sure to ask if they wear the ceremonial Piper’s No.1 Full Highland Dress, and also ask if this is included in their standard fee.

Many pipers will either turn up in the very basic, and quite unceremonial Day Dress, or will charge a premium to wear the Piper’s No.1 Full Highland Dress. I wear the Piper’s No.1 Full Highland Dress as standard, with the exception of funerals, and I don’t charge extra for it.

My prices are extremely competitive for a bagpiper of my standard, and wearing the quality of uniform that I do. I wear the ceremonial Piper’s No.1 Full Highland Dress as standard, and I don’t charge any extra for this.

For Weddings my price of £275 for my Wedding Ceremony and Reception package, which includes wearing the Piper’s No.1 Full Highland Dress, and playing the Scottish Small Pipes is very reasonable. Many other pipers and music agencies will charge around £350 for this same service. Many do not advertise their prices on their website. Often your event is sub-contracted to another piper, whom you will see very little information about.

I do not act as an agency. If I am unavailable for your event, I am happy to recommend one of my trusted bagpiper friends and colleagues to you. I will not take any part in negotiating a fee though.

Please see my current prices at Bagpiper Prices. My prices are flexible. I.e., if you only want me for one part at the beginning of your wedding ceremony, I won’t charge the full price that I would if I were to be playing at the end too.

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