With over 15 years' experience playing the Great Highland Bagpipes, I am available to add an extra special touch to any event you are planning. I wear the kilt in the Johnstone tartan, and I wear a shirt and tie, a green tweed jacket and waistcoat, a sporran, ghillie brogues (shoes), hoes and flashes (socks with the decorative ribbons), and a glengarry hat, as you can see in the photo below.
The bagpipes are extremely popular at weddings, funerals, Burn's Night celebrations, as well as New Years Eve events. I offer both set and bespoke services to accommodate your every need with prices starting from as little as £150*, so please contact me to discuss your event and I will be happy to assist you by offering a top quality performance and exceptional customer service when you book me.
*Please see "How to Book" for more information on my prices.
History: How it began...
My Dad came down from Scotland when he was very young to live in the Peterborough area along with his brothers and sisters. As a result of his heritage, I was brought up listening to a lot of traditional Scottish music: particularly the accordion (Jimmy Shand), and the bagpipes...
Most of my family are not particularly musical, but my Dad used to play the piano accordion when he was younger, as well as aunty Catherine, and uncle Brian played the bagpipes for a while.
When I was aged 8, I went on a family holiday to Scarborough and my parents gave me £20 to spend on whatever I wanted. After seeing my uncle Brain play the practice chanter once when I was very young, I decided that on this holiday, I wanted to use my money to buy a practice chanter so I could learn the bagpipes. I cannot quite remember why this idea came into my head at this particular time as Scarborough is hardly Scotland!
Once I got my practice chanter, I then decided it was a bit harder than it originally looked and only revisited the practice chanter when I was aged 10 after my parents saw an article in the local newspaper of the a pipe band offering lessons for beginners. After contacting the band and having lessons through the band on the practice chanter, and eventually progressing onto the full set of bagpipes, I entered piping competitions and continued to improve, winning many awards, medals, and trophies during my teenage years.
Since then, I have continued to play the bagpipes at all kinds of events all over the country!
Big & Small Events
Over the years, I have been honoured to pipe at many events, big and small. I have played at a small intimate wedding where there was only 6 people including myself and the bride and groom. I have piped at large events such as leading the massed pipes and drums at the Birmingham Military Tattoo into the arena when I was Pipe Major of a local pipe band.
I have also appeared on the BBC news on TV, and radio many times playing the bagpipes for prestigious events and community work I did during the pandemic.
No event is too big or too small.
Please contact me to discuss any requirement or requests you may have. I look forward to hearing from you!
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