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How to Find a Bagpiper For a Funeral
Or Memorial Service
By William Don Carlos
You have decided to include the Scottish pipes in your
memorial plans, but how do you find a good piper? The
skirl of the Highland bagpipes will etch an indelible
memory. It can be difficult enough to find any piper,
let alone a good one. You may remember the news of the
airplane accident that took the life of golf pro Payne
Stewart in October, 1999. Many still remember the
nationally-televised coverage of the funeral,
particularly the lone piper on the green, nestled in the
foggy mist. Piping for funerals is a performance art
form where the piper has one chance with no rehearsals
to get it right. Most people are unfamiliar with this
instrument; many cannot even name the title of a single
bagpipe tune. In fact, most folks have never heard the
pipes played live. What do you need to know to select a
capable bagpiper and construct a unique music tribute in
honor of your loved one's memory?
Just finding the piper may be the most difficult step.
As a professional piper, I have a web page, advertise,
and perform regularly in the community; yet, am often
told that I was difficult to locate in the first-place.
Searching online is an obvious place to begin. Entering
the name of your community and the word bagpipe may
generate a list of choices. If that does not work, then
you might consider checking for evidence of a local pipe
band organization in your community. If you live in
Canada you can probably find a piper by inquiring at the
local chapter of the Canadian Legion. In the United
States, many police and fire departments have pipe
bands. You can often locate a piper by checking at the
local music shop or a large church. The local funeral
home may have a trusted source. What you want to find is
someone with lots of performance experience and a good
reputation and ensure that they are known for quality,
punctuality, and consistency. It is not enough to find a
person who simply claims to be able to play the pipes.
A qualified piper is someone who can help guide you with
such things as appropriate tune selection and how to
stage the performance. He or she should have a large
repertoire of musical selections and be able to learn
new tunes quickly. They should be able to tell you on
the spot if a particular tune can be played on the pipes
or suggest alternatives. It is common to locate a
suitable piper with only days left until the event. When
distracted by grief and the details of the planning
process, obtaining an experienced piper is worth paying
the higher fee. When planning a memorial service on
short notice, consideration needs to be given to such
factors as how the bagpipes enter and exit the venue,
plus where the piper will stand to play. Pipes are
effective when used to create a dramatic entrance, but
others may wish to place the pipes outside or at a
distance. Sometimes this means only being heard through
an open door. You will quickly recognize whether or not
you have found an experienced performer when consulting
with them about such details. You should also arrange to
pay the piper upon arrival. This enables you to focus on
family and friends after the service. The setup can
change completely when the day arrives. You need an
experienced piper who is flexible, creative and
dependable to create a perfect, lasting memory.
The author is a professional bagpiper in Southern
Arizona.
His web site: http://www.wdoncarlos.com, e-mail william@wdoncarlos.com. |
