KENT BAGPIPER
A few words about me;
some background on the Highland Bagpipes;
& the service that I can provide
ABOUT ME
Fascinated at the Skirl of the Pipes since a young child, living in Central London where the Scots Guards regularly paraded, I started to learn to play the Highland Bagpipes around 1979, under the tutilage of the great Bob Brown, a former Queen's Piper, prior to his retirement.
An active member of an internationally renowned Pipe Band, I continue to develop my Piping skills and have played throughout the UK as well as abroad.
MY SERVICES
As well as Burns Nights, Corporate Events, New Years Eve Parties, and Birthday Celebrations, I offer a full service for Weddings and Funerals:-
WEDDINGS
I can Pipe:-
the Guests into the Church;
the Bride from the car to the Church;
the Bride down the aisle if she wishes;
when the Bridal party sign the register;
the Bride & Groom out of the Church as their Guests follow;
the arrival of the Bride & Groom at the Reception and as they receive and greet their Guests;
the Bride & Groom to the Top Table, once the Guests have found their seats and then Pipe away, leaving everyone to enjoy the Wedding Breakfast.
FUNERALS -
I can be at the house to receive the Cortege.
After the Mourners get into the cars, I can march ahead of the Cortege away from the neighbourhood, for friends and neighbours to pay their respects, moving aside as the Cortege passes en route to the Church or Crematorium.
I can then meet the Cortege and Pipe at the Church or Crematorium and if a Burial, near to the Graveside.
For a Cremation, I can play a medley of tunes in the Rose Garden after the Commital Service and then Pipe away from the graveside or Rose Garden, which I am told is particularly poignant as the Mourners hear the Pipes fading away into the distance.
THE HIGHLAND BAGPIPES
It is said that Pipes originated in one form or another from the East, evolving into an instrument of a bag with drones through the era of the Moors and the Crusades of old and migrating to the European continent around the 12th Century.
The instrument has several variations including Breton Pipes with single drones, Northumbrian Small Pipes with three short narrow drones and bellows, and Pastoral Pipes again with bellows. It was however, not until around the 14th Century that they were played in Scotland, where in the early 1600's the Highland Bagpipe developed into the instrument that we know today with the distinctive three drones. They were used to play Laments for the passing of Chieftans, as well as to accompany Dancers and for general entertainment.
Many approaches have been tried with regard to manufacture but none can match the tone and depth of sound, obtained by using the distinctive Blackwood and once all three drones are correctly tuned with the chanter, none can match the resonance of sound either.
In latter years, Bill Millin, Lord Lovat's legendary
D-Day Piper, played as the first wave of Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, encouraging them on.
