The Royal Scots Cap Badge

Piping at functions

Dear Bill
Could you please help me with this for I am a junior piper aand plan to start playing at weddings and other functions.

When piping guests in at a wedding or such like should you keep playing all the time or only when the guests come in? For example if there is a group of guests that come in, then a couple of minutes before the next people should you keep on piping during that couple of minutes?

Thank you for your help. xxx




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Piping at functions

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Oct 08, 2011
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by: Bill Robertson

Pipers might be asked to play for weddings, funerals, and receptions etc., when the duration of each item is often just a few minutes. As an example, take Saturday afternoon as the day of a wedding. Prepare at home earlier in the day with pipes set up well and the chanter set for immediate playing. Play just two or three minutes, re-tune and leave the pipes for about thirty minutes then check briefly that the drones are still in unison for an estimated wait at the wedding to play the bride and groom out of the church etc. If one drone is out of unison, find out why. The bridle might need a tiny adjustment downwards if it has to be tuned upwards to match. Re-tune, wait and test as before, or earlier. Final tune up at home before leaving in the afternoon would only be about a minute. At the wedding arrive early, find a spot well away to check the pipes are in unison, do not play for more than a minute (drones played too much will tune too sharp for instant play). Find out the length of service to be ready on time. While any hymns are sung you could check unison some small distance away just on high ?A? very briefly. Be ready standing to one side of where the couple will be and play a suitable tune/s as they approach. If photographs at that point take too long have a break. Consider playing the couple to their car and as it drives off. Consider also playing the couple in to the wedding reception right up to their table. The Master of Ceremonies should ask the guests to ?be upstanding for the bride and groom? beforehand. Procedures and music should be discussed well in advance with the parties concerned. Consider most of this for funerals and other items of short playing duration.

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