Rather than regurgitate a bunch of stories I thought I could instead just post a handful of links to Scottish pipers (and for the matter American pipers) news stories I’ve found interesting the last few days.
Here’s one about James Rivers, a fantastic musician with both jazz and the bagpipes making for a unique combination of instruments. http://wgno.com/2015/06/22/rivers-master-of-jazz-and-bagpipes/
Here’s a story about the College of Piping offering some new courses and credits that some of you may find interesting. http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2015-06-22/article-4190971/Bagpipes,-highland-dancing-now-high-school-credits/1
if you are looking for a Scottish Wedding Piper look no further than big Stuart on the bagpipes. http://elitebands.co.uk/scottish-piper
Some more about the Swords and Bagpipes tabletop game I was just talking about, including a discussion with the creator. http://geekdad.com/2015/07/swords-and-bagpipes/
I’ll leave you this time with a picture of Scotland’s greatest hero. Groundskeeper Willie!
I was looking at wedding music statistics today (as you do) and found these one’s to be pretty shocking. Statistics I found on the St. Louis Bride and Groom website, taken from sources such as USA Today and The Knot suggest that almost 100% of brides they spoke to would, if they could do things again, spend more money when it came to choosing the entertainment for their wedding. 72% of those brides said they would spend a significantly larger amount of time choosing their musical performers. Finally 81% said that the main thing they remembered about their reception was the entertainment they chose.
Choosing a Scottish wedding piper for your wedding can be a time consuming business but these statistics definitely show that it will be time well spent. Don;t leave it until the last minute and don’t underestimate the importance of getting a really good piper to play. We can recommend Stuart (who can be found here: http://elitebands.co.uk/scottish-piper ) however if you have anyone you’d like to recommend make sure to do so below in the comments!
Here’s another collection of songs you are probably familiar with that you wouldn’t expect to see covered on bagpipes and certainly wouldn’t expect to see on a blog about Scottish wedding pipers!
The Flintstones theme song
Do they still show the Flintstones on TV? I have vivid memories of watching it as a kid along with about fifty other Hanna-Barbera shows that used to cheaply fill up kids television.
I’m also old enough to have begged my dad to take me to see the 1994 movie complete with Agent Dale Cooper as the villian and the terrible B-52s cover of the theme. It doesn’t take much but the video below is certainly a more enjoyable cover than that one ever was:
(And for comparisons sake here’s the B-52s version. I’m very sorry.)
If I can make some requests I’d like to hear some more kids TV show themes covered, in particular Thundercats, The Pink Panther and Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. MAKE IT HAPPEN INTERNET!
Game of Thrones theme
I’d like to do some research and see if any Scottish pipers actually show up in the show. Living in Glasgow I’ve seen half the cast out drinking over the years, I’ve seen the actor that plays Sandor Clegane on a few occasions, he’s intimidating looking man!
Game of Thrones is a good show to do a bagpipe video for, the theme fits and the success of the show means that you can rack up the youtube hit count. This is a pretty cool video in my opinion so be sure to check it out!
Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
We’ll finish with one I never thought I would see, a cover of a song that depending on your vintage you may know from Leonard Cohen (the writer of the song,) Jeff Buckley or Alexandra Burke. Or from 5 years of terrible X-Factor auditions.
Hopefully Leonard got a nice retirement check out of it all.
Personally I’m a big fan of the original Cohen version without all the historic of the X-Factor cover but your mileage may vary. I think the band covering it are from Russia but I’m not 100% sure but, well, it’s something different right?
Have you seen any cool cover versions done on bagpipes? Let me know in the comments below! Also check out the Elite Bands pipe major here: http://elitebands.co.uk/scottish-piper
Check out this piper, he’s the Elite Bands Pipe Major, Stuart! This Scottish wedding piper looks the part and is one of the best Pipers we’ve come across in Scotland and is available for weddings, functions and corporate events. Check out this video of Stuart performing solo here:
With a little bit of exploring on YouTube we also found this 10 piece pipe band also available through Elite Bands. This tartan wearing ensemble perform at weddings, functions and corporate events and give an amazingly traditional feel to any Scottish or Scottish themed day or evening. We’re big fans, can you imagine having this at your wedding? It would add a special, prestigious moment to your big day!
Both of the Pipe Major and the 10 piece pipe band can be booked through Elite Bands website, specifically through the band checker which allows the booker to know instantly whether or not the act will be available for the dates they are looking for! Elite Bands can be found here: http://elitebands.co.uk and more details about the Piper can be found here: http://elitebands.co.uk/scottish-piper
What do you guys think? Send us some videos of your favourite pipers in the comments section below.
People may just think booking a piper is just booking a piper, however there are more options than you might realise. If you are in the market for something a little different to a classic piper here are a few options you could take into consideration.
If you are looking for a little showmanship how about the self proclaimed “Badpiper?” This flame throwing, tattooed punk looks like he wandered off the set of Mad Max and has been delighting crowds around the world for over 15 years. He’s just maybe not one for your granny. Search YouTube and you’ll find The Badpiper performing his take on rock standards by AC/DC and Queen as well as his own signature tunes. His bagpipes spit fire in the process, resulting in some awesome visuals that your guests wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Looking for something a little more surreal? Portland’s Unipiper is the guy that looked at The Badpipers flaming bagpipes and said “I can do more with this.” This video of a man, dressed in Darth Vader cosplay, a kilt, on a unicycle playing the Star Wars theme on his set of fire spitting bagpipes is probably the best thing you’ll see on the internet today….
….unless that is, you’re more of a Game of Thrones fan.
Not sure if he’s available for bookings but he’d certainly bring a memorable amount of of weirdness to the day. Altthough, again, maybe not one for your gran.
Closer to home when speaking about pipers its hard not to mention The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, one of the highest profile pipe bands in the world. They made their name performing a combination of traditional pipe tunes and contemporary pieces, covering music an eclectic mix of music from Deep Purple to Snow Patrol to Gangnam Style (!?)
Would they play at your wedding? You never know, but you’d have to book early. These guys are in high demand having played around the world not to mention a few times at T in the Park too.
Of course if these ideas aren’t for you theres always Elite Bands’ handpicked piper, Stuart looks the part and is one of the best Scottish wedding pipers out there.
Stuart is the pipe major of the elite pipe band, the best sounding pipe band on the planet (if we do say so ourselves!) Depending on what you’re looking for the company Elite Bands can provide you a solo piper or the full pipe band, that will keep you (and your granny) happy. Head here for more details: http://elitebands.co.uk/band/elite-piper
Wedding Piper Scotland 