The Sound of the Pipes for All Occasions

IIntro page I How the bagpipe sounds I What to look for I When to use a piper I Weddings & Funerals I Learning the pipes I Where to find a piperI

Mad piper

Wedding and Funeral services

What to do at a wedding ceremony?

Bagpipers perform at all types of weddings: Traditional church services, outdoor ceremonies, and civil ceremonies.

There is no correct or wrong way to use a piper, but here are a few ideas.

Traditional Church Service:

You can use the piper to play:

The processional for the bridesmaids' and bride's entrances
The recessional for the married couple
Outside the church while the guests' exit
During the receiving line

The Processional:

Bridesmaids: The piper can play from the back of the church or by the entrance as the bridesmaids walk to their positions. The piper stops once the last bridesmaid is at the front

Bride: With the bride and her father ready to enter the church the piper starts up his pipes again and precedes the bride into the church and down the aisle.

He should be five to ten feet in front and marching slowly enough to keep pace with the bride.
Upon reaching the front of the church the piper turns right toward the groomsmen, marches to the end of them, and turns back toward the bride.
The piper continues to play until the bride reaches the groom and is standing in place.
The piper will either exit quietly to the back of the church until he is needed for his next tune.

The Recessional:

Upon the announcement, "I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. ...," the couple will turn and face their family and guests.

The piper starts his pipes during the applause, marches from the back of the church to the front, stops and turns in front of the couple, and marches out in front of them.

The couple will march at their own pace several feet behind the piper
The piper may make it to the exit before the couple, but this is fine

He should be playing an upbeat march which will make the timing of the walk faster.

The piper should continue to play once he reaches the exit. You can have him either play until the couple reaches the exit or continue until the entire wedding party, bridesmaids and parents, depart.

Important Note: Coordinate your decision with the organist or other musicians playing at the church. You want a cut-off point where the piper stops and the other musicians start.

Outdoor and Creative Wedding Ceremonies:

One can have the piper play at any type of marriage ceremony. You will need to discuss the location of the ceremony and the length of the service with the piper. He or she can identify when to play, or you can request specific parts for the piper.

Creative Suggestion:

At the conclusion of the ceremony, unbeknownst to the guests, have the piper march in from a distance (when outdoors) or start up from a hidden location in the building. This provides a surprise, albeit a very load one, to the guests since they will not see or hear the piper until the end of the wedding vows.

The piper stays hidden from the guests until the ceremony begins. He stays at the back of the church. Once the couple is introduced as Mr. and Mrs., the piper strikes in and proceeds to march down the aisle.
In the outdoor ceremony, the piper would time his playing with a signal from one of the wedding party. He can march in across the field and play up to the couple before turning and leading them out.

Remember, it is your event so ask the piper to adjust to your ceremony the way that you want.

What to do at a funeral service and burial?

Funeral Service:

For a funeral service one can use a bagpiper outside the church or inside, depending on the weather and the type of building.

Funeral Services may have several musical parts:

Opening Hymn
Response
Presentation Hymn
Communion Hymn
Committal Hymn
Closing Hymn

A piper may play during the service or at the burial plot

A recommendation is to have the piper play outside and play a tune that corresponds to an hymn that will be used.

When the hymn is near the last verse the piper should start his drones and begin playing the notes to the tune once the singing stops. An example is Amazing Grace.

After he ends the tune the remaining portion of the service can continue.

As the service concludes and the coffin is taken away, the piper can play a slow tune from a position nearby the church. This will permit the sound to carry and add a better effect than if he were to play next to the church door.

Burial Service:

At the grave site the piper can be used to play during the lowering of the casket into the grave.

A good combination of tunes to play is a slow air followed by an upbeat 6/8 march or hornpipe as the casket is lowered down.

Upon the completion of the activity the piper can either stop playing or return to his slow air and walk away slowly until he can be heard faintly.

Remember, it is your event so ask the piper to adjust to your ceremony the way that you want.

IIntro page I How the bagpipe sounds I What to look for I When to use a piper I Weddings & Funerals I Learning the pipes I Where to find a piperI

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The background music is part of The Cock of the North by Pipe Major Donald MacLeod M.B.E. (Lismor® recordings)