Oregon Piper Blog

Bagpiping on the Oregon Coast always has a special part in my heart. There is something quite invigorating about bagpiping at the beach. The sound of seagulls flapping overhead, the lapping waves at your feet, the refreshing breeze and the picturesque moments always shared between friends and family in a beach setting can be very special. Frequently, I am asked to Oregon coast bagpipe for funerals, weddings and parties.

I was contacted early last week to play for a celebration of life on the Oregon Coast. I was to pipe at Tolovana State Park, just outside Cannon Beach. I have been a bagpiper Cannon Beach OR before, so I was familiar with the location. It was held at dusk, perfectly timed so the family and friends gathering would spy the sunset in the distance. The celebration of life lasted about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It was a combination of music, stories and poems. The family wanted to have a bagpiper pipe them in. We started at the stairway leading down to the beach, with me trailing the family as they waltzed along the beach up to tent where family and friends had gathered. I started with Scotland the Brave bagpipe tune and once in position, launched into Skye Boat Song bagpipe tune, which is a lovely combination of traditional bagpipe music. It was a perfect setting for a bagpiper in Cannon Beach OR.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, with my fingers a bit stiff and cold from the breeze, I bagpiped Green Hills of Tyrol as the family escorted the urn down to the water. It was a slow, steady and emotional walk for family. I waited for the signal and then transitioned into Amazing Grace bagpipe song. I piped Amazing Grace 6 times through as the family distributed the ashes and made their journey back to gathering friends.

I received many smiles and thank you’s for as they described my “eloquent bagpipe music”. Thanking the family, I headed to my vehicle just after 9:30PM and made the long Hwy 26 drive back to Portland.

To learn more about me, visit my Oregon Bagpiper home page or read about my events at Bagpiper Oregon blog.

A very decorated war hero passed away in May and I was contacted by Mark, a specialist for the US armed services to bagpipe in Salem OR for the war veteran. This wasn’t the first time someone contacted me for a Salem OR bagpiper. I have piped there on several occasions throughout the years, for parties, weddings and funerals.

The service was to be held at Court Street Christian Church 1699 Court Street Northeast Salem, OR 97301 in the mid afternoon. The bagpiper Salem OR funeral service was to follow the graveside burial at Willamette National Cemetery on Friday the day before. Fortunately, because I schedule my work around when people need me for oregon bagpipe gigs, I am flexible to make even short term requests. I did have full availability to bagpipe at Willamette National Cemetery and I am very familiar with the layout, the structure, time scheduling and when the most opportune times to pipe during the ceremony are.

At Willamette National Cemetery, I bagpiped Scotland the Brave as the honor guard escorted the casket into the shelter. After the 21 gun salute, taps and the folding of the flag, I was instructed to pipe the final segment of the program which called for Amazing Grace. It was a short and very professional ceremony. The directors and honor guard at Willamette National Cemetery do a wonderful job coordinated burials.

The next day, I drove from Portland to Salem OR bagpipe at the Church service. The Court Street Christian Church is a beautiful church with high ceilings, lovely acoustics and lots of room to accommodate large groups of people. Fortunately for the Church, there was enough (just barely) to seat all the family members and friends. The service lasted approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Mark asked that I bagpipe at the very end of the ceremony, after taps and the folding of the flag. I struck up my bagpipes and played a lovely version of Amazing Grace and repeated it three times through to get the full effect. I positioned myself in the foyer, a bit of ways from everyone, which gave a mysterious impression of background bagpipe music.

As guests of the family shuffled out the door, showering me with compliments and gratitude, one women in particular said something very memorable to me. She said, “I couldn’t tell if there was a real bagpiper playing or a CD”. Wow.

A well known and well liked Oregonian passed away and I was contacted for a bagpiper in Seaside OR. Although I am a bagpiper in Portland, I do travel throughout Oregon and Washington as an Oregon piper, when requested for a Seaside OR bagpiper, the commute was definitely in my range. The service was held at Seaside Christian Church at 88786 Dellmoor Loop Warrenton, OR 97146-7151. It turns out Warrenton is just a few miles north of Seaside on Hwy 101.

The funeral was scheduled for 2PM and as is customary, I showed up 20 minutes before the service began. It was a beautiful day, with hardly a cloud in sight and a slight breeze, a day you would be hard pressed to find on the Oregon Coast. Dressed in full uniform, with the Ancient Frasier tartan, I sought out the family who hired me to go over the logistics. The plan was simple and straightforward. I was to bagpipe in the Seaside Church near the conclusion of the ceremony. To create a sort of haunting effect, I piped from the back entry way for a bar of Danny Boy bagpipe music song, piping as I waltz to the alter. Once there, I turned, faced the family and the family members and continued playing Danny Boy one time through. I stopped my bagpipes at the end of the tune. I then restruck them back in and launched straight into Amazing Grace bagpipe song. I played Amazing Grace twice through in place and at the beginning of the third time through, I slowly began to march and return to the same point I initially started from.

Next came the honor guard and bugler player. It was a wonderful transition. Making eye contact with the Bugler, the moment I stopped, he began playing a beautiful version of taps while the honor guard marched forward carrying the United States flag.

I waited outside to thank the family members and friends as they strolled out the Seaside OR Church. I received warm thank you’s and deep expressions of gratitude. Lastly, I thanked the family for inviting me to pipe in Seaside OR. Pipes in hand and uniform glistening in the sun, I headed for my vehicle and a short while later I was back in Portland.

Funerals are a strange combination of a celebration of life and the grieving process of loosing a loved one. A piper serves to assist in both processes. I often gets compliments from people with tears in their eyes, thanking me profusely for providing such a warm tribute to someone’s life. Sometimes I wonder whether the tears are tears of joy or tears of sadness. Saturday was no different.

I was contacted by a women who lost her husband. She requested Amazing Grace on bagpipes and Scotland the Brave on the bagpipes.

The funeral was for a piper in Tigard OR. Just off Hwy 99 is Young’s Funeral Home in Tigard OR. I arrived 25 minutes prior to the funeral to meet the family and the funeral director, orientate myself with the layout and confirm all the details. Because I have been a piper in Portland and have performed for over 100 funerals the passed three years (see my Oregon Piper Blog, I try to approach every funeral the same way; on time and prepared.

I processed in with Amazing Grace and continued playing it three times through. Once the family was seated, I cut my pipes. At the conclusion of the ceremony, I reappeared in the same place I bagpiped previously. This time I piped Scotland the Brave, processing the family out into the foyer.

Although I preside in Portland and call myself the Portland Piper, I travel quite frequently, from Mt. Hood to the Beach, from Seattle to Bend. Tigard OR Piper was no different. I love to perform and anytime I can assist with the grieving process, I feel I am doing my part to help the family during difficult times.

Lately, there has been an increased safety concern for bicyclists in Portland and rightfully so. Each year, several cyclists die from car related accidents. In order to watch over and protect the thousands of bikers who bike Portland OR every day, St. Stephens Episcopal Church (1432 SW 13th Ave, Portland OR) put on an event last week called which dedicated a bicycle shrine in the church. Father Dennis Parker presided over the service with the assistance of Mic who put the event together.

The event itself was short and sweet and to the point. There were several television crews present and event received recognition from Portland OR based newspapers and news organizations. I was invited to bagpipe as the cyclists arrived. There were several news crews filming my playing but none stopped to ask me any questions. I guess the news snippet was too short to include a bagpiper. I also played at the end of the event, piping Amazing Grace three times through. Everyone thanked me at the end and was very complimentary of my playing. I think they have another event coming up in December which Mic mentioned he would love to have me at. Look for an update on bagpiping in Portland’s St. Stephens Church.

A copy of the flyer dedicating the ceremony:

portland-bicycle-shrine-flyer

It’s St. Patty’s Day Weekend; every bagpipers favorite weekend. It is the one time of year when you walk around the town in a kilt and not have to explain why you’re dressed up in a kilt (or as most people refer to it-dress). After a grueling midnight performance the night before with my buddy Travis and then a 630AM wake up call to participate in the St. Patty’s Day downtown Portland race, I raced to Gaston Oregon to perform my Portland bagpipes for a decorated veteran’s funeral.

It was quite a drive getting there and for the fact I slept little the night before, I was operating on little energy. Luckily, the gig went very smooth. I arrived early and played on a beautiful acreage of land. I played my bagpipe interminably for the first 45 minutes, oscillating between traditional 3/4 marches and more contemporary 6/8 marches. The main reason for the invite was to play “Taps” after the 21 gun salute. I had never played Taps on my bagpipes but I easily learned the tune the week before and believe it sounded authentic. Not always do tunes translate well to the bagpipes. After 15 seconds or so of Taps, I launched into Amazing Grace. My pipes sounded excellent. This probably stems from all the bagpipe playing from the morning and the day before.

In total I was in Gaston for a little over an hour. I believe the guests really appreciated my playing. I received many heartfelt comments.

Sunday last week around 12 in the afternoon, I received a call inquiring about my availability to perform at Touche restaurant in downtown NW Portland. It was short notice and they wanted a Portland Bagpipe player there at 4PM. Remembrances and funerals such as this event usually occur unexpectedly and without much time for preparation, so I always try to accommodate short notice requests. Rarely do I turn people away.

This was one of the simpler performances I have performed my bagpipes at. I was requested to take my position at the back of the banquet hall, play Amazing Grace three times through and then march out on Scotland the Brave. I spent more time tuning my pipes then playing. I am always eager to share my musical talents with anyone wishes to listen but I understand when the request is for just a couple of minutes.

Funny story about this gig. My Portland Metro Bagpipe Band had a practice on Saturday, the day before this gig. After an exhausting performance, we all headed over to Concordia Ale House to grab dinner and a pint. Some of our pipe cases look the same, so when you through them in a pile you might end up grabbing someone else’s when you leave. This is exactly what happened. I arrived at the gig on Sunday, opened my pipe case and to my chagrin I found a foreign set of pipes. My buddy Pat Case in the band grabbed mine when he left by accident. Lucky for me he is a great player and his bagpipes were well set. Still, playing someone’s pipes is like wearing someone else’s underwear-you only do it when absolutely necessary.

First and foremost, I apologize for not blogging this Vancouver WA bagpiper gig earlier (actually I did write it but somehow was erased). I was contacted by my close bagpipe friend who now resides in Tacoma Washington to play for a friend of a friend’s grandpa’s funeral. A decorated war veteran, the person whom I never met seemed to be a very well-respected man. Naturally, I felt quite honored to play my bagpipes at his Vancouver WA funeral.

Because the gig was somehow double booked I got to play with a colleague of mine Rob Barrick, who I refer people to when I cannot play for their performance. He is an excellent Portland Bagpipe player and a celebrated musician. He performs with his Irish Band here in Portland (cannot remember the name). You might have hear him play.

Arriving promptly at 11AM, I noticed we were dressed in starkly different kilts and attire. I was sporting a McDonald tartan and him, a Buchanan I believe. A bit of maroon and a lot of green. But what mattered most was we both played our bagpipes well and in unison. Amazing Grace was played at the recession. But in between I got to dust off the old Skye Boat Song, which I hadn’t played in quite some time. Even the alternate endings on this tune didn’t seem to through us. We also warmed up with some common mass band tunes as guests arrived to show their support for their fallen comrade.

The performance went a bit longer than the hour I am contracted to play but it was well worth it judging from all the compliments we received. I even had to promise a sweet old lady I would play at her funeral.

I was at again for a bagpipe funeral in the Portland area. What was different about this time was I was instructed to bring back up. The son of recently deceased mother requested I add another Portland piper and Portland snare drummer to my arsenal. Rarely do I get the chance to get other bagpipers involved in my personal gigs. Usually, groups are reserved for band competitions and band performances.

At 3PM sharp, piper Chris Bollinger (Portland Metro Pipe Band member) and drummer Ted McKnigt (also from Portland Metro Pipe Band). We were instructed to play an opening tune Green Hills of Tyrol as we marched to the stage. After the short trip, we remained at ease on stage in front of the mourners for about 40 minutes. It was the longest time I have spent on stage idling in front of a large audience.

After what felt like an eternity, Chris and I struck up our bagpipes and played Amazing Grace, twice through together and last time with myself playing the solo. Other than our pipes being completely out of tune initially (for not playing for 40 minutes), we played well.

Once the moment of silenced had elapsed, I gave the signal to Ted and called out Scotland the Brave. We played in one time in place and on the repeat we marched out from the same direction we entered.

Another well executed Portland Bagpipe performance I felt. One of the grandsons was so impressed, he asked if I would perform at his upcoming bagpipe wedding in March.

Rich, the director of a funeral home in Longview Washington contacted me through the Portland Bagpiper website and inquired about my availability and whether I was willing to drive to Longview form my Portland home. I am always eager to spend a weekend outside Portland or even just a few hours, performing for an audience who is likely to not have heard me play my bagpipes. So I greatfully accepted. I enjoyed the drive (although getting lost slightly) to arrive plenty of time before performing.

I am getting really good at funerals. Open with Amazing Grace, then as guests are filing out I play traditional marches. This Longview Washington funeral gig was no different. But instead of filing out, the patrons just sat there intently listening. I would like to guess my playing was so moving and mesmerizing, it kept them transfixed in their seats longer than expected. Or maybe it was because the Father was about to make another announcement. At any rate, judging from the praise I received upon leaving, I would like to assume the former was more accurate.