YOU CAN HIRE THE BAND
Nothing stirs the emotions like the sound of Bagpipes! Pipers have been performing at
for centuries. The haunting beauty and majesty of the pipes add a distinctive touch to any special occasion.
Let Us Know Your Request
Submit your inquiry using the form on this page or call (402) 800-5867 to speak to a member of Omaha Pipes & Drums. If you are thinking of having a piper and/or drummer for your event, see the items below to take into consideration.
Click on the image above to request a live bugler for a military veteran’s funeral.
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Weddings
A solo piper or a piper and drummer are a grand addition to a wedding and add a very special element. The wedding day is all about the bride and her wishes. Here are a few pointers to consider: Decide when you want the piper to play:
- Outside the church or ceremony site as guests arrive
- During the seating of the bride and groom’s parents
- Pipe-in the groom and his attendants
- Play the Processional for the bride and/or her attendants
- Play a special selection at some point during the ceremony
- Play the Recessional for the wedding party (bride, groom, attendants, parents, etc.) after the ceremony
- Entertain during the receiving line and/or photographs after the ceremony
- Play the couple to the limousine after the receiving line and/or photographs
- Perform outside the reception party as guests arrive
- Pipe-in the couple and/or wedding party to the reception
- Entertain at the reception.
Decide what you want the piper to play: We can help you with the selection of contemporary or traditional Scottish and/or Irish tunes but keep in mind the bagpipes have a limited range of notes it can play. A bagpipe is a LOUD instrument; we can’t tone it down. The more pipes or drums that you add, the louder it will be. Will this be a surprise? We have been asked to arrive unseen and tune up elsewhere. In a church setting, this can be facilitated by having a “warm-up” room available in another building away from the main chapel. All of our pipers and drummers are experienced and accomplished performers. The piper will contact the wedding planner/bride in advance to work out any details and arrive early to tune and make any last-minute adjustments to the performance.
Events
Birthdays, office parties, retirements, holidays, graduations, we’ve played them all and no event is too small or too large. We’ve performed (twice) with the Chieftains, the Omaha Symphony, for inaugurations, civic events, parades, and memorials. In short, we can probably accommodate any event you have.
Funerals
Funerals are a solemn occasion; made even more so by the haunting sound of the bagpipes. The individual needs of a family are our utmost concern. Here are a few pointers to consider: Decide when you want the piper to play:
- Outside as mourners arrive
- Meet the hearse and pipe the pall-bearers and casket into the hall or church
- Play one or more selections at some point during the service
- Pipe the pall-bearers and casket out of the church or hall and back to the hearse
- Play outside the church or hall as the mourners leave
- Play near the grave site or outside the mausoleum or chapel as the mourners arrive
- Meet the hearse and pipe the pall-bearers and casket to the grave site or scattering site
- Play one or more selections at some point during the graveside, cremation, or scattering service
- If flowers are provided to the mourners, the piper often plays while the flowers are being placed
- Play during the lowering of the casket, placing of the urn, or the closing of the curtain for a cremation service
- Play at the end of the service as the mourners leave
Decide what you want the piper to play. Amazing Grace is perhaps the best known, and most popular, composition performed on the bagpipe. However, there is a vast repertoire of appropriate music for funeral services. Slow Airs and Laments are particularly suited for funeral and memorial services, as well as Piobreachd, considered the classical music of bagpipes. Here is a list of tunes commonly played at funerals. Samples can be found by an internet search of each title:
- Flowers of the Forest
- Highland Cathedral
- The Mull of Kintyre
- The Dark Island
- The Skye Boat Song
- Mist Covered Mountains
- Going Home
- Amazing Grace
Costs
So what is the value of a bagpiper? What is he or she worth? There are three main considerations.
- How far did the bagpiper travel and how long to dress, tune, and perform? Like a lawyer, a bagpiper can base their value on the time spent on completing the performance.
- What is the value of equipment and maintenance? Bagpipes typically run $1,500 and up. Highland attire will run another $1,500 and up.
- Are you willing to pay for quality? Bagpiping is not for the faint of heart. Great bagpipers deliver at the big moments. It’s one of the reasons they command a higher price. Bagpipers can also place value on the time they dedicate to their craft or how many years they have spent learning the instrument.
The fee we charge for a performance depends on a number of factors:
- The number of performers: solo piper, piper and drummer, mini-band, or full band
- Distance traveled. For performances outside the Metro-Omaha area, a trip fee is assessed in relation to the travel time involved, and is included in the total amount quoted. Parking fees and/or other travel expenses such as bridge tolls will also be included.
- The total amount of time. For example, when requested to play at the ceremony and reception, the performer(s) may be needed for several hours. We have a minimum charge for the performance; subsequent hours are charged at a reduced rate.
- Performances on some major holidays and holiday weekends may be charged at a higher rate.
Fees for the Metro-Omaha area. For performances outside the Metro-Omaha area, a trip fee is assessed in relation to the travel time involved, and is included in the total amount quoted. Parking fees and/or other travel expenses such as bridge tolls will also be included. Submit your inquiry using the form on this page or call/text (402) 800-5867 to talk to a band member for a quote.