Alex the Piper ~ Edinburgh Based Bagpiper for Hire

Welcome from Alex the Piper

My name is Alex Urquhart-Taylor, and I have been playing the Highland bagpipes now for over 15 years. I am available to play at weddings, Burns Nights and many other events, endeavouring to add some musical excitement to any celebration. Wearing the full Highland dress, I will add a sense of occasion to your event, as well as some excellent music.

Traditional and contemporary Scottish music

I play a mixture of traditional and contemporary Scottish music, and can offer a range of unique services for your event. As well as playing the Highland pipes, I also play the Scottish small pipes, border pipes and whistles, and can provide you with background music during a meal or reception. I also play with Òr Ceilidh Band, and can arrange a full ceilidh dance for you as the evenings entertainment.

I am available to play throughout Scotland, and am more than happy to travel further afield for special events.

If you would like me to come and play for you please get in touch and I will do my best to make sure that your event is as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

Make contact

about me

Since moving to Edinburgh I have become involved in several musical projects. I founded Òr Ceilidh Band a few years ago, and we have since played throughout Scotland, and as far afield as Germany, Qatar and Beijing. More recently, I have formed the band Awry.

weddings

Every wedding is different, and what you want to happen on your wedding day is a very personal choice. I am happy to perform throughout the wedding day, and will do whatever you want in order to make the day a success.

ceilidhs

We generally start the evening with a simple dance so that everyone is involved right from the beginning. We play a wide range of both couple and set dances, ranging from dances, such as the Gay Gordons and the Dashing White Sergeant.

Thank you so much for playing the pipes at our wedding. We loved having you there, you are truly a very talented person.Other than Jess the red-tailed hawk making off with the wedding rings before one last desperate attempt to kill Pete's sporran, and the castle ghosties cutting the power off to the entire site during the evening – thank goodness the best man was an electrician! - We couldn't have wished for a better day.A thousand thanks yous again for adding some class to our otherwise disorganised shambles!
- Lucy & Pete
Thank you so much for your beautiful playing welcoming our guests to Stockbridge Parish Church and with the Or Ceilidh band. Many guests comments on how much they enjoyed the Ceilidh band so please pass on our thanks to everyone.
- Jessica
Just wanted to say the biggest thank you to you for piping at our wedding on Saturday - we had the best day ever and were absolutely delighted to have you be part of our big day! I adore listening to the pipes and I'm sure all our guests enjoyed listening to you play. Honestly can't thank you enough!!
- Carol
I just wanted to write to say a huge thank you for playing at our wedding on Saturday, especially through the rain!You were fantastic and we got so many impressed comments from our guests - they particularly loved the great job you did piping us in and the pictures are amazing!
- Kristen
We are just back from Honeymoon so apologies for taking so long to get this to you. Thank you so much for everything on our Wedding Day! Everything went so quickly on the day and we didn't get a chance to say thank you in person so apologies. We have passed your details to a friend who is getting married next year and will definitely recommend to any others looking for a piper/band.
- Derek & Jane
Just wanted to say thank you for playing at the wedding, Richard and I had a lovely day.
- Lisa
I did not get the opportunity to speak with you on the actual day so wanted to just drop you a line to thank you for playing at our wedding. You were great and I know all the guests loved your music too. I also want to thank you for making it all so easy as you played when you said and the tunes we agreed, brilliant!
- Karen
Thank you for doing your bit throughout the afternoon, it was a very fitting accompaniment to the venue and the occasion.It created a great atmosphere which carried forward throughout the day. This was a one off for us, and whilst I recognise, it is something you do more often, it made the day special.
- David
We had brilliant day on Saturday! Thank you for your excellent playing, your choice of music, your timing, and your attire; it all set the scene and created just the atmosphere we wanted 🙂
- Pete and Lucy
Hi Alex,I just wanted to say thank you so much for playing at the wedding - you were fantastic and the rest of the band were fabulous too. Loads of people said to us afterwards how great the band was as well and everyone had a brilliant time dancing.Thank you again!
- Cicely and Ian
Just writing to thank you for your services at the Burns Supper on behalf of the Law Society.We had a great evening, and your piping was fantastic, along with your attire which was especially impressive to our international students. I will be recommending you to other societies within the university.
- Law Society
We simply cannot thank Alex enough for making our wedding day very special indeed. It was a joy to see my family and friends having fun.During the day Alex played sensationally well helping to set the tone to our wedding. I can strongly recommend Alex to anyone looking to book him. He is worth more than he charges. He gave us a priceless day that I will remember forever/
- Helen and Jack Daniels Huntingdon Manor Wedding
A huge thank you to you all for playing at our wedding back in December. We thought you were fantastic and since the wedding nearly all of guests have got in contact to say the same
- Mark and Sarah MacRae
We are now back to normal routine after a wonderful wedding and honeymoon.We just want to express our gratitude to you and the rest of the band for all your hard work and making our day special. Thanks again!
- Marie Macgill
Thank you so much for your part in making our wedding such a success! Your music is beautiful and the choices well appreciated.We've had so much feedback on how much everyone enjoyed your playing. We wish you all the luck in the future.
- Robert and Valerie MacNeil