Bob Grubb

Either a bagpipe band or single bagpipers can be obtained.

Single - $150 to $300 per job/band - $400 - $2000

I am Bob Grubb and I play the bagpipes. I have been playing the Great Highland Bagpipes since the mid-1980s. I'm available for weddings, funerals, parties, boat christenings, parades, or any other occasion that calls for the sound of bagpipes. All you have to do is decide what the occasion is, and I'll help you fit bagpipe music into it. I am an experienced piper, with an extensive repertoire to suit almost any need.

I have been the piper for Clan Urquhart and the pipe major of the Urquhart Pipe Band for the Chief of Clan Urquhart Last March, played for Mardi Gras Balls (one for over 15 years) numerous weddings, funerals, dinner parties, luncheon party (again one for over 15 years), memorials, government functions, military functions, grand openings and birthday parties. Professionalism is the ultimate goal for you. I have the experience to make your event special and memorable.

I live in the New Orleans/Baton Rouge/Gulfport-Biloxi area, and am willing to travel within reason. Email me for more information about rates or suggestions on how bagpipes can be included in your next event. If I cannot play your function, I will get you another piper or if you need a bagpipe band, I can get that for you.

Suggestions for tunes during your wedding:

Listed below are places where bagpipe music may be played during your wedding. It is up to you to decide where you want pipe music. So, read on for these tips and suggestions!

Weddings in Archdiocese of New Orleans:

If your wedding is in a Catholic Church, please talk your priest, the Archbishop has decreed that no bagpipes will be played in the church.

Before the ceremony:

While the guests are arriving at the ceremony, usually 15 to 25 minutes before the ceremony, a mixed selection of marches, strathspeys, reels, and jigs.

During the ceremony:

For Grandparents and parents to be seated, slow tunes, lullabies.

For the bridesmaids, a slow aire, or as some brides have chosen, Highland Wedding.

For the bride, Prince of Denmark’s' March (the bagpipe version of Trumpets Voluntary), Wagners' Bridal March (Here Comes the Bride), and Highland Cathedral.

Candle lighting, or flowers for the mothers, slow aires including Mingulay Boat Song.

After the ceremony:

Recessionals are varied. Some people want Irish music, others want Scottish, some do not care, some like other tunes. I play until all guests have exited the building.

Suggestions for placing your piper:

Great Highland Bagpipes are loud, and have no volume control. When the Great Highland Bagpipes are played inside (especially in the smaller venues), it is very loud. Not a big deal, if the guests are expecting it or if the purpose of the wedding party is to surprise the guests.

Have the piper play as he marches down the aisle before the bridesmaids come out. Once he turns, the procession starts.

Another is to pipe the bridesmaids down the aisle from the rear of the church, then march down the aisle in front of the bride playing her processional.

Some brides want to be led down the aisle, others want the piper at the front before it all starts, others want the piper at the rear of the church or in the balcony or choir loft. All of these work well. It depends entirely on how you want YOUR show to look. I have also been asked to hide until time to play the bridal march.

Please discuss with the piper the placement, the tunes you desire and when you need the tunes. We'll cover all of the options and you can decide how you want to handle the music.

- Bob