About me
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I'm a bagpiper for hire based in Salt Lake City, playing the great Highland bagpipes for weddings, funerals, graduations, and a variety of other occasions throughout Utah and the surrounding areas. I also frequently play at community events as a member of a local bagpipe band.
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Aside from performing on the bagpipes, I teach lessons to beginners as well as those who already have experience.
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I'm often asked how I started playing the bagpipes and whether I have Scottish ancestry. While I do have Scottish heritage, that wasn't my motivation to learn. Instead, I was inspired by a bagpipe CD I heard when I was young. One day when I was in the seventh grade, I decided that rather than just listening to the bagpipes, I was going to learn them. It was that simple!
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To anyone who has thought about learning the pipes but is hesitating, you lose nothing by trying. You don't need to have Scottish ancestry to play the pipes, and you don't even need to invest in a set of bagpipes right away to start learning. You just need to take the first step!
Hi, I'm Garrett!​
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Of all the different kinds of bagpipes that have existed over the centuries, the great Highland bagpipes from Scotland are probably the most well known. This instrument has long been played for life's most important moments — weddings, festivals, births, and saying goodbye to loved ones. ​They were also known as an instrument of war, with the Scots marching into battle and celebrating victories to the sound of pipes. This tradition continued in Scottish military regiments after Scotland and England joined in 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. As the British Empire expanded, Scottish emigrants and soldiers took the pipes with them, making the great Highland bagpipes a beloved instrument around the world.
The great Highland bagpipes consist of a bag connected to five different pipes: (1) the blowpipe, which the piper uses to blow air into the bag; (2) the chanter, which the piper plays with their hands to sound the melody of a tune; (3–5) and three drones, which rest on the piper's shoulder and play constant "buzzing" notes during play.
To play the pipes, a piper blows air into the bag, places it between their abdomen and arm, and squeezes with their elbow. This forces air out of the bag and through the chanter and drones. Each of these pipes has a reed that produces sound as air goes through them. The bag acts as a reservoir for air and allows the piper to breathe while playing continuously.
About the bagpipes