Bagpipes for Memorial Services

Music can reach into the very core of our being, communicating feelings that words frequently find difficult to express. In the context of funeral rituals, music plays an important role in providing solace, paying tribute, and creating a solemn environment that honors the memory of a loved one. Bagpipe music stands out as an evocative and emotive choice for such ceremonies.

Accotink Creek Bagpipes can provide music for a burial, cremation or memorial service.

How to incorporate a bagpiper into a funeral/memorial service

The following is a brief guide but by no means the limit of how and when you can use the bagpipes for a funeral service, memorial, wake, or celebration of life.

First, ensure the bagpiper’s availability on the chosen date and time of the funeral ceremony. Funeral schedules can be tight, so it is essential to confirm that they can commit to your selected time slot. Discuss any potential scheduling conflicts well in advance to prevent last-minute complications. And, don’t worry. Bagpipers are a close-knit community of musicians. We can network to quickly identify a competent piper for your loved one’s memorial service.

Three main factors should be considered:

• Where should the piper play;

• When should the piper play; and

• What should the piper play

As a brief synopsis, below are a few suggestions for incorporating bagpipes into a service or other remembrance. A more detailed description of each of the three main factors follows.

• 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 poll-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 (Note: the Arlington National Cemetery has a set, regimented schedule of proceedings that accommodates bagpipes);

• 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.

Where Should the Piper Play?

Families typically have a bagpiper play at one or more of the following locales.

• At the church or memorial hall;

• During the funeral service;

• At the graveside for internment;

• At a crematorium; and/or

• Any other location for a wake, remembrance, or scattering ceremony.

When Should the Piper Play?

There is great flexibility depending on the desires of the family.  The following provides some suggestions based on the location.

Playing at a Church or Memorial Hall:

Before the Service – A bagpiper can be used very effectively as mourners arrive to create an air of solemnity and reflection, particularly if mourners are expected to arrive within a fairly short period of time (for instance, 15-20 minutes before a service begins).  Additionally, the piper can meet a hearse, if appropriate and start the processional of the service and lead the pall-bearers and casket either to the front door of the service or in through the congregants.

During the Service – Bagpipe music can be used throughout the service as the family desires.

At the end of the Service – If a casket is present, the piper can again lead the pall-bearers and casket back down the aisle and out the door of the church to the waiting hearse, and continue playing as the casket is being loaded.  If there is no casket, or if the family desires this instead, the piper can play near the door as the mourners leave.  Additionally, a piper can stand nearby the entrance of a reception if it follows the service.

Playing at the Cemetery:

Before the Service Begins – The amount of time that the piper plays before a service usually depends on whether the service takes place at a chapel or mausoleum, or just at the grave site.  The piper will generally play for a longer period (usually for 15-20 minutes) before the start of a service at a cemetery chapel or mausoleum. At a grave site service (which often follows a church or chapel service), the playing time before the service begins is much shorter (usually about 5-6 minutes) because the mourners generally arrive together.

At the Grave site – The piper will meet the hearse and start playing a processional air as the pall-bearers take the casket from the hearse. The piper can then lead the procession to the grave site.

During the Service – One or more selections, such as “Amazing Grace”, may be played at an appropriate time during the service, usually while flowers are being placed on the casket and/or it is being lowered. Note: Arlington National Cemetery funeral directors will allow two bagpipe selections to be played as part of the graveside service after honors have been presented.

After the Service – When the service concludes, the piper will again play as the mourners leave the chapel, mausoleum, grave site, or scattering site.

What should the Piper 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. Here is a list of tunes that I commonly play at funerals. Samples can be found by an internet search of each title:

Amazing Grace – The quintessential bagpipe funeral tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpZiPZwwXhM

Auld Lang Syne – A sentimental Robert Burns tune remembering friendships and good times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psIKJlSiuxo

Cullen Bay – This slow air is all about pomp and gravity.

Danny Boy – A soulful tune that makes evocative use of a bagpipe’s range. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHJ3DEKlz8A

Dark Island – A mysterious slow air that adds drama to any gathering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDMtspVZ_jE

Dawning of the Day – An Irish slow air with hymnal qualities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPu4vs-qolY

Flower of Scotland – A patriotic Scottish anthem that resonates with pride and heritage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXpQ7P_NP_g

Flowers of the Forest – A reverent tune that pipers generally only publicly perform at funerals or memorial services. This tune was played at the Queen’s funeral: https://youtu.be/t6qvK14rMTU?si=LKGt2u10_-A1geVp

Hector the Hero – A beautiful, haunting lament that is perfect for a military funeral. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJn_f6Vaowk

Highland Cathedral – A dramatic slow march that is perfect for processional ceremonies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il8f4bATj7w

Minstrel Boy – A well-known Irish tune about a soldier who dies in war. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vc4mZGpLvPg

Morag of Dunvegan – A sweet Scottish love song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhhsXWc6hKw

Mull of Kintyre – A nostalgic slow air by Paul McCartney. https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Mull+of+Kintyre+bagpipes&mid=AABE6793C0937EB72063AABE6793C0937EB72063&FORM=VIRE

Sarah’s Lullaby – A beautiful traditional lullaby.

Skye Boat Song – A poignant Scottish tune that captures the essence of journey and departure. https://youtube.com/shorts/VCwRRmCBz-I?si=WK_akADCrGNdphXY

Westering Home – Traditional Scottish tune, adopted as the slow march of the Royal Navy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRp6Oe9L5WE

When the Battle’s O’er – A crisp march fitting for use as part of a military memorial service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_us5jLcUyjo

Many other special requests for music can usually be accommodated. However, it must be noted that the Bagpipe is not a fully chromatic instrument. A professional musician should inform a family if their musical request may sound different than they might expect due to this. However, all requests should and can be accommodated whenever possible. The individual needs of a family should always be of utmost concern.