It is believed that the custom of dining in began in the monasteries, was adopted by the early universities, and later spread to military units when the officer’s mess was established. British officers of the 19th century were drawn from the aristocracy, and while they considered themselves gentlemen, they were not necessarily men of means; third and fourth sons had little chance of inheriting title and lands under primogeniture. While the pooling of resources may have been out of economic necessity, the regimental officer’s mess maintained the social stratification of English society and ensured that the traditions of gentlemanly conduct were maintained and inculcated to junior officers. The primary elements are a rigidly formal setting, espirit de corps and the camaraderie of peers, a fine dinner, traditional toasts to the head of state and military services, martial music and the attendance of honored guests or speakers. Today, although the purpose of a dinner may be to observe an appointment, promotion, retirement, or some auspicious occasion, a central theme of such events is a ceremonial focus upon the history of the host organization.

While the tradition of having a piper at high table may have it’s origins in the clan system in Scotland & Ireland, the formal dinners and dining in ceremonies as we know them today are directly attributable to the traditions of the officers mess in the British Army and Royal Navy. Originally fife & drums or trumpeters were employed to sound the calls; as Highland regiments were organized, pipers were employed not only for this purpose, but to celebrate great battles and victories in the history of the regiment and to memorialize their dead, quite in keeping with the Celtic bardic tradition. It should be borne in mind that originally Army pipers were outfitted and paid not by the Exchequer but exclusively by the officer’s mess; without their patronage, modern Highland regiments wouldn’t have ever had pipers, and without the Army to maintain and build upon this tradition the great Highland bagpipe would be about as familiar to most people today as the zampogna.

When a piper is requested to pipe the calls and the music at a formal dinner, you might be engaged to perform throughout dinner; to provide a limited performance such as pipe in the head table, pipe the lament and/or pipe in the port; or to simply pipe in the head table and depart. While there are many different traditions associated with formal dining, the following are some of the customs associated with piping a formal dinner. You may be requested to perform some, all, or some variant of any of them on occasion.

Dress

Such affairs are invariably formal, requiring black tie, occasionally white tie, or full parade regalia. Miniature decorations and medals are worn. If flying a pipe banner, ensure that the drone cords and/or ribbons are to the left of the banner; i.e., not over the regimental crest. If there is more than one piper, the banner is traditionally flown by the ranking piper present, who will lead the detachment, formed up in order of rank or seniority.

Seating

The seating arrangement at the head table is always based on rank, seniority and status. The host sits in the middle, the next senior person (or guest of honor) to his/her right, the next senior person to his/her left and so on, until all are seated. The senior-ranking member of the mess is the head (or ?President?) of the mess dinner and sits in the center. The President of the Mess may appoint a second (?Mr. Vice?), usually the junior officer of the mess, who will be in charge of planning, and who usually occupies the seat farthest from the host, sometimes on the far right, sometimes at another table. Officers take precedence over civilians. If a guest speaker has no rank or status, he/she is positioned as close to the center (right of the host) as possible without offending rank precedence. Chaplains are usually included at the head table, usually at the far left of the President.

Warning Calls

15 minute and 5 minute warning calls are usually sounded to alert the guests that dinner is about to be served, and may be provided by a piper. When piping warning calls a short up-tempo tune is required but no specific title may be prescribed. In some regiments it would be the Officers Call (e.g., ?All the Blue Bonnets Are O?er The Border?). A naval tradition is to ring ?six bells? (19:00) on a ship?s bell for the 15-minute warning (if dining at 7:15 PM, of course). Dinner may be signaled by a brief pipe tune (?Brose and Butter? is a traditional one), followed by the host or master of ceremonies announcing, Dinner is served!?

March-in

The guests (except the head table) will proceed into the dining room and remain standing behind their chairs; the closer to top table, the higher the rank or seniority. You may be requested to pipe in the guests. The head table forms up in order of seating, led by the host and the principal guest. When cued, lead the people of the head table into the dining room playing an appropriate tune; ?Roast Beef of Old England?, ?A Man?s A Man for all That?, ?Prince of Denmark?s March?, or the regimental march. If space permits, parade counter clockwise around the room. This is particularly important when flying a drone banner. The regimental crest on the obverse of the banner is always displayed first. When everyone is in place, continue to march, and finish playing at the halt near the dining-room entrance. At a signal from the host, stop playing and remain at attention until grace has been said. If you are not to provide the music during dinner, march from the room after grace is said.

Posting the Colors

An honor guard may post and retire the colors; as a piper you may be requested to pipe them in and out. As the American and Canadian national anthems cannot be properly played on the pipes, other appropriate patriotic tunes must be selected. If you march in with the color guard, make sure that you?re well rehearsed in their drill first; they march in close order with wheeling movements to change direction. Of course, if not playing stand at attention with pipes down for the National Anthem(s). If you’re flying a drone banner, watch the color guard and drop your bass drone from horizontal when they dip the colors.

The Lament

In some military and veterans organizations it is customary to remember comrades killed in action, sometimes with an empty place setting, sometimes with a small table before the head table. You may be requested to play a lament in their memory. ?Flowers of the Forest? is traditional, but other laments may work equally as well if the host has expressed no preference.

Piping in the Beef

In some traditions, the main course (traditionally beef) is ceremoniously piped in to the head table (or ?Mr. Vice?), which will sample it and formally announce it fit for consumption. ?Roast Beef of Old England? or ?A Man?s a Man For All That? may be used if not played previously to pipe in the head table. You may pipe the beef out as well.

Piping in the Haggis

If haggis is served (such as a Burn?s Dinner), pipe the haggis to the head table to ?A Man?s a Man For All That?. Stand at attention for the recital of Burn?s ?Address to a Haggis?, and participate in the toast to his ?immortal memory?. Pipe the haggis out to ?Neil Gow?s Farewell to Whisky?.

Main Course Music

Wait until all at the head table has been served before beginning to play suitable selections intermittently throughout the main course. A piobaireachd is often considered customary. If parading around the room, it is customary to start ?widdershins?; counterclockwise. If flying a pipe banner, it may be appropriate to countermarch as well, in order to display the unit crest on the obverse side. Prior to the port wine being served, the host/delegate will signal you to stop playing.

Piping in the Port

An old custom is the piping in of the port wine for the Loyal Toast. After dessert and coffee are served, tables are cleared except for the table decorations and wine glasses. No special music is required, but it should be short and appropriate. On cue, lead the wine stewards into the dining room, positioning yourself at a predetermined spot, and continue to play until the wine is about to be sampled and declared potable by the host. Sometimes the piper will play as the port is passed down the tables as the guests charge their glasses. Remain at attention until the Loyal Toast is drunk and then march from the room, unless required to stay for the Toast to the Corps.

Loyal Toast

If a Commonwealth dinner (or if UK guests are present), you may be requested to play ?God Save the Queen? before the Loyal Toast. The person proposing the toast will ask everyone to stand and join him in a toast to the Queen. The member will then raise his/her wineglass shoulder high and say: The Queen. The assembly will respond: The Queen.

If an American dinner, the host may propose a toast to the Commander-in-Chief. Mr. Vice seconds this by rising and addressing the company, saying, Gentlemen, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States. Each member and guest then stands, repeats in unison the toast (e.g., The Commander-in-Chief of the United States), sips the drink, and remains standing. The band then plays the National Anthem. If piping, play ?America the Beautiful? or ?God Bless America?. At the conclusion of the music, members and guests are again seated.

Toast to the Corps

You may be requested to play the regimental march prior to a Toast to the Corps. Unfortunately, the only American regimental marches that ?fit? well on the pipes are the ?Marine Corps Hymn? and ?Semper Paratus?.

Paying the Piper

At the conclusion of your performance, the host may offer you (or the lead piper) a quaich containing a dram (about 3.5 ml) of whisky. Stand to the left of the host. Taking the quaich in both hands, hold it shoulder high and face the head table. It is traditional for the piper to toast the head table (Sl?inte! ?to your health? in Gaelic; phonetically Slanjer or Slanja), turn to the company and offer a formal toast. Following the toast, you?re expected to drink the whisky in one draught, toast the company (Sl?inte!), and flip the cup over and kiss the bottom. Following the ceremony, take your leave of the head table and march from the room. Unless you?re Gaelic is very good, you?re probably best off offering your formal toast in English.

The traditional Pipe Major’s toast of the Liverpool Scottish might be adapted to a range of events;

Gaelic Slainte mhor, Slainte Banrighinn

Slainte agus buaidh gu brath

le Gillean Forbasach.

Phonetic Slanjervaw, slanjer banreen

Slanjer aggus booey goo bra

la gillian forbusach

English Good health, health to the Queen

Health and success for ever

to the Forbes lads

Conclusion

At the conclusion of the dinner, you may be requested to play the National Anthem. As neither ?The Star Spangled Banner? nor ?Oh Canada? can be played successfully on the limited tonal range of the pipes, play ?America the Beautiful? or ?Maple Leaf Forever? instead. Of course, if not playing stand at attention with pipes down for the National Anthem(s). If you’re flying a drone banner, watch the color guard and drop your bass drone from horizontal when they dip the colors.

Duty Tunes of the 48th Highlanders of Canada

Officers Mess Call (15 minutes)

?Bannock & Barley Meal?

Meal Call (5 minutes)

?Caller Herrin??

Pipe in Guests

?Lt. Col. Robertson?

Pipe in Head Table

?Highland Laddie?

Lament

?Flowers of the Forest?

First Set (Main Course)

Ends with ?Highland Laddie?

Second Set (Dessert)

Ends with ?Lt. Col. Robertson?

Pipe Major?s Toast:

Host:

A Mh?idseir na p?oba, ?lamaid deoch-sl?inte!

(Pipe Major, let us drink a toast)

Pipe Major’s reply:

A h-uile latha a ch? ‘s nach fhaic, an d? fhicheadamh ‘s a h-ochd gu br?th! Sl?inte don Bh?nrigh! Sl?inte Mh?r! Sl?inte!

(Every day that I see you, or that I don’t see you, the 48th forever! Health to the Queen! Great good health! Health!)

Piper for Hire; Tampa Bay, FL

Bagpiper available for weddings, receptions, formal dinners, ceremonies, corporate functions, funerals, memorials, and special events of all kinds throughout the greater Tampa Bay area.

Funerals are often highly emotionally charged events. Especially when children, friends, or family are involved, you must to be able to maintain sufficient clinical detachment to get the job done, or else get someone else to pipe for you. I always try to have the first couple of bars of the next tune running through my mind before my cue to strike in. Find a spot in the distance to visually focus on, concentrate on your tune, and focus on steady, rhythmic timing, to the exclusion of all other sights and sounds. More than any other, you should know you?re funerary repertoire so well that you can play them in your sleep.

Make absolutely sure of your location. Don?t blithely trust the funeral home, and don?t trust driving-direction map web sites. I?ve looked up an obscure cemetery on the Internet, knew the directions given were incorrect, and did some more checking. At the appointed time I was at graveside; the hearse and limousine ended up in front of an antique store downtown. Make sure that you allow yourself plenty of time to negotiate traffic, road construction, lane closures, accidents, detours, etc., and still arrive with plenty of time to tune up and get ready. Most cemeteries will have a marquee at the main entrance and signposts with the decedent?s name directing you to the gravesite. I know of one that?s color-coded (?Smith: blue?, with blue arrows for the Smith funeral). Some municipal cemeteries might not have anything at all. If there?s no signage and no office or caretaker, look for the guys with a backhoe; they?ll know who?s being interred where today.

If you?re piping at a National cemetery, they are often very busy and working on strict timelines. You may be restricted to one or possibly two tunes; no twenty minute piobaireachds. Check in at the main gate; they can tell you where your funeral cort?ge will form up. You can ask to be allowed to precede the cort?ge to join the honor guard at the site; maybe they?ll let you, maybe they won?t. Tune up as best as you can at the main entrance, because you?ll have no chance to do so on site. Tune to a ?cold? reed; so that when you first strike in you?re in tune with no warm-up. Clear the area as soon as possible afterwards, as there?s usually another funeral cort?ge lined up ready and waiting to go right behind yours.

Dress like you?re going to a funeral. Brush your coat, shine your shoes, and polish your brass. The funeral director and their associates will all be in coats and ties, the officiant will be in a coat and tie (or collar), most if not all of the male mourners will be in coats and ties. Shirtsleeves will be interpreted by many (quite possibly including the family) as indicative of a lack of respect. The funeral director will most certainly see it this way, and when it comes to opportunities for repeat business, you can bet that they will take that into account. If it?s a long drive to the cemetery or church, consider wearing a pair of shorts and put on your kilt upon arrival; your pleats will be much more presentable. Don?t wear a Prince Charlie & bow tie unless the rest of the funeral party is in tuxedos and evening gowns.

Remember; absolutely nobody in the funeral party wants to hear you tune; you must be as fully tuned up as you ever will be well before the flower car arrives. Tune up in the environment where you will be playing, after your pipes have had a chance to acclimate. Here in Florida, the heat and humidity outdoors will sharpen the heck out of my chanter, so there?s no sense even trying to tune until it?s reached ambient temperature. Obviously, you need to get to the gravesite with plenty enough time for this to occur; driving to the cemetery with the A/C off and the windows down helps speed this process. Tune quickly to a ?cold? reed; essentially mimicking the conditions under which you will play. If you warm up with a few sets first before tuning and then set your pipes aside to await your cue, your drones will be very sharp to your chanter when you strike in to perform before your audience. Try to avoid playing inside an air-conditioned church and then again outside at the gravesite; the radical change in temperature and humidity will positively wreck your tuning. When I play a Catholic church service where I won?t be invited to pipe during mass, I pipe the casket in from the hearse, then my pipes and I sit outside on a bench until mass is over, when I pipe the casket back out again. Yes, it?s hot, but at least my pipes are still relatively in tune.

If I’m contracted to pipe, I pipe; rain or shine. If it was considered important enough by the family to arrange for a piper at the graveside, it should damn well be important enough to me to ensure that their loved one is properly memorialized in accordance to their wishes to the best of my ability, regardless of weather. I oil my drones twice a year and use only waxed hemp; my tuning slides have a layer of Teflon tape over the hemp as well. I play them almost every day (if nothing else it keeps the moisture content of the wood stable) and I’ve never had a joint swell or lock up on me. I use a polypenco chanter on rainy days; cane chanter reeds can go quite flat in a heavy rain, so you may have to screw it in accordingly. If I lived in an area where playing in the rain was more frequently an issue, I?d consider a plastic Clanrye chanter reed for my wet weather chanter; what they lack in tone would be more than compensated for in this situation by stable tuning. You may also need to open up your drone reeds a bit, as they may tend to shut off in the rain, especially inverted bass reeds. A good Inverness coat is an absolute necessity; for standing in the mud I wear a pair of cheap (but well polished) second-hand thrift-store wingtips instead of my expensive bulled-up ghillies, and rather than risk one of my expensive tailor-made wool kilts I’ve a cheap EBay ?foul weather? kilt to wear on nasty days outdoors (they can only see a flash of the apron when wearing a greatcoat anyway). Towel off your drones once you?re back in the car, and thoroughly swab out and dry off everything when you get home, then leave everything disassembled to air-dry. If you?ve a zipper bag, open it up, and remove any water trap or moisture control gear. Do not under any circumstances use a hair dryer or heater to quickly dry your pipes; the rapid change in moisture content and temperature will result in uneven forces of expansion and contraction that can split your drones into kindling! Hang up your kilt & jacket to air-dry thoroughly before putting them away; putting them in a dark closet even slightly damp is a sure-fire recipe for mold.

When it?s not raining it?s very hot here; uncover, leave your coat off until the last minute, stay in the shade as much as possible, and keep well hydrated. I look for a spot about 20-30 paces away from the gravesite at about a 45o angle from the mourners where I can be plainly seen, preferably to the opposite side of the lectern (if any), and preferably under the shade of a tree. Don?t stand behind the mourners, or on the far side of the casket. Always play facing the casket and funeral party.

Once you?ve scouted your position, wait where you can see the entrance and keep a sharp eye out; around here the first vehicle you see will usually be a flower car/service car/van carrying the flowers, usually preceding the funeral cort?ge by (hopefully) at least 5-10 minutes. Now?s the time to put on your coat, straighten your tie, and get in position. From this moment onward, you are actively engaged in one of the must solemn events in a family?s life; the final farewell to someone?s beloved child, parent, sister or brother. Whatever you do in the next fifteen or twenty minutes those family members will remember for years to come; you?ve got just one chance to get it right. Respect, courtesy, and consideration must be reflected in every aspect of your speech, demeanor, and deportment from the very first moment you sight the funeral cort?ge entering the cemetery until you?re in your alone in car and well past it?s gates on your journey home, or you simply don?t belong there.

In this part of the country, the first car to pull in is almost always the ?lead car?; a sedan with an amber light bar on top, carrying the funeral director and possibly the clergy. When there?s no lead car, the first one in the procession will be the hearse. I stand by the roadside at attention, a couple of yards towards the entrance to the cemetery from the cemetery truck (the cart for the casket, where the back of the hearse will stop), and lower my drones as the hearse passes (keep an eye out for the cort?ge taking a route through the cemetery you didn?t expect, and adapt accordingly. An American hearse is about 21 feet long, and they?ll avoid making sharp turns). If the hearse is flying American flags and/or the casket is draped in an American flag, place your hand over your heart as it passes. The immediate family will be directly behind the hearse in the limousine and will plainly see whether or not you render proper respect.

Immediately go over and briefly coordinate with the officiant. All they want to know is what you?re going to play and when. Whenever possible, I use liturgical names for tunes; for instance, ?Go Silent Friend? instead of ?Danny Boy?. Semantics, I know, but it makes ministers and particularly priests happy; people with whom I?d like to foster a good working relationship; again, it?s a matter of respect. On some occasions, it may help to ensure that the family?s wishes are carried out without some ecclesiastic debate over what constitutes ?proper? liturgical music. I ask the officiant, when they have completed their committal service, to please turn and nod to me when they?re ready for the hymn (like it or not, usually ?Amazing Grace?). Remember; you?re probably out of earshot and won?t be able to hear when the benediction?s over, so you?ll need a visual cue of some sort. I ask the funeral director to do precisely the same thing, just in case. Funeral or wedding, playing solo is different than playing in a band. Always start off on the first note of the tune; do not sound an E ?pick-up? note like you do in a band setting. Also, funerary marches are played much slower than normal, about 60 beats per minute, so take care not to rush and run away with it.

My typical funeral service starts immediately as the funeral party exits their vehicles with a processional to the gravesite, usually a lament. If the gravesite is any distance from the hearse, I?ll usually lead the casket and pallbearers, detouring off to my pre-selected site once I reach the graveside. The casket will be rolled or carried feet first, and set with the feet towards the east. On a mechanical lowering device, you?ll see a stop at one end of the rollers; that?s where the foot goes, and the casket will be loaded from the other end. Once reaching the gravesite, try to keep watch out of the corner of your eye, and plan your route to stay out of the way of the casket team. Practice slow marching to tunes like ?Going Home? or ?Foggy Dew? (?I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say?); not only does it add an air of formality and ceremony; it?ll help you maintain the proper tempo. However, if it?s raining or they?re carrying a particularly heavy casket, walk, or you?re likely to be bypassed or run over. Similar to weddings, practice cutting a processional short with a proper d?nouement so the officiant can get on with the service once everyone?s seated. I usually remain at pipes up, watching the officiant carefully for signs that they?re about to conclude their service. Pay attention; do not under any circumstances miss your cue!

If the casket is flag draped and they haven?t an honor guard, I offer beforehand to pipe ?Taps? for them. I ask the funeral director to have their attendants raise the flag over the casket, at attention with eyes front. When the flag comes taut, that?s my visual cue to pipe ?Taps?. This is almost invariably the very last part of the committal ceremony, after the service and hymn (if any). I personally think ?Taps? sounds best piped very simply with a minimum of embellishment; no need to guild the lily. Also, the way you may of heard it in the movies isn?t the way it?s played in the military; practice matching the timing of a recording of a military bugler. If I?ve not been asked to pipe a retreat or recessional, I come to pipes down and parade rest, and remain until the funeral party has begun to disperse; do not race off and jump in your car. If the family and not the funeral home contracted me, I do my best not to let the funeral director get away without some of my business cards in their pocket.

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