American Bagpiper - Bagpipe Players
Since then I have continued to practice faithfully and gradually book more and more events, along with playing with my band, Ceol na Gael.

After three short years of studying the bagpipes under my teacher/Pipe Major Michael Holian, I have become a professional bagpiper and a vital member of Ceol na Gael Irish Pipe Band of Charlotte, NC. Yet, those three years came after a long time of longing to play the bagpipes. I am now nearly four years deep into the instrument I love.

Ever since I first heard them at a Fort in Indiana on a family reunion when I was only four years old, I had a craving in my heart to hear them again. Yet it wasn't until my Northern Irish grandmother's funeral in 1996 when I was able to hear them again up close and personal and in such an emotional state that I concluded that this was the instrument I wanted to play, if I were to learn any instrument at all. Now I grew up in a family that loves listening to music, but play it?! No way - nobody in my family really strove to learn music when I was growing up. Yet, the yearning to play the bagpipes lingered on throughout my high school years. I became so desperate to learn this freaking instrument that I got a hold of every family member I could when my 16th birthday came around to help me to buy a set of Parlor Pipes (smaller version of the Highland Bagpipes, which I really wanted.) I found a nice Pakistani (known for making a very poor set of bagpipes) set of them on eBay. When I first received them I had that hyped feeling one gets when they get something they really want. Yet since I had no teacher my motivation to play them dwindled. So they sat in the corner of my room until college...

One Fall night in October, 2001 in the beautiful city of Charlotte, North Carolina I was enjoying a cup of coffee and conversation with my older brother, Peter, at his house in Charlotte. We got to talking about the fact that we needed hobbies. Something was missing from our lives that kept us from being balanced. We then moved on into the discussion of learning a musical instrument. Just like me, Peter had gone out on a limb a few years back and bought an acoustic guitar and tried on and off to teach himself, yet never really tackled the instrument head on. So there we were - "I wanna learn to play the guitar," he said. "I wanna learn to play the bagpipes, Peter." "Bagpipes? Why the bagpipes?" he asked. "If I'm gonna learn any instrument this is gonna be it..." I proceeded to tell him the story. The next day I came by his place for some reason and on my way out he said, "Wait, I've got something to give you." He went into his office and came back with a printout listing of professional bagpipers in the area from bagpiper.com. Only one person of all the listings was listed for Charlotte. "Give him a call. You never know. What've you got to lose, right?" Peter said. So, that is what I did. The call was quite a success.

After a year and a half (excluding summers) of weekly practice chanter (the starter instrument) lessons under Michael Holian, I wanted to tackle the big caboose. It wasn't until January of 2003 that I actually purchased a real, full-size set of Highland Bagpipes. Come December I realized my spotty practice sessions were not gonna cut it if I wanted to have any chance of marching in 2004's St. Patrick's Day Parade. So, when I went home on December 18th, 2003 I made a decision that I would conquer this instrument if it was the last thing I did. From December 20th, 2003 until St. Patricks Day 2004, I missed literally one day of practice. Every night for at least an hour and often 2-3 hours I put every last drop of highly caffeinated sweat into these bagpipes, totally determined to march in the Charlotte St. Patrick's Day Parade with Ceol na Gael. Sure enough, come St. Patrick's Day I marched. Oh, did I march! I continued to march into several pubs and played throughout the week. After seeing my Pipe Major make a small fortune in one night I was determined to get a piece myself. Come the night before St. Patrick's Day I had no scheduled jobs for the night thereafter. By the time the night was over I'd booked three jobs. Then the almighty night came! With my driver and managers I rocked the night away, and gave it everything I had, while taking in everything they had. Oh what a night it was.

Among other cities, American Bagpiper may serve the following areas: Atlanta, Marietta, Athens, Decatur, Columbus, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Rome, Alpharetta, Carrollton, Gainesville, Dalton, Douglasville, Fayetteville, Kennesaw, Newnan, Smyrna, Stone Mountain, Buford, Canton, Commerce, Conyers, Covington, Cumming, Doraville, Jonesboro, Lithonia, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alto