Consumer’s looking to hire a bagpiper often ask "whats the fee or price range" for a bagpiper. Knowing the price in advance is extremely helpful in deciding on which bagpiper to call first. Unfortunately this can not be done easily with bagpipers.

The best way to keep cost down is to find a piper located nearest to the event.

Once you have found at least one piper, check their personal website. Some pipers will post their price range for various services, including travel fees and expenses when necessary.

Next email or call the piper(s), explain that you need a piper for event on this day, at this location, for this long and for this type of event.

“ALL I NEED IS 2 SONGS”

Another misconception in pricing is that a customer will ask how much is it to play for five minutes, or two tunes. As a piper, playing for "just" 2 minutes or 30 minutes really is not going to impact my price.

From a piper’s perspective, we still have to prepare the uniform and instrument before leaving for the event. We then have to leave ample travel time to make it to the event to leave plenty of room to park, find and meet with the client, and tune the bagpipes. 

So if it’s two minutes or thirty minutes, it doesn’t matter, if the event is 2 hours driving distance away,  pay for tolls, pay for parking, leave enough time for traffic, and then walk 15-20 minutes to the actual event location/entering buildings/waiting for visitor passes. I can easily spend 8 hours for “just two songs”

Another misconception in pricing is that a customer will ask how much is it to play for five minutes, or two tunes. As a piper, playing for "just" 2 minutes or 30 minutes really is not going to impact my price.

From a piper’s perspective, we still have to prepare the uniform and instrument before leaving for the event. We then have to leave ample travel time to make it to the event to leave plenty of room to park, find and meet with the client, and tune the bagpipes. 

So if it’s two minutes or thirty minutes, it doesn’t matter, if the event is 2 hours driving distance away,  pay for tolls, pay for parking, leave enough time for traffic, and then walk 15-20 minutes to the actual event location/entering buildings/waiting for visitor passes. I can easily spend 8 hours for “just two songs”