fred payne

bagpiper in san francisco california

Full time professional musician.

Will travel. Over 40 years of performing and teaching experience. Three time champion in Western US. Dozens of other awards. Courteous, expert service at reasonable rates.

Now performing at events throughout California.

Member of The San Francisco Irish Pipers and The Monterey Bay Pipe Band. Instructor and former Pipe Major for The Central Coast Pipes and Drums.

Wide selection of traditional and modern Scottish and Irish pipe tunes for any occasion.

Great Highland Bagpipe or Scottish small pipes for intimate settings. Lessons available.

About Me

The Early Years

Way back in 1966, when I was 11 years old, my parents and I were members of the Scottish Society of Santa Barbara. It was a big society for a (then) small town. The Walter B. Truman Bagpipe Band was loosely associated with the society. I had been playing classical piano for five years and performed occasionally at the society meetings. The band leadership must have liked my piano style because they approached my parents and offered free piping lessons if I would consider joining the band.

It was an easy choice. Within a year I had the cool uniform and was marching in the 1967 Christmas parade in Santa Barbara. The fun just kept coming and that band was a big part of my teenage years. We played Burns Suppers, parades, every kind of gig imaginable. I competed once at the Santa Monica Highland Games (now the Costa Mesa Games). THAT was exciting.

Two Decades Later

College, marriage, and family sidelined me for nearly 20 years. Living in Santa Maria during the 90’s I found that a very accomplished piper, John Partanen was living nearby. We made contact, formed the Central Coast Pipes and Drums, and he began coaching me for competition. In 2002, at the age of 47 I stepped in front of a judge for the first time in 33 years. I won the Western United States Grade 4 championship that year, and Grade 3 in 2003 and 2004. In 2003 I joined the Monterey Bay Pipe Band. Under Pipe Major MIchele d’Avenas, we were in top form and were the first-place band in the Western US. I was winning as a Grade 2 soloist during 2005 when divorce distracted me and I restricted myself to pipe band contests and gigs.