Pipe Major Kyle Howie Professional piper for hire

No technical requirements.

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Usually only directions and event co-ordinator details.

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This is an incredibly difficult question for me- I have played to crowds numbering 10 up to crowds numbering 80,000 and they have all been fantastic for me as I get a buzz just seeing people enjoying my music, whether it be solo or with bands.

If I had to pick a couple of career highlights I would have to include the following:

Performing with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers at the Michael Jordan Steakhouse, Grand Central Station, New York
Touring China for 6 weeks in October-November 2013
Performing for HM the King in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace
Recording bagpipes at Abbey Road Studio for How To Train Your Dragon 3
Entertaining the crowd at Murrayfield Stadium before kick off
Securing my first teaching job at a school in St Andrews, Fife

The late Gordon Duncan inspired me to be a better piper when I was around 15 years old, but there are so many other big piping names that I simply couldn't list here as your event will have come and gone by the time you finished reading this section!

I will never forget playing my first ever paid gig, it was for my mum's friend who was getting married- I was only ten years old and I remember my tutor at the time coming along to lend me a hand with when I as to start and stop, a valuable lesson to have learnt on my first outing!

Again this is terribly hard to answer, I LOVE playing music as it's all I've done for the last 15 years. I couldn't possibly choose.

I typically aim to arrive at least 30 minutes before our pre-arranged start time, just to assemble my instrument and find a suitable location to perform.

Absolutely! If the weather isn't great (prolonged rainfall) I would require a bit of cover.

I am very happy to take requests. Otherwise I'll play a mix of traditional pipe music as well as more contemporary pipe music, like some jigs and reels.

Professional.