A piper's rant

[JS Sanders]

I'm certain all of us pipers with merit have suffered these left-handed insults. Their origins are from those who believe it's within their (perceived) social standing to determine our wage.

Like Piobear, piping is my vocation as well as an avocation. It doesn't bother me in the slightest to tell a potential skinflint client his offer is insufficient. Though must admit when they then ask for a referral at that point, I can feel my BP rise a bit.

And over the years I've had charity-related clients take advantage of me. They'll switch times, dates, length of playing, what to play, etc in a New York second without even consulting me. And I'm expected to comply because it's a charitable event.

It has made me extremely wary of those seeking my talent & ability on a gratis basis. Currently, I do them only if the organizer has credibility in my eyes and I alone determine what is piped & how.

Slan,
steve

[DWFII]

I will say this as a bit of counter-point...we paid a piper $150.00 to do a wedding. We had a list of tunes that were to accompany each part of the ceremony. We placed the piper such that the piper had a bird's eye view of the ceremony.

Yet, except for the opening tune, almost none of the rest came on their proper time cue. If they had just been played in sequence it would have turned out better than it did. I ended up having to shout the title of the next song to the piper...even having to interrupt and correct the piper...to make sure it came out right.

Additionally, the piper wore ratty old tennis shoes, a funky sweater, no piper's sporran and not even a Glengarry.

To be fair, it was verra cold that day so perhaps the sweater was reasonable. But I was so disappointed I did not offer the customary dram. And I would not use that piper again.

What's done is done, I suppose, but if the wedding was perhaps not spoiled, it was certainly marred by both the appearance and the performance of someone who represented themself as a professional...and, who surely got paid like a professional.

[KiltedSurveyor]

I have played in various bands/genres of music for over 30 years (now for "fun", as I own my own land surveying business). It is amazing the amount of people that complain about fees for gigs with comments like "I wish I could make $250 for less than two hours work!". I then inform them that they don't pay a doctor for the 5-15 minutes of exam time he gives them, but for the years of medical school and experience to diagnose what is wrong with them quickly (and hopefully correctly). They pay me not for the time that I play for them, but for all the time I put in the practice room and rehearsal hall to make the time they hire me for is the best possible experience they can get for the money.

[RockyR]

I agree with most of the people so far... chalk it up to a loss and move on.

As far as the "business" aspect of it, I agree that "the price is the price". If YOU KNOW in your heart that you're charging a fair price, then stick to it.

When we first started our company 5 years ago, we did "wheel and deal" a little bit to get sales when sales were few and far between. However, as we started getting bigger, it created a problem where someone would come in and say "well THIS person got it for less money, so I want it for that price", and so on. We reached a point where we had to lay down a firm rule of "this is the price".

We MAY have lost a few customers along the way, but when you have a product that is decent quality and you KNOW you are charging a fair price for it, you'll get what you ask. If they don't want to pay a fair price, odds are they won't be happy with it no matter what, so you're better off without the sale (or gig) anyway.

My other suggestion... contact other pipers in the area and ask what THEY charge for gigs. If you're all on the same page for your prices, customers can't play the "but THIS person said it was THIS much" game.

Also... about the "you'll get referrals" thing... You'll ALWAYS get referrals if you're good. You'll NEVER get referrals if you're bad. The point is, the referrals are dependant on YOUR performance, not what any customer tells you they will do. Charge your normal rate and if you're good, the referrals will come automatically.

Hope this helps!

[JS Sanders]

DWFII,
Sure hoped you expressed your disappointment to him - in no uncertain terms. To me, that sorta behavior & deportment is unacceptable and unforgiveable.

Clients have an odd propensity to hire pipers without even hearing a demo recording or attending one of the venues. For years I've provided a presentation video to potential clients - it has acquired me an extraordinary amount of income.

I rarely get asked for references either. It really baffles me, because the same folks go completely outta their way to hear the band hired for the reception.

For me, $150 to perform at a wedding would be insufficient. I charge much more and perform at 70-80 weddings annually.

I have a 'competitor' who charges even more than I and he is a complete numpty. He can somewhat dress the part, but his piping ability is borderline. It is embarassing to hear him. He's also bailed-out on clients at the last moment and I've gotten the call to fill in for him from some mighty unhappy people.

I really hate to hear of incidents such as yours. These hurt bona fide pipers and our art more than we'll ever know.

Slan,
steve

[DWFII]

Steve,

Well, thanks for the "condolences(?)" We live in a somewhat rural area...at least it is not densely metropolitan. I emailed and called around looking for a piper ahead of time and this one was the only one I could find. There may have been one other piper in the area but he was not available to answer either email or phone messages. And the $150.00 might have been standard according to what I was told...although in retrospect, I certainly would have been willing to pay more to get more "value."

Truthfully, I am not qualified to judge the playing of a piper...although hearing Wicked Tinkers this summer made my hair stand on end and the wedding piper did not do that...that said, the tunes our piper played were recognizable and I never thought to compare it to a "flock of alarmed geese."

I only posted my comments to illustrate how someone could be a little leery, especially if they didn't know any better...if this person is the standard bearer in my area, then $150.00 might even be a little excessive.

[PiobBear]

...a millionnaire...asked me to pipe for a private scotch tasting in his very nice home..a bottle of scotch that he was serving, which was not priced at more than $50...

Not more than $50? I wonder if he passed around the screw top so his guests could sniff the bouquet!

"ahh...floral notes of kerosene and paint thinner, with a strong carburetor-cleaner finish..."

[Sionnachdubh]

Looks like she will have to have parties without us pipers from now on.

[hospitaller]

I'd just give you one piece of advice (unrequested of course but needed nonetheless):

Behave like an adult instead of a college kid.

You changed your own rate, you accepted whatever conditions she places and off you went on your merry way to enjoy your break.

The person who was going to hire you needed to talk to you while you were gone, and you didnt respond in time, so she found someone else.

It was her wedding event, she was doing her job, and I really do not think that venting and badmouthing her for your own miscalculation is plain wrong.

Feel free to flog me if you will, just the way I see it.

I've hired people in the past, and often had similar situations where I've had changes or questions and they were unreachable so I went with someone else.

Such is the real world workforce.