About
A piper who makes pipes
I'm Richard Kean. I was born in Edinburgh, and I've spent decades playing the pipes at weddings, memorials and celebrations.
I've competed at a high level too, including as a member of the St Thomas Alumni Pipe Band, who won a World Championship in 2019.
As a player, I've always been fascinated by the instrument and how it works, and that's what led me to start making pipes myself. Now I make both Great Highland Bagpipes and medieval great pipes, turning and finishing every set by hand, one at a time.
My inspiration for making medieval pipes was the work of Stefan Fischer, whose instruments first drew me to the medieval great pipe.
Being a piper first shapes everything I make: I build each set the way I'd want to play it myself.