Spanish bagpiper for your wedding in Spain | Exclusive interview with Gaita player in Andalucia

A Spanish bagpiper for your wedding in Spain offers a timeless gift to be enjoyed all and a sure way to make your special day all the more memorable…

Having a real wedding bagpiper is a great way to make your wedding beautiful and the traditional Gaita Bagpipes of Galicia and Asturias have strong ties between the Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic pipers.

Today it is an honour to chat with a popular bagpipe musician from Cordoba, Jose, where we find out a bit more about this typically Celtic instrument. Interestingly, the north-western region of Spain has strong Celtic roots stretching back thousands of years and the influence of those Celtic arrivals remains strong in modern-day Spain.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how did you get started playing the bagpipes?

I’m from southern Spain, specifically Cordoba, which is where I currently live. However, I perform all over Andalucia and Spain. I started playing this type of Celtic music thanks to some friends who introduced me to this musical world. However, back then the instrument I played was the Tin Whistle. A year and a half later I started playing the gaita and it was like love at first sight (or should I say first touch) because from that first moment I was hooked and started to dedicate many hours a day to practising it.

The bagpipe is known as a tricky instrument to learn – what is the key to its mastery?

It’s very important to go slowly. As it is an instrument that requires considerable physical effort and asymmetry, it is important to be patient and take your time so that you don’t injure yourself. You have to know how to listen to your body and be confident that with patience, consistency and time, one day you will end up playing the bagpipes.

What’s in your repertoire?

In my repertoire there are more than 500 songs including Scottish, Galician, Irish, Asturian, Breton, mediaeval and covers of well-known songs.

How did you get into playing at weddings?

The first wedding was with a Celtic music group I was part of. The bride listened to us at an event, and at the end of our set, she came up to us and asked for our phone number to perform several months later at her wedding. From that moment on, and also thanks to social media, more brides and grooms started reaching out to us asking if we could play at their weddings.

What do you most like about playing at weddings?

There are several things I love about playing at weddings. One of them is travelling. Thanks to weddings, I have visited many cities, towns and wonderful places.

But, what is incredibly special is being part of the story of two people who love each other during such an intimate moment as their wedding, and, through my music, sharing that emotion with the bridal couple and their guests, this makes playing at weddings an incredible experience each and every time.

Additionally, thanks to playing at weddings, I have also met many professionals in the sector with whom I still keep in touch and we help each other all the time.

And last but not least, everyone is really looking forward to having a good time at weddings and so  fun vibes are always guaranteed.

What is the most popular wedding song that you are asked to play?

It’s difficult to choose one, and if I had to, perhaps it would be “Skye Boat Song”, a traditional Scottish song that has appeared in several series and is the main title theme from “Outlander”. Saying that, I also get asked to play a lot of lively and cheerful muñeiras (a traditional dance and musical genre of Galicia, Spain).

Any funny anecdotes that have happened at a wedding that you can share with us?

Once, on the way out of the church, I was about to play when suddenly the police came.

Apparently, there was a marathon that day and we were warned that hundreds of athletes were about to run past the church door and that we either left quickly or would face being stuck inside the church for about an hour.

The guests, surprised by the situation, told the bride and groom, who were inside the church, that they had to leave quickly. Ten minutes later, just as we had cleared the area, there was a swarm of runners and all the surrounding roads were cut off, but thankfully we had escaped by then and were able to continue enjoying the wedding.

Do you like playing solo or with other musicians?

I like both. It is true that many bridal couples prefer that I do a solo set, but I also perform at times with my Celtic music group called “Keltya” and with other musicians or collaborating with other bands.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Besides travelling and gastronomy, I love spending time playing with family and friends, discovering new songs to add to my repertoire and creating new content for social media.

A huge GRACIAS, Jose. This has been a fun insight into your wonderful world, and we look forward to hearing you play in the new season. Thank you also for sharing these great images with us.

Find out more about Jose “Gaitero”

A Spanish piper with more than 10 years of experience that can play solo or as part of a Celtic music Band, called Keltya, which is formed by a percussionist, violinist, flute player and guitarist.

Jose performs at all kinds of events (weddings, birthdays, festivals, mediaeval markets, parties, concerts, parades, gastronomic fairs…) and in his repertoire he has Celtic (Galician, Asturian, Scottish, Irish, Breton…) and mediaeval songs as well as versions of soundtracks or any song that he is asked to perform.

In general his music is beautiful and cheerful, adding a lively vibe to any party.