Ally The Piper – Making Bagpipes Rock One Song At A Time

Ally The Piper – Making Bagpipes Rock One Song At A Time Guest Written By Jason Greiner

When one thinks of the instrument known as the bagpipes, certain things probably come to mind. You may likely have your thoughts drawn to the cultures of Scotland and Ireland, along with the traditional clothing that goes along with these regions. Perhaps, you may think of the common use in ceremonial practices, often of a sombre nature. But one thing you probably don’t think of is the musical versatility they offer, along with the fact that bagpipes can indeed rock.

While I am not musical, I recently decided to try to play the simplest instrument I could think of and settled on the kazoo, My two young nieces have this hilarious fascination with the Ozzy Osborne song “Crazy Train” and I wanted to search out any versions of this song on the funny little instrument. Somehow, the YouTube search came up with a version done on the bagpipes, and I was blown away.

The highly talented musician behind the version goes by the title “Ally The Piper” on her popular channel of the same name. Her YouTube account has more than 750 thousand subscribers and both videos of performances as well as instructions. On the platform TikTok, she has more than 1 million subscribers. 

Her official website touts her recent album release in the style she lovingly calls “Celtic-Rock,” And she references her work as being inspired by the genres of rock, metal and pop along with traditional Celtic music. 

In addition to the Ozzy classic, Ally has taken on other mega hits of hard rock and metal, including Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,”AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” among other songs. 

Ally, whose real name is Ally Crowley-Duncan, is a native of Schenectady, a small town in upstate New York. Her journey into the world of bagpipes started at the age of 14 as a way to connect with her Scottish roots. Now, at 29, she travels the country and even internationally to play at concerts, halftime shows and non-surprisingly, renaissance fairs. 

Her viral explosion started back in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when she began to focus on her TikTok account, and the views and subscribers came rolling in. 

And, like many other artists, her fans are very dedicated. One Bandcamp user and Ally supporter, going by the screen name “vanrichtenoh,” posted the following statement on her account:

“I saw you live in Columbus this spring and loved your entire show. Your track Follow Through speaks to my soul, and I listen to it almost every day. Thank you for sharing your gift, not only with the bagpipes but your stunningly amazing voice, with the world.”  

And just in case that didn’t clue you in, she’s also a gifted vocalist! One of her vocal videos covers the hit song “You Raise Me” by the amazing Josh Groban and even features her playing another instrument that she has mastered, the keyboard.  

Some other feedback includes these social media responses:

“Ally the Piper! The coolest bagpiper EVER!!!” – Joe Armstrong via Facebook

“I have always liked traditional bagpipes, but when she rocks out on the pipes, it blows me away. I love it. Rock on girl.”  @olegearhead2483 via YouTube

To learn more about this talented young lady and explore her music for yourself, you can check out her Link Tree page at https://linktr.ee/Piper.Ally, providing links to all her social media and more.