Andy Letcher is a piper, songwriter and tunesmith, known locally for fronting psych-folk band, Telling the Bees, and for hosting Oxford's legendary French and Breton session. He took up the tin-whistle on leaving school before graduating onto the bagpipes: he has been playing Jon Swayne's English Border Pipes since 1999. He studied the rudiments of technique with Jon Swayne (Blowzabella), but, largely self-taught, has incorporated many of the techniques of French piping.
A leading figure in the English piping revival, Andy has been teaching for a number of years to complete beginners and old hands alike, and is known for his enthusiastic and patient approach (he teaches any pipe with half-closed fingering and can advise on buying instruments). He encourages pupils to find their own style and to express their own musicality within the tradition. He has led workshops for the Bagpipe Society and will be guest teacher alongside Chris Wood at the English Acoustic Collective Summer School 2008.
andyletcher@mac.com