IT'S not rats that the Pied Piper of Peebles has been attracting over the years, but tunes.

Julian Goodacre may not be able to determine a quaver from a crotchet, but he has spent almost all of his adult life composing the most wonderful music for his penny whistle and traditional pipes.

If not busying himself within his Elcho Street workshop creating the latest set of traditional bagpipes, he can be found scurrying towards his trusty tape recorder to immortalise his latest hums and whistles.

And, armed with his recording, he sets off regularly for a friend to transcribe and put his notes to paper.

Being unable to read or write music hasn't stopped Julian appearing at festivals all over the world, playing his pipes in blockbuster historical movies, or producing a highly successful CD.

Last year he also released a wonderful book of music, Some of Me Tunes and Some of Me Friends' Tunes.

Some of Me Tunes and Me Friends' Tunes is much more than 236 of Julian's compositions and 56 tunes from his friends, it is the toe-tapping, heart-warming memoirs of a smiling eccentric who has travelled far, danced aplenty and helped revive the English and Lowland Scottish piping traditions.

Next weekend Julian will celebrate his colourful life and his book by staging his very own show at the Eastgate Theatre.

Along with five musical friends from across the country, it will be an evening of storytelling, poetry, dance and tunes.

Julian told us: "I wanted to celebrate the release of Some of Me Tunes and Me Friends' Tunes and asked a five of me friends who had given me tunes in the past if they'd like to come.

"I have never done anything like this before - but I knew if was to do something of this scale I wanted to do it in Peebles.

"My wife and I have put on impromptu concerts in the past but signing a contract, doing timings, working with other people on the lighting, sound, videos and lots more is a whole new experience."

Julian taught himself the penny whistle while hitchhiking through north Africa for two years in his mid-20s.

Afraid that his whistle would be stolen, he crafted a replacement from basic materials - and so began a lifelong love of traditional instrument making.

As well as being a professional bagpipe maker for the past three decades, he has also carried out extensive research into the origins and progression of traditional music.

And he's been hugely influential in the resurgence of interest in both English bagpipe and Scottish bellow pipe playing.

As well as Julian, next Saturday's Some of Me Tunes and Some of Me Friends’ Tunes concert will feature piper and fiddler Pete Stewart, accordionist and flautist Steve Turner, multi-instrumentalist Andy Hornby, piper Callum Armstrong and fiddler John-Francis Goodacre.

Peebles storyteller Joan Morrison will also take to the stage.

Prior to the curtain rising on Saturday's show Julian is also dusting down and displaying The Chrystal Theatre.

The handmade theatre was constructed by his musician grandparents to provide toy theatrical performances for Julian's mother and aunt during the First World War.

Julian added: "The Chrystal Theatre is beautifully preserved and has never been on display before.

"Only a handful of people will have seen by in the last 100 years."

Tickets, priced at £14 and £12, for Some of Me Tunes and Some of me Friends' Tunes at the Eastgate Theatre on Saturday, November 23 are available from the Eastgate Box Office.

The curtain will rise at 7.30pm.