Finlay Johnston was born and raised in Glasgow. He has piping in his family. His mother, Anne Johnston, was a very successful solo piper. She was the first female winner of the Silver Medal. His father, Thomas Johnston, was also a very successful snare drummer, and the inventor of Ezeedrone reeds. Finlay’s tuition started via his Grandfather, Alasdair Sinclair from Tiree. He then began receiving tuition from Ronnie McShannon and has continued to do so for 27 years. Finlay resides in Milngavie, Glasgow. He previously worked at the National Piping Centre as a Piping Instructor and now works at Pipe Dreams as a reedmaker.