Crossword Genius

Musician with a bag under his arm (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

piper

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'musician' is the definition.
(someone playing the bagpipes)

'a bag under his arm' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' could be 'per' (eg 'one a day' means 'one per day') and 'per' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'pi' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'with' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for piper that I've seen before include "eg Flautist" , "English painter and stained glass designer, d. 1992" , "Instrumentalist, solo or military" , "One plays" , "Musician (who gets paid?)" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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