Pipes, Drums, Bugle & Fifes
Photo: Pipes and Drums
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used in the military for a pipe bands is, The Pipes and Drums. The Pipes and Drums are also the Machine Gun Platoon within a Scottish Battalion.
The most common form of the Pipes and Drums, consists of a section of pipers (playing the Great Highland Bagpipe), a section of snare drummers (often referred to as 'side drummers'), several tenor drummers and usually one base drummer. The entire drum section is known collectively as the drum corps. The tenor drummers and bass drummer are referred to collectively as the 'bass section'. The military drummers are also expected to be proficient on the bugle. The Pipes and Drums when on parade are led by a Drum Major. The Pipe Major influences the musical direction. Depending on rank and seniority one of these NCO’s will command the platoon, however the Adjutant of the battalion is in overall command and management of the Pipes and Drums or the Corps of Drums in the English and Welsh Battalions.
The influence of pipe bands began with the Scottish Regiments, but its origins are obscure, and historical records exist mostly in hints gleaned from contemporary regimental records that had no direct interest in pipers and drummers. However it is known that pipers served in Scottish Regiments from their early formations, and the Royal Scots have records referring to pipers dating back to the early seventeenth century, where pipers were employed as pipers (rather than just happening to be a soldier who was also able to play the pipes), where they were employed by the officers of the regiments as private pipers. This situation continued until the 1840s, when Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for all things Highland was instrumental in the War Office's decision that each battalion of the Highland Regiments be allowed five pipers (one to each company) and a Pipe Major, which continues to be all that the British Army provides funds for to this day. Any additional pipers in the battalion Pipes and Drums were and are equipped today by funds from the Officers' Mess.
By this time, pipers were already playing together with drummers, probably modelling themselves on the fifes and drums which existed in the English and Welsh Regiments. In addition to being musicians, members of the Pipes and Drums of the Scottish and Irish Regiments are qualified fighting soldiers, and in most cases form the machine gun platoon for their battalion; as do the soldiers of the Corps of Drums in the English and Welsh Regiments.
The British Army runs its own pipes and drums training facility and to be qualified as a Piper, Drummer, Pipe Major or Drum Major in the pipes and drums of a regiment candidates must successfully pass a series of courses at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Drummers were originally established in armies to act as signallers. This is the major historical distinction between a Military Band and a Pipes and Drums or a Corps of Drums; 'drummers' would not play their instruments to entertain or delight, but rather as a utilitarian battlefield role.
The British Army maintains a Pipes and Drums or a Corps of Drums in each infantry battalion. In regiments with more than one battalion, each battalion will maintain a platoon of Pipes and Drums or a Corps of Drums which on occasions can be massed up. Rifle Regiments such as The Rifles and the Royal Gurkha Rifles, whose original method of fighting was not conducive to carrying a drum, instead form a Bugle Corps.
Historically, the drum was used to convey orders during a battle, as such the Corps of Drums was a fully integrated feature of an infantry battalion. Later on when the bugle was adopted to convey orders, drummers were given bugles, but maintained their drums and fifes. In an English or Welsh Regiment all members of the Corps of Drums will be proficient on the bugle whereas in the Scottish and Irish Regiment only the drummers play bugles.
It is known that by the early 16th century, each company of infantry soldiers would have a single drummer and a single fife player. These two musicians would march at the head of the company, and when not providing uplifting marching tunes, they would be used by the company commander to convey orders, on and off the battlefield. The drummers would be more aptly described as signallers than musicians, as shouted orders were very hard to hear over the din of battle. Later, the bugle would become the preferred means of communication on the battlefield, and the drummers adapted, training on bugles and carrying them in battle, but retaining the drum and the title of drummer.
As time went on, the individual drummers and fife players in each company would be organized at battalion level. They retained their role in each company in battle, but would form one body of men at the head of a battalion on the march. It was necessary to appoint a Drum Major to the Corps of Drums to be in charge of the drummers and to organize training in the emerging discipline of military drumming while a Fife Major was appointed to be the principal fifer and to train future fife players and direct the music. The 'Corps of Drums' would group together when not on duty with each company, and carry out various ceremonial tasks within the battalion, thus, the Corps of Drums became attached to the battalion HQ and was organized at battalion level, as opposed to individual company level.
Eventually, as the use of musical instrument on the battlefield diminished, Corps of Drums looked to fill specialist roles within the battalion while still retaining their original role for ceremonial duty.
Several different strings of logic have seen Corps of Drums employed in many varied roles. Because the Corps of Drums would often be employed in support of the battalion, in areas such as delivering mail or designating billets, they are often given the role of Assault Pioneers or Supporting Fire (machine gun) platoons. Corps of Drums were also employed to march under the parley flag when officers of opposing sides would meet to discuss terms of surrender etc..
Due to specialist duties and ceremonial aspects of a drummers life, a Corps of Drums and the Pipes and Drums of the Scottish and Irish Regiments will often become the unofficial custodians of regimental customs and traditions.
The main instrument of a Corps of Drums is the side drum. These were originally a rope-tension design with wide wooden hoops and a wooden shell and an animal skin drum head. However, this model has been continuously upgraded, with the inclusion of snares, more modern metal rod-tension and plastic heads.
The side drum was increasingly decorated throughout the 19th century, until it bore the fully embellished regimental colours of the battalion, including its battle honours. As such a regiments drums should be afforded great respect.
The second instrument of a Corps of Drums was originally the fife, but has been replaced in the modern era by a flute with keys. There is a wide variety of flutes used by Corps of Drums ranging in pitch. The fife and later the flute has been favoured as a war-like instrument due to its shrill pitch and thus the ability to be heard above the noise of battle. However, the flute cannot compare with the Great Highland Bagpipe as an instrument of war.
The bugle replaced the drum mid-way through the 19th century as the most common means of communication on the battlefield. These duties were carried out by the battalion's Corps of Drums, and as such all drummers now carry a bugle.
Yours Aye. Iain D Townsley
The most common form of the Pipes and Drums, consists of a section of pipers (playing the Great Highland Bagpipe), a section of snare drummers (often referred to as 'side drummers'), several tenor drummers and usually one base drummer. The entire drum section is known collectively as the drum corps. The tenor drummers and bass drummer are referred to collectively as the 'bass section'. The military drummers are also expected to be proficient on the bugle. The Pipes and Drums when on parade are led by a Drum Major. The Pipe Major influences the musical direction. Depending on rank and seniority one of these NCO’s will command the platoon, however the Adjutant of the battalion is in overall command and management of the Pipes and Drums or the Corps of Drums in the English and Welsh Battalions.
The influence of pipe bands began with the Scottish Regiments, but its origins are obscure, and historical records exist mostly in hints gleaned from contemporary regimental records that had no direct interest in pipers and drummers. However it is known that pipers served in Scottish Regiments from their early formations, and the Royal Scots have records referring to pipers dating back to the early seventeenth century, where pipers were employed as pipers (rather than just happening to be a soldier who was also able to play the pipes), where they were employed by the officers of the regiments as private pipers. This situation continued until the 1840s, when Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for all things Highland was instrumental in the War Office's decision that each battalion of the Highland Regiments be allowed five pipers (one to each company) and a Pipe Major, which continues to be all that the British Army provides funds for to this day. Any additional pipers in the battalion Pipes and Drums were and are equipped today by funds from the Officers' Mess.
By this time, pipers were already playing together with drummers, probably modelling themselves on the fifes and drums which existed in the English and Welsh Regiments. In addition to being musicians, members of the Pipes and Drums of the Scottish and Irish Regiments are qualified fighting soldiers, and in most cases form the machine gun platoon for their battalion; as do the soldiers of the Corps of Drums in the English and Welsh Regiments.
The British Army runs its own pipes and drums training facility and to be qualified as a Piper, Drummer, Pipe Major or Drum Major in the pipes and drums of a regiment candidates must successfully pass a series of courses at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Drummers were originally established in armies to act as signallers. This is the major historical distinction between a Military Band and a Pipes and Drums or a Corps of Drums; 'drummers' would not play their instruments to entertain or delight, but rather as a utilitarian battlefield role.
The British Army maintains a Pipes and Drums or a Corps of Drums in each infantry battalion. In regiments with more than one battalion, each battalion will maintain a platoon of Pipes and Drums or a Corps of Drums which on occasions can be massed up. Rifle Regiments such as The Rifles and the Royal Gurkha Rifles, whose original method of fighting was not conducive to carrying a drum, instead form a Bugle Corps.
Historically, the drum was used to convey orders during a battle, as such the Corps of Drums was a fully integrated feature of an infantry battalion. Later on when the bugle was adopted to convey orders, drummers were given bugles, but maintained their drums and fifes. In an English or Welsh Regiment all members of the Corps of Drums will be proficient on the bugle whereas in the Scottish and Irish Regiment only the drummers play bugles.
It is known that by the early 16th century, each company of infantry soldiers would have a single drummer and a single fife player. These two musicians would march at the head of the company, and when not providing uplifting marching tunes, they would be used by the company commander to convey orders, on and off the battlefield. The drummers would be more aptly described as signallers than musicians, as shouted orders were very hard to hear over the din of battle. Later, the bugle would become the preferred means of communication on the battlefield, and the drummers adapted, training on bugles and carrying them in battle, but retaining the drum and the title of drummer.
As time went on, the individual drummers and fife players in each company would be organized at battalion level. They retained their role in each company in battle, but would form one body of men at the head of a battalion on the march. It was necessary to appoint a Drum Major to the Corps of Drums to be in charge of the drummers and to organize training in the emerging discipline of military drumming while a Fife Major was appointed to be the principal fifer and to train future fife players and direct the music. The 'Corps of Drums' would group together when not on duty with each company, and carry out various ceremonial tasks within the battalion, thus, the Corps of Drums became attached to the battalion HQ and was organized at battalion level, as opposed to individual company level.
Eventually, as the use of musical instrument on the battlefield diminished, Corps of Drums looked to fill specialist roles within the battalion while still retaining their original role for ceremonial duty.
Several different strings of logic have seen Corps of Drums employed in many varied roles. Because the Corps of Drums would often be employed in support of the battalion, in areas such as delivering mail or designating billets, they are often given the role of Assault Pioneers or Supporting Fire (machine gun) platoons. Corps of Drums were also employed to march under the parley flag when officers of opposing sides would meet to discuss terms of surrender etc..
Due to specialist duties and ceremonial aspects of a drummers life, a Corps of Drums and the Pipes and Drums of the Scottish and Irish Regiments will often become the unofficial custodians of regimental customs and traditions.
The main instrument of a Corps of Drums is the side drum. These were originally a rope-tension design with wide wooden hoops and a wooden shell and an animal skin drum head. However, this model has been continuously upgraded, with the inclusion of snares, more modern metal rod-tension and plastic heads.
The side drum was increasingly decorated throughout the 19th century, until it bore the fully embellished regimental colours of the battalion, including its battle honours. As such a regiments drums should be afforded great respect.
The second instrument of a Corps of Drums was originally the fife, but has been replaced in the modern era by a flute with keys. There is a wide variety of flutes used by Corps of Drums ranging in pitch. The fife and later the flute has been favoured as a war-like instrument due to its shrill pitch and thus the ability to be heard above the noise of battle. However, the flute cannot compare with the Great Highland Bagpipe as an instrument of war.
The bugle replaced the drum mid-way through the 19th century as the most common means of communication on the battlefield. These duties were carried out by the battalion's Corps of Drums, and as such all drummers now carry a bugle.
Yours Aye. Iain D Townsley
