The Great Highland Bagpipe
When I Arrive I will need time to tune the pipes and this will generally take me about fifteen minutes. The drones must be precisely tuned to each other and also the chanter. Ideally I play a few tunes while tuning the drones to the pitch of the chanter and allow the drone and chanter reeds to settle. Then I rest the instrument for about 3 minutes; then I will play again for a short while rechecking the tuning.
The Great Highland Bagpipe (called the piob mhor in Gaelic) has the greatest international visibility, however bagpipes of many different types come from different regions throughout the British Isles, Europe, North Africa, Arabia, and the Caucasus.
We Scotts have a wealth and variety of music, we do not claim that the bagpipe originated in Scotland, nor do we think that it matters very much, but it is fair to say that the most popular form of bagpipe is the one which has been developed in the Highlands of Gaelic Scotland and that we took to the world through the postings of our Highland Regiments and emigrating Scots, and yet now there is a new breed of international pipers who have adopted this instrument as their own.
Overview
A set of bagpipes minimally consists of an air supply, a bag, a chanter, and a drone. Some bagpipes have additional drones (and sometimes chanters) in various combinations, held in stocks with which the various pipes are attached to the bag. The Great Highland Bagpipe has four pipes containing reeds and a blowpipe attached to the bag. In different forms, the bagpipe has been played in Scotland probably for most of 600 years.
Air supply
The most common method of supplying air to the bag or reservoir is by the piper blowing into a blowpipe. The blowpipe is fitted with a non- return valve. An innovation dating from the 16th or 17th centurie, is the use of bellows to supply air. A good example of this is the Irish uilleann pipes, the Northumbrian smallpipes, and the musett de cour of France.
Bag
The bag is the basis on which every other component of the instrument depends. It is an airtight reservoir which can hold air and regulate its flow while the piper breathes (or pumps with bellows), enabling the piper to maintain a continuous sound for quite some time while maintaining a steady pressure at all times on the reeds. Bags were most commonly made from the skins of local animals such as goat, sheep, or cow, but more recently bags are made of synthetic materials.
Chanter
The chanter is the melody pipe and the most important pipe of the whole arrangement. The chanter of the Highland Bagpipe is bored in the shape of a cone and has a single cane reed. The chanter is open-ended; thus, there is no easy way for the piper to stop the pipes from sounding. This means that the bagpipe has a legato sound where there are no rests in the music. Because of this inability to stop playing, embellishments are used to break up notes and to create the illusion of articulation and accent. Some embellishments are often highly technical and take much study and practice to master.
Drone
Most bagpipes have at least one drone. A drone is commonly a cylindrical tube with a single reed, although drones with double reeds do exist. The drone is generally designed in two or more parts, with a sliding joint so that the pitch of the drone can be manipulated.
Depending on the type of pipes, the drones may run parallel to the chanter, across the arm of the piper opposite the bag, or over the shoulder, as they do in the Great Highland Bagpipe. The Great Highland Bagpipe has three drones, one bass and two tenor. They are fitted with reeds made of cane or a synthetic substance. Their job is to supply a stedy, harmonic background to the melody of the tune being played on the pipe chanter. The drones are held in place by cords.
The Great Highland Bagpipe has obviously evolved and changed over the years, but it is now a harmony of wonder with the blending of three drones and a chanter that tunes an octave above with each penetrating note, while the piper communicates the poetry of warriors, evoking a primal, emotional and inspiring effect on his audience.
Siubhal in Gaelic means 'journey' and can be taken to symbolise the survival and versatility of the great highland bagpipe. It is also used specifically in 'pibroch' (the classical music of the pipes) as the term for the movement that is a key variation on the melody. On the one hand therefore it speaks expressively of pipe music and on the other may be taken as symbolic of a remarkable tradition.
Yours Aye. Iain D Townsley
The Great Highland Bagpipe (called the piob mhor in Gaelic) has the greatest international visibility, however bagpipes of many different types come from different regions throughout the British Isles, Europe, North Africa, Arabia, and the Caucasus.
We Scotts have a wealth and variety of music, we do not claim that the bagpipe originated in Scotland, nor do we think that it matters very much, but it is fair to say that the most popular form of bagpipe is the one which has been developed in the Highlands of Gaelic Scotland and that we took to the world through the postings of our Highland Regiments and emigrating Scots, and yet now there is a new breed of international pipers who have adopted this instrument as their own.
Overview
A set of bagpipes minimally consists of an air supply, a bag, a chanter, and a drone. Some bagpipes have additional drones (and sometimes chanters) in various combinations, held in stocks with which the various pipes are attached to the bag. The Great Highland Bagpipe has four pipes containing reeds and a blowpipe attached to the bag. In different forms, the bagpipe has been played in Scotland probably for most of 600 years.
Air supply
The most common method of supplying air to the bag or reservoir is by the piper blowing into a blowpipe. The blowpipe is fitted with a non- return valve. An innovation dating from the 16th or 17th centurie, is the use of bellows to supply air. A good example of this is the Irish uilleann pipes, the Northumbrian smallpipes, and the musett de cour of France.
Bag
The bag is the basis on which every other component of the instrument depends. It is an airtight reservoir which can hold air and regulate its flow while the piper breathes (or pumps with bellows), enabling the piper to maintain a continuous sound for quite some time while maintaining a steady pressure at all times on the reeds. Bags were most commonly made from the skins of local animals such as goat, sheep, or cow, but more recently bags are made of synthetic materials.
Chanter
The chanter is the melody pipe and the most important pipe of the whole arrangement. The chanter of the Highland Bagpipe is bored in the shape of a cone and has a single cane reed. The chanter is open-ended; thus, there is no easy way for the piper to stop the pipes from sounding. This means that the bagpipe has a legato sound where there are no rests in the music. Because of this inability to stop playing, embellishments are used to break up notes and to create the illusion of articulation and accent. Some embellishments are often highly technical and take much study and practice to master.
Drone
Most bagpipes have at least one drone. A drone is commonly a cylindrical tube with a single reed, although drones with double reeds do exist. The drone is generally designed in two or more parts, with a sliding joint so that the pitch of the drone can be manipulated.
Depending on the type of pipes, the drones may run parallel to the chanter, across the arm of the piper opposite the bag, or over the shoulder, as they do in the Great Highland Bagpipe. The Great Highland Bagpipe has three drones, one bass and two tenor. They are fitted with reeds made of cane or a synthetic substance. Their job is to supply a stedy, harmonic background to the melody of the tune being played on the pipe chanter. The drones are held in place by cords.
The Great Highland Bagpipe has obviously evolved and changed over the years, but it is now a harmony of wonder with the blending of three drones and a chanter that tunes an octave above with each penetrating note, while the piper communicates the poetry of warriors, evoking a primal, emotional and inspiring effect on his audience.
Siubhal in Gaelic means 'journey' and can be taken to symbolise the survival and versatility of the great highland bagpipe. It is also used specifically in 'pibroch' (the classical music of the pipes) as the term for the movement that is a key variation on the melody. On the one hand therefore it speaks expressively of pipe music and on the other may be taken as symbolic of a remarkable tradition.
Yours Aye. Iain D Townsley
