Bagpipes - Buying Your First Bagpipe
Bagpipes are musical instruments belonging to the family of aerophones, producing sound using reeds.
A bagpipe typically consists of an air supply, a bag, a chanter, and usually a drone.
Bagpipes have evolved into different kinds, each with its own unique feature.
Great Highland bagpipe The Great Highland bagpipe was developed in Ireland and Scotland, and still remains to be the most popular type of bagpipe.
The typical Great Highland bagpipe consists of a bag, a blowpipe, a chanter, one bass drone, and two tenor drones.
It plays in a mixolydian scale ranging from the natural key of low G to the key of high A.
It is also commonly used by pipe bands in both military and civilian performances.
Irish Uilleann bagpipe This type of bagpipe is considered to be the most developed type of bagpipe.
It plays in a diatonic scale two octaves in the keys of D major and natural C.
It usually has leather pads that can be replaced with air-tight popping valves at one end of the chanter.
This type is usually played in short staccato passages.
Northumbrian smallpipes Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown pipes.
They usually bear some similarities with the Irish Uilleann bagpipe, requiring unusually tight fingering to produce a staccato style.
A typical bagpipe of this type usually consists of four drones that can be tuned to various combinations of pitches.
Biniou The Biniou is an old style bagpipe from Brittany, France.
It is played by blowing through the mouth and is played in a one-octave scale, producing a very high-pitched sound.
User's guide When buying bagpipes, look for two things: 1.
Materials - to get a rich sound, choose a bagpipe made of Cocobolo or African Blackwood that has a low density, allowing for elimination of buzzes.
2.
Durability - a bagpipe that has a carefully threaded mount and ferrule ensures durability and correct fit.
A bagpipe typically consists of an air supply, a bag, a chanter, and usually a drone.
Bagpipes have evolved into different kinds, each with its own unique feature.
Great Highland bagpipe The Great Highland bagpipe was developed in Ireland and Scotland, and still remains to be the most popular type of bagpipe.
The typical Great Highland bagpipe consists of a bag, a blowpipe, a chanter, one bass drone, and two tenor drones.
It plays in a mixolydian scale ranging from the natural key of low G to the key of high A.
It is also commonly used by pipe bands in both military and civilian performances.
Irish Uilleann bagpipe This type of bagpipe is considered to be the most developed type of bagpipe.
It plays in a diatonic scale two octaves in the keys of D major and natural C.
It usually has leather pads that can be replaced with air-tight popping valves at one end of the chanter.
This type is usually played in short staccato passages.
Northumbrian smallpipes Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown pipes.
They usually bear some similarities with the Irish Uilleann bagpipe, requiring unusually tight fingering to produce a staccato style.
A typical bagpipe of this type usually consists of four drones that can be tuned to various combinations of pitches.
Biniou The Biniou is an old style bagpipe from Brittany, France.
It is played by blowing through the mouth and is played in a one-octave scale, producing a very high-pitched sound.
User's guide When buying bagpipes, look for two things: 1.
Materials - to get a rich sound, choose a bagpipe made of Cocobolo or African Blackwood that has a low density, allowing for elimination of buzzes.
2.
Durability - a bagpipe that has a carefully threaded mount and ferrule ensures durability and correct fit.
