Bagpipes. Construction[edit] A detail from the Cantigas de Santa Maria showing bagpipes with one chanter and a parallel drone (Spain, 13th century). A detail from a painting by Hieronymus Bosch showing two bagpipers (15th century). The practice chanter Air supply[edit] The most common method of supplying air to the bag is through blowing into a blowpipe, or blowstick. In some pipes the player must cover the tip of the blowpipe with his tongue while inhaling, but most blowpipes have a non-return valve that eliminates this need.
Bag[edit] The bag is an airtight reservoir that can hold air and can be used to regulate its flow, enabling the player to maintain continuous sound. Bags cut from larger materials are usually saddle-stitched with an extra strip folded over the seam and stitched (for skin bags) or glued (for synthetic bags) to reduce leaks. Chanter[edit] The chanter is the melody pipe, played with two hands. Chanter reed[edit] Drone[edit] History[edit] Possible ancient origins[edit] Modern usage[edit] Bagpipes – Introduction to Bagpipes, Smallpipes and Bagpipe Chanters. The Universe of Bagpipes - a web site designed, written and maintained by Oliver Seeler. Bagpipe Paintings and Etchings. Untitled. Bagpipe History. Bagpipe History Bagpipes are thought to have been used in ancient Egypt.
The bagpipe was the instrument of the Roman infantry while the trumpet was used by the cavalry. Bagpipes existed in many forms in many places around the world. In each country the basic instrument was the same, a bag with a chanter and one or more drones. Some of these were mouth blown while others used a bellows attachment to supply the air. The origins of the pipes in Scotland is uncertain. The original pipes in Scotland probably had, at the most, a single drone. In the Lowlands of Scotland, pipers occupied well-defined positions as town pipers, performers for weddings, feasts and fairs. As bagpipe use faded throughout most of Europe, a new form of music was starting in the Highlands.
Clan pipers titles were mostly hereditary and held in much esteem. As a musical instrument of war, the Great Pipes of the Highlands were without equal, according to historians. Return To Clans and Tartan. The Concise History of the Bagpipe by Frank J. Timoney. Brief history of bagpipes and how they arrived in Scotland. The Beginnings The earliest recorded reference to bagpipes may be on a Hittite slab from Asia Minor which has been dated to 1000 BC. By the 1st century AD, bagpipes existed in many countries from India to Spain and from France to Egypt, and the bagpipes were popular throughout the rest of the British Isles prior to their documented appearance north of the border. The date and circumstances of the appearance of the bagpipes in Scotland is a much debated topic with competing theories claiming they were either a Roman import or that the instrument came from Ireland.
Types of bagpipe Regardless of which country lays claim to the development, the basic bagpipe comprised the same elements: a bag with a chanter (on which the melody was played) and one or more drones (pipes which play a continuous note). Some examples were mouth-blown while others used a bellows attachment to supply the air to the bag. Music styles Recent History of Bagpipes: Sources: Bagpipes. (2008, July 31). History of Bagpipes: Page 1. A great deal of uncertainty, conflict and controversy surrounds the questions of the origins, evolution and distribution of bagpipes. At risk of throwing gasoline on the fire, the following opinions and speculations (with stress on those words) are offered here. The objective is not to present a history so much as to convey a general sense of the great diversity and the antiquity of the bagpipe and its predecessors.
There are several probable reasons for the lack of historical information about bagpipes. The instruments themselves, made entirely or almost entirely of organic materials, are not durable in any long-term sense. With certain relatively modern exceptions, they were instruments of the "common" people - they were used, probably somewhat roughly without concern, outdoors. People did not collect them, or hang them on a wall - and even if someone tucked away grandpa's pipes, poor storage conditions would have been the end of them before long.
Scotland the Brave (Bagpipes) HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL : Edinburgh Military Tattoo : Massed Pipes & Drums. Edinburgh Military Tattoo Massed Pipes and Drums. FLOWER OF SCOTLAND - ( Bagpipes ) - Lone Piper. Bagpipe Makers - Fletcher Bagpipes. Www.goodbagpipes.co.uk. Bagpipes Galore. McCallum Bagpipes Ltd. RT Shepherd and Son (Scotland) Ltd - Manufacturers of Fine Bagpipes, Smallpipes, Chanters and Reed. David Naill Co Ltd :: Master Craftsman of Bagpipes and Smallpipes. Ian D Murray Bagpipes Hand Crafted in Scotland. Mccallum Chanters by Scotweb Bagpipes & Piping Accessories. Wallace Bagpipes, Scotland – the world’s finest bagpipe makers, pipe chanters, practice chanters & bagpipe accessories. Bagpipes for sale at Gear4music. Bagpipes could have dated back to Roman or pre-Roman eras as the Oxford History of Music suggests that a sculpture of bagpipes was found on a Middle East sculpture from 1000 BC. Parts of a Bagpipe The bag is an airtight reservoir that holds air and regulates its flow enabling the player to maintain continuous sound.
The player blows air into it through a blowpipe or pumps air into it with bellows. Materials used for bags vary from animal skin and synthetic materials. The Chanter is the melody pipe and is played with two hands. The open nature of the pipe means it is hard for a player to stop the instrument from sounding so most bagpipe music follows a constant, legato sound which results in the lilting almost haunting sound associated with these instruments. The Chanter Reed is installed at the top of the chanter and is what the player uses to produce the sound. The Bagpipe Drones are the pipes which produce a constant harmonising note throughout play. Home | Garvie Bagpipes.