Bagpipes
Bagpipes are woodwind instruments traditionally associated with the Scottish Highlands. They can be played by anyone at beginner level, intermediate level or by professionals.
They’re also found in Spain and Portugal where they are called Gaitas and across Germany and Austria where they’re called Dudelsacks.
Bagpipes are made up of four main parts:
- Blow stick - this is the part that you blow air into to inflate the bag. The blow stick requires a reed mouthpiece that will need to be regularly replaced.
- Bag - most bags are tartan and are now made with synthetic velvet, but you can still buy traditional bagpipes with bags made from animal skins. The air blown into the bag is kept under pressure to create the musical sound.
- Chanter - made of a hardwood such as rosewood and is usually either black or natural in colour. The wood is polished to a smooth and glossy finish and the accompanying mounts are usually nickel plated. The chanter has a number of finger holes which the piper plays in a similar way to a recorder to produce different melodic tunes.
- Drones - a standard bagpipe normally has three drones; one bass and two tenors. These are tuned to produce the background droning noise we associate with the sound of the bagpipes.
The blow stick, chanter and drones all extend out from the bag.
Features
Bagpipes come as a fully playable instrument. Some come with a practice chanter or you can buy one on its own. This allows you to practice your breathing and finger movements to play a tune without having the bag and drones attached.
A full sized set of bagpipes measures 40” x 20” and a full sized bag measures 30” x 12”.
A lot of bagpipes come with a set of reeds and a hard or soft carrying case.
Taking care of your bagpipes
It’s recommended that you clean the blow stick, chanter and drones with a reed and that you regularly oil the wood and disinfect the inside of the bag to keep your bagpipes in a good condition.