Bagpipes - Buying Your First Bagpipe

By Ilse Hagen

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.

Shopping help / Consumer information

A complete Guide to BAGPIPES is available in Picky Guide, one of the fastest growing online magazines giving free consumer advice and product information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ilse_Hagen

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North American Championship Results

Glengarry Highland Games
Maxville Saturday, August 4

Grade 1 Overall

1. Scottish Lion- 78th Fraser Highlanders
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COWAL GATHERING
Saturday August 25, 2007

1. Field Marshal Montgomery
2. The House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead
3. Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia
4. St. Laurence O'Toole
5. Strathclyde Police
6. Scottish Power

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World Pipeband Championships

Results from Glasgow 2007
Grade 1 MSR

1. Field Marshal Montgomery
2. Simon Fraser University
3. Scottish Lion 78th Fraser Highlanders
4. The House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead
5. Strathclyde Police


Grade 1 MEDLEY

1. The House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead
2. Field Marshal Montgomery
3. Simon Fraser University
4. Scottish Lion 78th Fraser Highlanders
5. Strathclyde Police

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About Bagpipe Chanters- How to Buy Chanters for Your Bagpipes

By Ilse Hagen

A bagpipe chanter is the part of the bagpipe that produces the melody. It is usually a narrow, conical tube that has a series of small holes. These holes are alternately covered and uncovered to control the pitch produced by the chanter. At the top of the bagpipe chanter is the reed.

Bagpipe chanters usually consist of two main divisions: the parallel and non-parallel bored. The former allows the bagpipe to produce a sweet tone while the latter allows for the control of volume in bagpipes.

Wood or resin?

Wooden chanters are made of solid, durable wood such as African Blackwood, Cocobola, or Rosewood. They usually come in the key of concert pitch D and the key of B and are usually tuned to the key of A in 440 Hz. Most wooden chanters have keyblocks for adding brass keys and mounts usually made of maple wood or synthetic ivory.

Meanwhile, a resin bagpipe chanter is made from durable resin and comes in the key of concert pitch D and the key of B. They are usually tuned to the key of A in 440 Hz. Resin chanters are ideal for both beginners and advanced players.

For beginners

Practice chanters are mainly used for practice in Great Highland Bagpipes. It is smaller than the typical bagpipe chanter and has a top piece that can be blown directly from the mouth. It is generally used by beginners so that they do not have to master the mechanics of controlling the bag. Practice chanters are usually made of hard wood or plastic.

Tips

When buying bagpipe chanters, look for those that have a blowpipe made of plastic. Plastic blowpipes are sturdier and do not crack easily. Also, plastics are not vulnerable to extreme moisture and temperature changes that can cause blowpipes to crack.

Shopping help / Consumer information

A complete Guide to BAGPIPE CHANTERS is available in Picky Guide, one of the fastest growing online magazines giving free consumer advice and product information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ilse_Hagen

Winnipeg Bagpiper

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Piper of the Scottish Highlands

In all the world there is no more spectacular figure than that of a Scottish Highland Bagpiper. Resplendent in colourful kilt and tunic and playing the traditional Scottish tunes, the Scottish Highland Piper is an irresistible attraction for young and old.

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The Bagpipe and Its History

By Duco Sminia

You may have heard that bagpipes are a Scottish invention; you may have heard that they are an Irish invention. The truth (of course) is neither one. The bagpipe was invented in the middle east.The Old Testament mentions the instrument in the book of Daniel chapter 3, where it is listed as one of the instruments that was used to call the people to worship a golden statue that king Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (Anyone who disobeyed had to be thrown into a blazing fire --yaiks!!) This event took place in ancient Iraq, which was then part of the Babylonian empire.

From the middle east migrating tribes of peoples took the instruments to different parts of Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Some 200 years ago the instrument was very popular throughout Europe. It was around that time that the ruling class started to forbid the instrument. It was decided that this instrument, with it’s droning sound was a “poor man’s instrument” and should have no part in modern music.

As a result, the instrument was forbidden in almost all of Europe, except for a few outposts such as Scotland and Bulgaria. The bagpipe in its many forms, as of today still has retained its natural tuning.

The melody pipe or chanter has to tune in with the drone, therefore, it is hard to play together with other “tempered tuned” instruments. The key cannot be changed, also on account of this droning.

However, modern music, even though more sophisticated, has lost a very important ingredient of music, namely the rich overtones.

Those rich tones that you can hear in a well-tuned bagpipe can only be heard when the notes are exactly tuned. This is only the case in bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies (a similar instrument that operates with strings instead of pipes) and in voice.

However recently the bagpipe has been revived in modern music and there are now world wide many people who play the instrument. This is primarily due to the fact that the (scottish highland)bagpipe has been used as a military instruments.

Today the instrument is being used in many different types of music, there are not only players of many different kinds of bagpipes again, there are also modern bagpipe builders.

This modern revival of the instrument has been inspired by painters such as Pieter Brueghel, who painted the instrument as it was played in the 1600’s.

Duco Sminia, Bagpipe maker. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duco_Sminia

Types of Bagpipes

While bagpipes may seem like crudely traditional instruments, there are actually several types of bagpipes—each with a distinctive character and sound. The seven types of bagpipes are: Great Highland bagpipes, Irish Uilleann bagpipes, Northumbrian bagpipes, Scottish smallpipes, Biniou, Center-France bagpipes, and Gaita.

Great Highland Bagpipe The Great Highland bagpipe is probably the most popular bagpipes type. It originated from Scotland and Ireland and is commonly used by soloists and pipe bands in civilian and military performances. It is played in the mixolydian scale, from the natural low G key to the key of A, consisting of two tenor drones and one bass drone.

Irish Uilleann bagpipes The Irish Uillean bagpipe is the most advanced type of bagpipe. It is played in the diatonic scale, in the key of natural C and the key of major D. It is usually played in staccato—a type of playing that is short and rapid.

Northumbrian smallpipes The Northumbrian smallpipe is a bellows-blown type of bagpipe. It typically consists of four drones that can be tuned to various pitches and combinations. It has chanters with seven 17 keys and possesses some of the unique qualities of the Irish Uilleann bagpipes. However, it requires very tight fingering to play in staccato.

Scottish smallpipes The Scottish small pipe is popular among highland pipers. It is also a bellow-blown type of bagpipe but has the same fingering system as the Great Highland bagpipe. It can also be mouth-blown but will not produce the same sound and tone quality because it has a delicate reed construction.

Biniou Originating from Brittany France, the Binou is designed to be mouth-blown. It is played one note above the octave scale and a flat lead tone below it. It produces a sound that is one octave higher than the Great Highland bagpipe, producing a very high pitched sound. Together with the bombarde, it is commonly used to accompany folk dancing in Breton.

Center-France bagpipes Also known as the chevrette, the Cenetr-France bagpipe is made of goatskin and is also a mouth-blown instrument. It is commonly used in the Bourbonnais, Morvan, and Nivernais regions of France.

Gaita The Gaita is played by pipe bands and folk groups, usually in some regions of Portugal, and particularly in Asturias. It has a conical chanter and can be played in the key of D, C sharp, C, B flat, B, A, and G.

WHERE TO BUY A BAGPIPE

A complete GUIDE TO BAG PIPES is available in Picky Guide, one of the fastest growing online magazines giving free consumer advice and product information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ilse_Hagen