Winnipeg Bagpiper

Are you looking for a wedding bagpiper? Or maybe a bagpiper in Winnipeg to play at your Graduation, Curling Bonspiel, Opening or Closing Ceremonies or any other event? As a bagpiper in Winnipeg I can play at events throughout Winnipeg or the surrounding area.

Check out my website at www.PiperGeorge.com

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.

Now all the colour and splendour of a Scottish Highland Bagpiper can be hired for your event for a modest cost. Whatever your event you can now enjoy the attention grabbing excitement that comes with a Scottish Highland Bagpiper.

Now Available to Perform At Your Event

How can you use a Scottish Highland Bagpiper at your event? It's a great attraction for just about any event you can think of. How about having the head table led in by a piper at your next company dinner? Or how about the newly married couple getting escorted out of the Church to a lively Scottish tune? And of course there are store openings, curling bonspiels, birthdays, funerals, parties, graduations, to name but a few. The list is bounded only by your imagination.

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