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There are many varieties of instruments known as
bagpipes throughout Europe and in parts of Asia,
but in the Celtic world of the British Isles, there
are two main types, The Irish (Uillean or Elbow)
and the Scottish (Great Highland or Small Border).
How do we distinguish between them?
The Great Highland (Bagpipe) is probably the
most prolific bagpipe worldwide today, due in no
small part to the vast extent of the British Empire
in the 19th century. The English military
appropriated the ancient Scots use of the bagpipe
as a tool of intimidation and inspiration in war,
and developed military marching bands which
accompanied their troops throughout 'the colonies'.
Hence, the playing of the Highland Pipes is very
widespread today from New Zealand and Australia,
India and Pakistan, through to Canada and the
United States.
The bag is blown full from the player's mouth
through a blow-pipe and the pressure from the left
arm on the bag sends and controls the flow of air
to the melody chanter and three drones. The range
of tones which can be produced from the eight small
holes in the chanter is limited to only nine,
spanning an octave and a tone or second. The sound
is produced when the air is forced through a small
double-sided reed made traditionally from cane and
more recently from plastic. Because the pipe is
mouth-blown, the air is laden with moisture and
operates in a damp state. The tonic notes are
pitched about B flat and the scale includes a flat
7th. The limited scale and melodic possibilities,
as well as the ever-present drones, give the music
both haunting and mesmerizing characteristics.
Historically the instrument was played outdoors
for community dance music, in a solo or 'sean nos'
style, leaving much room for individual
interpretation. For the advanced player, the
ancient repertoire of 'pibroch' remains the
ultimate challenge for the solo piper, a canon of
slow and mournful set pieces, demanding advanced
technique and thoughtful expression. The military
band appropriation necessitated a high degree of
conformity of melody and gracings, providing solid
training for the aspiring piper, but inevitably
causing frustration of individual expression.The
Highland piper usually stands while playing and
often will walk slowly in a small circle, measuring
his steps with the beat of the music.The Small
Lowland or Parlour pipes are a scaled-down, indoor
version of the Highland pipes and are blown from a
bellows strapped to the right arm. They produce a
much quieter and more refined sound, and have
become popular in recent years with folk and
traditional groups. These pipes are pitched in the
more 'sociable' keys of A and D, making them ideal
for ensemble playing.
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The Uillean (elbow) pipes of the Irish
tradition are quite a different matter. As
the name suggests, they are blown from a
bellows located on the right arm, and
again, the air is collected and controlled
from the bag under the left arm. Pressure
on the bag feeds the air to the reeds of
the melody chanter, as many as three
drones, and three regulator stocks, each
fitted with keys which can provide
occasional or constant chordal
accompaniment. These regulator keys are
played with the inner wrist of the right
hand, while fingering the chanter, thus
necessitating masterful co-ordination. The
player sits forward on a chair, the open
end of the melody chanter placed on the
right thigh and it remains there,
effectively closing the chanter when all
eight holes are covered. The notes are
produced by lifting one or more fingers
off the chanter to open one or more holes,
or, in the case of the lowest tonic note,
lifting the end of the chanter off the leg
while covering all the fingered holes.
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Thus we observe a major difference
between the Scottish and Irish pipes.The
Highland chanter is always open at the end
and thus the melody is continuous. The
Irish chanter operates principally in a
closed fashion, making it possible to stop
the sound, often imperceptibly. This
allows for a vastly different fingering
technique which can produce a wide variety
of melodic and ornamental effects.
The range of the Irish chanter is two
full octaves, and with the addition of
several keys, can be played chromatically;
that is sounding all the black and white
notes of the keyboard. The pipes can be
pitched in a variety of keys, based on the
tonic 'concert' D, or the 'flat sets' in
C#, C, B or B flat.The lower the pitch of
the pipes becomes, the quieter and sweeter
is the tone that results.
Concert 'D' pipes are popular in modern
times because they can be played readily
with most other instruments and they have
a bright and present sound.The flat sets
were more popular in times past, but are
currently enjoying a revival, as players
search for more tonal colours for their
palette.
The full set of Uillean pipes were
designed as a mini-orchestra, complete
with melody, chordal accompaniment and
drones. A lever allows the drones to be
switched on or off as desired, and the
regulator work is an individual
style-choice, ranging from rhythmic hits
to full chords. Because the fingering
proceeds from a closed system, a wide
variety of style and ornamentation is
possible, giving the player much
discretion in how he/she interprets the
music. Laments and slow airs are
especially effective and demonstrate the
mature player's mastery of technique. A
multitude of fingering options coupled
with effects produced by lifting the
chanter 'off the knee' allow a broad range
of personal expression, a quality which is
expected of the advanced player.
The chanter reed is also double-sided,
made from cane, though longer and much
more delicate then the Highland chanter
reed. The Highland reeds are often bought
by the dozen from suppliers and thus are
quite disposable and somewhat
interchangeable between sets. The Irish
reeds, on the other hand, are very
sensitive to humidity and temperature, and
are almost always uniquely fitted to each
chanter, often by the pipemaker himself. A
good one, well cared-for, can last for
many years.Irish pipers often must master
the art of reed making, as well as reed
adjustment and maintenance. Trust me, this
is no simple task.
In conclusion, each of the traditions
of bagpiping is replete with a body of
repetoire, technique and playing
opportunities. Of late, there have been
more and more interchanges between the
two, as it is quite possible to set Irish
melodies on the Scottish chanter, and
visa-versa. Bagpipers occupy a somewhat
rarified world, inhabited by devotees and
connoisseurs, as well as practitioners.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the passion for
bagpiping shows no sign of waning and is
probably more widespread in today's world
than at any time previous. Like fine
whiskey, with one small taste, you may be
hooked for life.
David Papazian is a
musician and luthier.
He plays violin, concertina and Irish
Pipes.
www.cranfordpub.com/papazian
David
Papazian papazian@cranfordpub.com
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