Bagpipe

Bagpipes have been around since at least the Medieval era, though there may be evidence that they existed in some form even before that. Like most instruments, the bagpipes have gone through a number of modifications over the years. The most popular form of the instrument now is the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe, which became the most well known during the expansion of the British Empire.

Bagpipes have a bag that is constantly being refilled with air as the player blows into it. As the player squeezes the bag, the air is forced through the chanter and drones (tubes). In each of the drones and the chanter there is a double reed that vibrates and causes sound.

Some of the tubes or pipes are drones, meaning that they can only play one pitch. The bass drone plays the lowest note and the others provide harmonies above the bass. These drones provide the open sound most often associated with bagpipes. The melody is played on the chanter, which has holes that can be covered to produce different notes. The chanter is the only part of a bagpipe that can produce more than one note or pitch.

Today bagpipes are played most often for folk and dance music, and are also commonly heard in films when depicting Scottish and Irish history.

Study the image provided and listen to the sound sample of the bagpipe to gain an understanding of this instrument.

Listen to a sample of the bagpipe: