Wednesday, December 26, 2012

For A Great Set Of Bagpipes Houston Music Stores Can Assist

By Anna Hernandez


If Scottish music stirs your heartstrings and you want to learn the bagpipes Houston pipe and drum bands will welcome you with open arms. While there are many cultures which use bagpipes, the Scottish and Irish or uilleann pipes are the best known. From northern Africa to the Persian Gulf and through much of Europe, bagpipes of one sort or another are quite common. They all share some features.

There must be an air supply. This might be supplied by the breath of the player or by bellows. Bellows were first seen around the 16th or 17th centuries. The Border and Northumbrian smallpipes, the Irish pipes and the French musette de cour are examples of bagpipes with bellows. Those powered by the player have air blown into a bag through a blowpipe or blowstick. Most but not all have a non-return valve.

The bag was always made from the hide of a goat, dog, cow or sheep and needed to be airtight. Some are now made from synthetic material. The air is squeezed out by the player to produce an ongoing sound.

One or two chanters allow the player to produce melodies. Chanters have finger-holes which, when operated, produce different notes. If the chanter is open-ended, the sound is continuous and can't be stopped easily. Some, such as the uilleann can be silenced by placing the end against the leg and stopping the air. The inside walls of the chanter and drones are bored out and may be either cylindrical or conical in shape.

Chanters may have a single or double reed. Western European bagpipes mostly have double reeds which vibrate against each other. As well as the chanter, other pipes called drones produce harmony notes. Drones are jointed and can be pushed or pulled so the parts overlap each other a little. This allows adjustment of the pitch. They don't have finger-holes. If they have a tuning screw, this alters the pipe length and therefore alters the pitch.

The drones and chanter are attached to the bag through sealed sockets called stocks. Once playing starts, the sound continues. Rest periods cannot be utilised so players embellish their playing with grace notes or ornaments. These help add meaning to the melody by accenting strong notes. Performing embellishments in a competent manner takes years of practice. The techniques to achieve ornamentation vary with the type of pipes.

Most people are familiar with the Great Highland Pipe of Scotland and would recognise its shape and sound. It has been nominated the national instrument of Scotland. Although modern pipes have at least three drones, the highland pipes started out with one. The second drone became the norm in the early 1600s and the 'great drone' was added in the early 18th century.

The Highland bagpipe had a sheepskin bag and was blown by mouth. Hardwood is now used for the pipes but these were once made of ivory or bone. The three drones rest on the shoulder of the player while the melody is played with both hands on a reeded chanter. For quality bagpipes Houston music stores will have a range for you to choose from.




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