MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13332 posts, RR: 64 Reply 2, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1187 times:
The history goes back to ancient Egypt. All bagpipes are double reed instruments, related to early forms of the oboe.
The problem with those instruments is that they need a lot of wind, and to keep on playing somebody had the idea to attach an animal bladder between the mouthpiece (which contains a small check valve) and the instrument. Later somebody had the idea to enlarge the bag and to attach a varying number of drones. pipes, often in single reed design, which would play a constant tone for the whole time. Other developments were the attachment of a bellows instead of the mounthpiece.
In the middle ages the bagpipes were played all over Europe, though today they only have seeemed to survive in Spain (Gaita Gallega), Scottland (Highland Bagpipes), Czech Republic (Böhmischer Bock, Bohemian Billy Goat, so called, because the connecting piece between the bag and the chanter is often carved to look like a goat), the Breton Musette, the Northumbrian Smallpipes and the Irish Uillean Pipes (with a bellows).
The Scottish Highland bagbipes are the biggest and loudest of the whole set and consist of one chanter (double reed) and three drones attached to a bag. They were originally played alone and outside only (Pibroch), the modern military pipe band is a Victorian invention.
The Gaita Gallega is usually played with the company of small hand drums and tambourines.
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13332 posts, RR: 64 Reply 7, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1155 times:
Thomas,
Kirkie probably only knows how to play the hairy bagpipes....
BTW, the great Scottish Highland Bagpipes were the first weapon of mass destruction and as such banned after the Battle of Culloden (under their French leader Bonnie Prince Charlie).
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12703 posts, RR: 80 Reply 8, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1147 times:
On the field of battle, the wail of bagpipes usually mean a regiment of mentalists is on the way, even in places like El-Alemien in 1942, giving good cause for the enemy to shit themselves.
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