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Dissecting the Bagpipe

© Ted Garvin

So far, we've been discussing the playing of the Great Highland Bagpipe. Now we're going to look at the instrument itself.

The bagpipe consists of a bag (usually covered by a bag cover) with five holes with wooden stocks inserted. The stocks are tied on with strong cord. This insures that the stocks do not pop out of the bag when it is inflated. In addition to the function of keeping the bag air-tight, the drones protect the drone reeds.

There are various kinds of drone reeds, both plastic and cane. Cane reeds are notoriously sensitive to changes in humidity, but produce a richer sound. Plastic cane reeds are mostly trouble free. The drones are inserted into the stocks.

There is a base drone (the long one) and two tenors. The base drone consists of three sections (the top one slides off for storage). The tenors consist of two sections. The drones are connected by a cord with a tassle on the end.

Pictured to the left are the bagpipes. The blowpipe is second from the bottom and is how the bag is inflated. Below that is the chanter. The object on the end of the chanter is called the sole. The chanter reed is shown seated in the chanter, below left. A chanter closeup is shown to the right.

The white stuff (above left) is probably teflon tape, used to create a seal between the chanter and the stock. The black bands on the chanter (above right) are electrical tape, used to change the pitch of those holes. Sometimes, particular notes will be flat or sharp while the remaining notes are normal.

Hopefully, this has been both interesting and informative. Until next time.

dronereeds

drones

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