Traditional Irish Instrument

Came on, Play the Bagpipes!

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:03:36 +0000

How to Find a Great Highland Bagpipe Teacher
The BBC News reported on February 28, 2007 that the 40-member Wick Royal British Legion Scotland Pipe Band recorded a noise level exceeding the sound of a jet taking off. Regardless of the size of the band, the Great Highland Bagpipes are hard to miss. Listening to a massed band can be a captivating experience that motivates many to try to learn how to play the Great Highland bagpipes themselves.
Don’t Wait
If you decide that you want to be more than just a casual observer of the bagpipes — that is, you want to learn how to play them — don’t wait too long. Like any musical instrument, it takes considerable time, effort, and commitment to become proficient.
A Teacher is Important
Once you’ve decided that this is something you really want to pursue, you need to find a good teacher. Andrew Lenz goes into great detail on this on his website Bagpipe Journey.
If you don’t learn to play the bagpipes correctly, you can pick up bad habits that are hard to break. The bagpipes are not an easy instrument to learn, so trying to master it on your own is not recommended. Taking lessons from an actual person is extremely beneficial. They can provide feedback, help you move forward, teach you correctly, and generally keep you motivated.
If you don’t live close to an instructor and aren’t willing to commute, there are some other options. Jori Chisholm offers lessons via webcam and taped recordings. Adrian Melvin also offers webcam services.
Finding a Teacher
Finding a real live bagpipe teacher is invaluable. Some good ways to find a teacher are to go up to a piper playing at a wedding, in a bar on St. Patrick’s Day, or in a Scottish festival, and ask them for recommendations. If they don’t teach, they probably know someone who does. Or just simply type in your state and Scottish festival on any Internet search engine and you will come up with a local festival listing. On Andrew Lenz’s Bagpipe Journey web page he also recommends contacting funeral homes, churches, wedding planners, or bars, as these are all people who utilize bagpipers.
Another way to find a bagpipe teacher is to use the resources in your community. Look through the community education listings in your area. If there aren’t any listings, contact them to see if they’ve held any classes in the past and can give you a contact name. Locate bands that live in your community. Sometimes bands will offer free lessons to try to increase membership in their band.
Another very excellent resource can be found at the Bob Dunsire bagpipe directory. Here you will find information on bands from all over the world as well as a forum that can also be used as a resource for finding a teacher.
Materials and Expected Costs
Once you’ve located a teacher, they will have you buy a practice chanter. Costing less then $100 and basically a glorified recorder, the practice chanter will help you learn and practice fingerings and embellishments. There are several types of practice chanters out there so it’s best not to buy one until you’ve located a teacher who can help you pick one out.
Do not, under any circumstances invest money in an actual bagpipe without the guidance of your teacher. For one thing, you will probably work off of your practice chanter for a up to a year before you are ready to play the actual bagpipes. Why invest money in something you might not be able to play for a long time? But more importantly, a good set of bagpipes typically cost upwards of $1,000 and you want to make sure that you invest in a quality set of pipes. Again, your teacher can help guide you through this important decision.
Good luck and don’t forget the ear plugs!
Finding a Teacher
Finding a real live bagpipe teacher is invaluable. Some good ways to find a teacher are to go up to a piper playing at a wedding, in a bar on St. Patrick’s Day, or in a Scottish festival, and ask them for recommendations. If they don’t teach, they probably know someone who does. Or just simply type in your state and Scottish festival on any Internet search engine and you will come up with a local festival listing. On Andrew Lenz’s Bagpipe Journey web page he also recommends contacting funeral homes, churches, wedding planners, or bars, as these are all people who utilize bagpipers.
Another way to find a bagpipe teacher is to use the resources in your community. Look through the community education listings in your area. If there aren’t any listings, contact them to see if they’ve held any classes in the past and can give you a contact name. Locate bands that live in your community. Sometimes bands will offer free lessons to try to increase membership in their band.
Another very excellent resource can be found at the Bob Dunsire bagpipe directory. Here you will find information on bands from all over the world as well as a forum that can also be used as a resource for finding a teacher.
Materials and Expected Costs
Once you’ve located a teacher, they will have you buy a practice chanter. Costing less then $100 and basically a glorified recorder, the practice chanter will help you learn and practice fingerings and embellishments. There are several types of practice chanters out there so it’s best not to buy one until you’ve located a teacher who can help you pick one out.
Do not, under any circumstances invest money in an actual bagpipe without the guidance of your teacher. For one thing, you will probably work off of your practice chanter for a up to a year before you are ready to play the actual bagpipes. Why invest money in something you might not be able to play for a long time? But more importantly, a good set of bagpipes typically cost upwards of $1,000 and you want to make sure that you invest in a quality set of pipes. Again, your teacher can help guide you through this important decision.
Good luck and don’t forget the ear plugs!

Nontraditional Music

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:02:17 +0000

Bands that Use the Bagpipes in Their Music
Bagpipes are used across the musical genres and by many mainstream musicians. Some songs and artists are recognizable; others are just waiting to be discovered.

Bagpipes aren’t just for funerals, mass bands, and pub crawls. They can be a powerful compliment to a rock band and a surprising addition to a pop artist.. Bagpipes make a band and its’ sound unique and more fun to listen to.
Rock and Roll Bagpipes
There are many different options for rock and roll music and bagpipes. A good song to start with is the classic AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top (If you Wanna Rock ‘n Roll). Here are some other bands that more regularly incorporate the bagpipes into their songs:
• Black 47-This Irish rock band was formed in New York in 1989. They use the Uilleann Bagpipes which are Irish small bagpipes. They Uilleann Bagpipes have a different tone than the Great Highland Bagpipes, but are equally enjoyable to listen too.
• Dropkick Murphys-This American Celtic punk band was formed in 1996. They’ve put out 6 albums since than. Their truly unique rendition of Amazing Grace is definitely worth a listen.
• Red Hot Chilli Pipers-This Scottish band formed in 2004 and is made up of world class bagpipe musicians. Their cover of We Will Rock You sets the standard for full incorporation of the Great Highland Bagpipes into mainstream music.
Pop and Punk
A good place to start for songs that are more pop or punk is The Eagles’ 1977 single Mull of Kintyre. For bands that have more of a pop or punk feel check out the following:
• Flogging Molly-This Irish band was formed in 1993 and is based out of Los Angeles, California. They’ve released seven albums including their 2008 album Float which debuted at number four on the Billboard Top 200. On the Flogging Molly’s website, Dave King, one of the band’s founding members says, of his band, “If it didn’t have mandolin, accordion, fiddle and whistle, it would be punk rock, and if it didn’t have guitar, bass and drums, it would be traditional Irish music,” King admits, adding, “You can’t be bothered being labeled.”
• Flatfoot 56-This rising Chicago, Illinois based band formed in 2000. According to their website, most of their shows are improvised, dependent on the audiences, and how quickly band members can swap out instruments.
• Needfire-This up and coming Texas based Celtic rock band has put out four albums since 2005. Their website says of their most recent CD, Chasing Orion, that “Killer songwriting, great guitar work, a rock n’ roll backbeat, catchy fiddle and bagpipe hooks and a mix of eclectic influences drawing equally from rock, folk, Texas blues, and traditional Celtic music, this cd has all the elements that make Needfire one of today’s most distinctive and original bands.”
Other Good Scottish Bands
Other good Scottish bands that don’t use the bagpipes but would appeal to those that enjoy the music of the bagpipes include:
• The Cories-This Scottish folk band was popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s and their renditions of Scottish folk songs is definitely worth a listen.
• The Proclaimers-The Proclaimers formed in 1983 and is best known for “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” and “I’m On My Way”.
Most people don’t load up their MP3 players with massed bagpipe bands. But many people are curious about the bagpipes and enjoy their unique sounds. These bands all use the bagpipes in a nontraditional way that appeals to a more mainstream audience.

The History of Bagpipes

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:59:39 +0000

You may have heard that bagpipes are a Scottish invention; you may have heard that they are an Irish invention. The truth (of course) is neither one. The bagpipe was invented in ancient Samaria, in Israel. The Bible mentions the instrument in the book of Daniel chapter 3, where it is listed as one of the instruments use to call the people to worship a statue. This event takes place in ancient Iraq, which was then part of the Babylonian empire.

Many other times in history the instrument has been mentioned and concluding from this evidence we can say that the instrument must have been invented in ancient Samaria. From there migrating tribes of peoples took it to different parts of Europe, India and northern Africa. Some 200 years ago the instrument was very popular throughout Europe. “So, what happened?”, you may say.

Well, the answer is really in the way the instrument is tuned, as well as the attitude of the ruling class in Europe, 150 years ago. It was decided that this instrument, with it’s droning sound was a “poor man’s instrument” and should have no part in modern music. As a result, the instrument was forbidden in almost all of Europe, except for a few outposts such as Scotland and Bulgaria. The bagpipe in its many forms, as of today still has retained its natural tuning.

The melody pipe or chanter has to tune in with the drone, therefore, it is hard to play together with other “tempered tuned” instruments. The key cannot be changed, also on account of this droning.

However, modern music, even though sophisticated, has lost a very important ingredient of music, namely the rich overtones.

Those rich tones that you can hear in a well-tuned bagpipe can only be heard when the notes are exactly tuned. This is only the case in bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies (a similar instrument that operates with strings instead of pipes) and in choral works.

However recently the bagpipe has been revived in modern music and there are now world wide many people who play the instrument.

There also are now many makers of the “forgotten” bagpipes, such as the Flemish and the Swedish bagpipes.

This modern revival of the instrument has been inspired by painters such as Pieter Brueghel, who painted the instrument as it was played in the 1600’s. This revival is still going on today and pipers and pipe makers are organizing festivals and concerts and meet regularly to share ideas and discoveries.

Scotland: The Great Highland Bagpipe

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:57:44 +0000

The Bagpipe of The Scots
Nowadays, when one mentions bagpipes, one usually thinks of tartan-clad pipe bands, or the label of a bottle of Scotch whisky. But bagpipes had been around for thousands of years before they reached the shores of Scotland.
It is unknown when the Highlands first echoed to the keen of the pipes. They may have been introduced by the Romans when they invaded the British Isles, or perhaps carried over from Ireland when the Scots invaded and settled the highlands – or they may have evolved independantly.
Early Highland pipes were quite different to their modern cousins. The actual pipes themselves were crafted from whatever was available – even bone was used. Tonally, they were probably somewhat lower in pitch than modern pipes. Early bagpipes only had one drone. The design gradually improved, with more drones being added, until by the time of the last Jacobite uprising in 1745-6, bagpipes with two drones were the norm, although three-drone pipes were not unknown. Two-drone bagpipes are still played by Irish regimental bands, and are called Irish Pipes.
The modern Highland Bagpipe consists of three drones – one bass, two tenors – a chanter (the melody pipe, through which nine notes are produced), a blowstick ( through which the bag is inflated), and, of course, a bag of leather or synthetic material.
Pibroch
Pipers occupied an important niche in clan society. Highland pipe music evolved separately from that of the lowland scots: highland pipers came from a totally different culture and their music reflected this. Over the centuries, a style of music known as piobaireachd evolved. It is a gaelic term, correctly pronounced as piparachk, or, more commonly, pibroch. It means, simply, piping.
Pibroch is regarded as the classical music of the pipes, and is sometimes called Ceol mor (great music.) It reached it’s highest pinnacle of development with the MacKays, hereditary pipers to the MacLeods of Dunvegan. There was no notation: pipers learnt by ear and utilising canntaireachd, a curious chanting whereby each note on the pipes has a vocal equivalent and certain signature ‘phrases’ denote different movements to be executed by the piper.
Pibroch is incredibly complex and some pieces can be twenty minutes in duration. One way of looking at it is to interpret a pibroch as a story told on the pipes. To be an acclaimed player of pibroch is the highest level of achievement for a Highland piper. Many pieces are centuries old. Traditionally, they would have been played at suitably grave and important occasions, like going to war, or to honour a chieftain.
Ceol beg or ‘little music’ is the style most familiar to modern pipers. It consists of strathspeys, jigs, reels, marches and retreats – mostly music for festivities and celebration.
Bagpipes in Battle
So highly esteemed were pipers that highlanders never went anywhere without them. Their first recorded use in battle was at the great clan fight at Perth in 1396. As a battlefield instrument, they are perhaps without equal: their strident tones can be heard at distances of 6-10 miles.
When the english finally crushed the clans in 1746, the wearing of tartan and playing of pipes was punishable by death. One piper was hung, drawn and quartered in York. Bagpipes were labelled a ‘weapon of war’. The only way for many highlanders to retain their warrior heritage – and keep playing bagpipes – was to join a highland regiment in the British army.
The work of authors like Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns rekindled a tremendous resurgence of Highland culture in the Victorian era. The exploits of Highland regiments abroad captured the public imagination. Pipers and drummers marching on parade became an iconic feature of Victorian military pomp. Suddenly, pipes and all things Highland were very fashionable. Britain’s colonial expansion meant that Highland Pipes were introduced to countries around the world.
Nowadays, when one hears the Great Highland Bagpipe, one would do well to reflect that they are hearing a sound from man’s primeval past: stirring strains which once echoed above the screaming clangour of savage brawls on blood-soaked Highland hillsides.

Bagpipes at funerals?

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:55:55 +0000

Question: Why are bagpipes a part of funerals, especially firefighter and police funerals?
Answer: The history of funeral bagpipes is a fairly simple (though very sad) one. In traditional Celtic cultures, including both the Irish and Scottish cultures, bagpipes were an important part of a traditional funeral. After the Great Potato Famine of the mid-1840s, Irish immigrants came to the United States in huge numbers. Due primarily to racism and xenophobia, Irish people were often allowed to apply for only the most dangerous and difficult jobs, including the jobs of firefighter and police officer.

Work-related deaths for firemen and cops were not uncommon, and when one or more of these deaths would occur, the Irish community would hold a traditional Irish funeral, including the mournful bagpipes. Over the years, this tradition spread to firefighters and police officers who were not of Irish descent.

So if it’s an Irish tradition, why are the Scottish bagpipes used?

In short, it’s because the Scottish highland bagpipes are significantly louder than the traditional Irish uillean pipes. Though it’s likely that either or both types of pipes were used at funerals in the 1800s, the Scottish highland pipes are now almost universally used.

Where do they find bagpipers to play at firefighter and police officer’s funerals?

Fire and police departments in most major cities have a special brigade, usually as a division of an Irish fraternal group called The Emerald Society, who learn to play bagpipes and drums for the very purpose of honoring their fallen comrades. In some places, civilians may be members of the pipe and drum band, but generally, the members are active or retired firefighters and police officers.