The first bagpipein our visual tour is the Great Highland Pipes, or War Pipes (left).This is the commonly seen instrument...what the non-initiated think of whenthey hear bagpipes. These pipes are Kintails, circa 1975. The first bagpipein our visual tour is the Great Highland Pipes, or War Pipes (left).This is the commonly seen instrument...what the non-initiated think of whenthey hear bagpipes. These pipes are Kintails, circa 1975.
The second variety on our tour are shuttle pipes (right).I purchased these smallpipes to have a smaller instrument in the key of'A', to play more easily with folk musicians. They are made by John Walsh,of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. They have two folded drones in a single stockwhich tune with sliders, and use modified practice chanter reeds. The 78thFrasier Highlanders used Walsh shuttle pipes for a number on their 'Livein Scotland' album. 
The first bellows-blown bagpipe in our tour are scottishsmallpipes.(left). This set was built by Jimmy Anderson, andwas his personal pipes for seven years. They have two chanters, in the keyof A and in D. The drones are tuned A, A, E in the key of A, or D, A, Din the key of D. The pipes use a cane reed in the straight-bore chanter,and brass reeds in the drones. From the collection of Richard Mao.
These are lowland pipes (right). Alsoowned by Richard Mao, these are somewhat larger than the smallpipes, andplay in the standard bagpipe key. They use a standard chanter reed, butmuch weakened and reinforced with copper wire. This set by Herriot and Allan,can be played eith either the bellows or a blowpipe. However, they reportedlywon't play well as cauld wind pipes after having been mouth-blown. The chanteris conical bore.
The next smallpipes in our tour are parlor pipes.(left). These pipes are Kintails, are mouth-blown, and are in thestandard bagpipe key an octave down. The chanter is straight bore, and usesa practice chanter reed. The tenor drones sound the same note as the chanterlow A. From the collection of Richard Mao.
The newest addition to the list is pictured at right.They are a half-set of Uillean pipes, courtesy of BagpipesGalore, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh. The half-set differs from a fullset in that it does not have any keys. Uillean pipes are native to Ireland,and are bellows blown. A full set of uillean pipes has a two-octave range,and three drones, tenor, baritone, and bass. The drones are tuned an octaveapart, with the tenor tuned to the lowest note on the chanter. Regulatorsprovide chording.
The next pipes (until someone sends me another style,hint hint) are the infamous Keltronic electronic bagpipes. (right).Richard usually drags these out for the annual pipe band Christmas partyto horrify pipers and purists. The Scottish manufacturer has thankfullygone out of business. The pipes are totally electric...the drones are dummys.They change octaves over a four-octave range, can switch between bagpipescale or chromatic scale, and can be played with headphones for practice.The chanter can be reversed, so the "bag" (really a box) willsit on the table while the piper plays. The chanter has electrical contactsin place of the holes. Notes are played as skin contact completes the circuit.
And finally, a contribution from Alan Keith. He writes, "Would yoube interested in scanned photos of non-Celtic pipes to display on your webpage? I'm in the process of photographing and scanning my collection (13pipes mostly from W. Europe plus ones I'm currently making) to include inmy web pages. It is, (in case you don't recognize it) a Galician gaita inthe key of C, made by Brian Steeger of San Juan Bautista, CA." Alan'sURL is http://www.innetix.com/~keiths/
Luis M. Gonzalez offers a correction, stating that the Galacian pipes are, indeed, Celtic. "I am a proud descendant of Galicians and we are probably the mostforgotten Celtic people on earth. We have nothing in common withbullfights and flamenco dancers and our music and traditions are quitesimilar to those in Britany, Ireland, Wales and Scotland."
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