Pipe Band Instruments

Contrary to popular belief, the bagpipes are not of Scottish or Irish origin. It is believed that the first version of this instrument can be traced back to the Middle East several thousand years ago.

However, it was most likely a rather crude instrument consisting of a goatskin bag with reeds stuck into it. As civilisation spread throughout the Middle East and into the Mediterranean lands, these people brought along their music. 

Instrument sophistication grew with time, reeds were replaced with the hollowed leg bones of small grazing animals and had holes drilled into the bones allowing the musicians to vary tones and pitch. As the Romans moved throughout Europe, they carried their version of the pipes with them, spreading popularity of the instrument throughout Europe, eventually ending up in the British Isles.

During the 14th century the bagpipes could be found in nearly every village throughout Scotland and Ireland. They were not only a source of music for enjoyment but were also used to rally the clans to battle, usually against the English, who found the pipes so disturbing that they banned the Scots and Irish from playing them.

Over time bagpipes grew in sophistication, more pipes were added enabling the musician to reach a wider range of notes.

In more recent times British soldiers were led into battle by pipers and drummers.

Today bagpipes are an instrument that is loved by many and are played all around the world, by many nationalities, whether it be in street parades, tattoos, concerts, festivals, weddings, funerals, the list goes on.

This is the instrument that is played in our pipe band as it is in Scottish pipe bands.

In the early days of pipe bands, rope tension snare drums were common, but as technology evolved, so did the music.  

Pipe band drummers now play on drums with very tight, knitted Kevlar heads, designed for maximum tension to create a very crisp and strident sound. Due to technological innovations and changing aesthetics, this crispness has become an integral part of the pipe band sound. 

Since today’s drum is so facile as a result of its design, players are often able to execute extremely complicated and technically demanding rudimentary patterns.

In the pipe band the side drum is supported by an over-the-shoulder rigid harness.

Tenor drums are pitched drums and careful thought is given as to which pitches to use and at which time. The pitches of the tenor drums help provide melodic or harmonic accompaniment to the bagpipes, creating a more dynamic flow between the drum corps and the pipe corps.

The swinging, also known as flourishing, associated with tenor drumming has developed somewhat into an art form with drummers playing and flourishing in unison or sequential flows.

Tenor drums are also still commonly played on a soft harness or sling, instead of the typical marching harness used by the side drums.

The bass drum is a large instrument in the percussion family that produces a low pitch when struck with a mallet. When played in a pipe band it is carried in front of the chest of the bass drummer and supported by an over-the-shoulder harness.

The sounds produced by the bass drum have been described as thunderous, rumbling, pounding, hollow, mighty and even soft at times.

 The practice chanter is used as a practice instrument, firstly for learning to finger the different melody notes of bagpipe music, and after the bagpipe is mastered, to practice current and new music. 

The traditional practice chanter is a woodwind instrument. It is significantly quieter and better suited for indoors than bagpipes and requires less blowing, making it physically easier to play. It consists of two parts made of either wood or plastic, with a small diameter hole bored lengthwise through the centre. You blow through the mouthpiece, the air passes through a reed located between the two sections into the lower section where holes are bored at right angles to the central bore hole, and the movement of the fingers produces the melody.

In addition to the traditional practice chanter there are also a variety of electronic practice chanters available which are designed to be used with earplugs and require no blowing. They are perfect for the lunch room or public transport as you don’t disturb people around you, so there’s no excuse for not practicing!

Cowbells complement a wide variety of musical situations.

The instrument is played by being struck on the exterior of the bell, often by a drumstick. The cowbell is capable of creating only one note, although the timbre varies.

This instrument is occasionally played in our band to complement a number of our tunes.

 The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a frame of either wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles.

Tambourines come in many shapes, the most common being circular.  This is the type of tambourine that is used in our pipe band to accompany us in a number of our tunes.  

In contrast to the Great Highland Bagpipes, the bag of the Uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a small set of bellows strapped around the waist and to an arm. There is no blowing into the bag via a mouthpiece as is done when playing the Great Highland Bagpipes. The Uilleann pipes have a different harmonic structure, sounding sweeter and quieter than many other bagpipes. These pipes are played indoors and usually played whilst the musician is seated.

There is some speculation as to the origins of these Irish pipes. It is believed that in medieval times the Irish pipe was more like the Scottish smallpipe, called the Chuisleann. This was a bellows blown bagpipe with a cylindrical bored chanter and two or three drones in a common stock.

The distinctively Irish form of bagpipe, the Union or Uilleann Pipes, is believed to have originated somewhere between the 16th and 18th centuries.

During the mid 20th century there was concern that this instrument would die out due to the modernisation of music. The 1960s and 1970s saw resurgence in popularity of the Uilleann pipes thanks to several traditionally based Irish musical groups that had foresight to record and tour.