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Bagpipes

"The Piob-mhor, or great Highland bagpipe, is different from the common sharp pipes of the Low country, and both are very unlike the Irish or flat pipes."

    - James Logan, The Scottish Gael, 1847, p. 433.

"One George MacKay was the reformer of the Scots' Lowland pipes, but I cannot precisely tell the nature of his improvements; he, however, studied seven years at the college in Sky"

    - James Logan, The Scottish Gael, 1847, p. 434.

The development of the bellows-blown bagpipes of Scotland and Ireland, especially the "pastoral bagpipe", a 17th century invention whose voice didn't quite make it to our times, is an intriguing exploration cloaked in the mist of oral tradition and only limited historical reference.  The musical relationship between Irish uillean pipe and pastoral pipe fingerings, and variations found in Piobaireachd and Lowland and Border tunes remains open for study, and the obvious evolution and hybridization of styles begs for more research.  Meanwhile, here are some provocative snippets of Lowland and pastoral bagpipes:

Lowland and Pastoral Bagpipes (L-R: Unknown Lowland 19th century, unknown Lowland 18th century, John Addison 1989 pastoral, McCandless 2000 pastoral)	Union Bagpipe by Hugh Robertson (late 18th century) in the Piping Centre Collection Glasgow, Scotland
The Trio Erskine Nicol (1862)	Frontispiece to O'Farrell's Collection of National Irish Music for the Union Pipes (1804)
Pastoral Bagpipes (L-R: McCandless 1995 copy of Squier 1770 three-drone and unknown three-drone with one regulator)	A rare single-piece pastoral bagpipe chanter found in eastern Canada   William Beauford's 1786 engraving of an Irish bagpipe
Lowland Bagpipes (19th century by MacDonald and 20th century by John Addison)	Arrogantly playing a bellows-blown Bechonnet pipe by MacHarg in the Altarnun Church, Cornwall on a pew carved with an image of a "pyper"
Before and after restoration of 18th century one-regulator pastoral bagpipe	A few fingering charts and repertoires are extant for pastoral and union bagpipes
Photograph of hautbois (top) and different long bagpipe chanters: grand Bourbonnais in D 2 pastoral chanters in D 2 pastoral chanters in E-flat Uillean chanter in E-flat pastoral chanter in E-flat	Even rarer are audio recordings, and to hear some of these pipes, you should contact Brian directly or consult with experts like Hamish Moore and Colin Ross.

Publications

Links:

Lowland and Border Pipers' Society:     www.lbps.net

Na Piobaire Uillean:                           www.pipers.ie

Aron Garceau's Bagpipe Site:              www.prydein.com/pipes/index.html

Jerry O'Sullivan:                                www.jerryosullivan.com

Bonnie Rideout:                                www.bonnierideout.com

Send mail to bemccandless@earthlink.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2007 Brian E McCandless
Last modified: 26/08/2008