Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum
Telephone: (UK) 01670 535200 ~ (Overseas) +44 1670 535200

Air passing over a "reed" (a thin strip of metal or wood) will cause the reed to vibrate, and produce a musical note. This is the principle on which all reed instruments are founded, from the simple mouth organ to some of the mighty pipes of a classical organ. Within this family of instruments, the bagpipe is one of the oldest in recorded history, the earliest references dating back to around 1000 BC. Better known modern examples include Clarinet, Saxophone and Bassoon. Other wind instruments, such as Flute, Recorder and the "Brass Band" family do not employ reeds, and work on an entirely different principle.

The bagpipe is so called because the air to power the reeds is stored at light pressure in a bag (frequently of animal skin) which is normally pressurised by tucking the bag under the player's arm and gently squeezing. The bag is re-supplied with air either though a mouth tube or from a bellows operated by the player's other arm.

When a reed is placed within a tube, the note produced can be varied by changing the length pf the tube, a phenomenon known as "resonance". The length, width and thickness of the reed also affects the note produced. Part of the art of successful instrument making is to match carefully the dimensions of the reed to the length of the tube.

Drones, Chanters and other bits:

© 2011 MorpethNet

The Mouthpiece Used by the player to refill the bag with air, as it is used up in playing. Alternatively, the air can be supplied by bellows, but some form of supply is necessary, otherwise the air in the bag would be used up and the pipes fall silent. The Bag The bag stores the air needed to produce the musical notes of the instrument. The air is pressurised by the player squeezing the bag under one arm. The pressure exerted has an influence on the loudness and quality of the notes. Drones Each drone tube is tuned to produce a fixed note in the chord of the key in which the pipes are to be played. The drones make the characteristic continuous notes common to most bagpipe music. The Chanter The chanter is the reed pipe which plays the tune. In many bagpipes, it contains a double reed, which makes it louder than the drones. Different notes are produced by the player covering and uncovering holes along the length of the chanter. Pipers frequently practice tunes by blowing only a chanter, perhaps in consideration of their neighbours' nerves.