Different Bagpipes In The World

So. You see that there is much more to this subject than you origionally thought. There are many versions of pipes, and they come in all shapes and sizes.  The best know are the Great Highland Pipes, but there are also:

              
          Uileann Pipes, which is what many folk bands in Ireland play, and have two
octaves, not just one. This is a parlour pipe, meant for indoors play, either singly or in conjunction
with other instruments. Rarely in pairs or more.  Also called "elbow pipes," which is what "uileann"
means in Gaelic, or "Union pipes," which is probably a corruption of the word uileann.  I have heard
some people say that "Union"  refers to after the union of Ireland  with Great Britain, but I don't
buy it.  One uses a bellows to fill up the bag, and one does  not blow directly into the instrument.
                                                                                                                               photo


         Scottish Small-pipes, of which there are a variety, and all of which are 
parlour pipes. The differences are as follows:

                             Shuttle Pipes  come in many keys, and have   adjustable drones.The adjustment
is done by little switches, or "shuttles." Mouth blown.                                             photo
                              Small Pipes,  which are the Scottish variant of Uileann pipes. One uses a bellows,
and they come in may keys.                                                                                  photo
                               Northumbrian pipes , played primarily in (you guessed it)  Northumbria.  This
can be quite a complex instrument, and  comes in a variety of keys, and fingering. It is bellows-blown,
and has an attractive sound.                                                                                 photo


          Gaita Galega, or Galician bagpipes.  Galicia is an ancient Celtic region, in the
north-west tip of Spain,  and they have their own form of the   bagpipe, unique to the region.
It looks and sounds like a cross  between the Great Highland Pipes and the Uileann pipes. Players  
play it standing up, but it has the feel of Uileann pipes when you  hold it. I have heard them play,
and they are simply marvelous.(Better than my Highland pipes? No way! Unless you  ask a Galician,
I suppose.....) Mouth blown.                                                                               photo


          Biniou, the bagpipe found in Brittany.  Brittany, France is a Celtic region, and their
bagpipe is as unique as the other Celtic nations.  It has a shrill  sound, and is usually accompanied
by a "bombarde", an instrument resembling an oboe. Played together, they sound very  nice.  The
bomarde tends to act like the drones on the Great Highland or Galician pipes do. The biniou is mouth
blown, and one plays it standing up, as one would do the Great Highland pipe.            photo  


          Dudelzack, or German pipes. Rare today, much more common before the 17th                                                    Century AD.  Germans refer to any bagpipe by this word.



          Zampogna, or Italian bagpipes. Again, rare. Italians refer to any pipes by this word.
The Zampongna are  generally played in Southern Italy and  in Sicily. It is played most often at
Christmas time.


         Dudy, a pipe found in the Moravia and Bohemian areas of Germany.  Except for the bag,
has a completely different look from the pipes found in other regions of Europe.  I have only scant
information about the instrument at present.



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