Scottish smallpipes

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A set of Cocobolo Scottish Smallpipes with horn mountings, made in 2008 by Ebert Jones
A set of Cocobolo Scottish Smallpipes with horn mountings, made in 2008 by Ebert Jones

The Scottish smallpipe, in its modern form, is a bellows-blown bagpipe developed from the Northumbrian smallpipes by Colin Ross and others, to be playable according to the Great Highland Bagpipe fingering system.[1] There are surviving examples of similar historical instruments such as the mouth-blown Montgomery smallpipes in E, dated 1757, which are now in the National Museum of Scotland.[2] There is some discussion of the historical Scottish smallpipes in Collinson's history of the bagpipes.[3] Few modern instruments, though, are directly modeled from older examples; the modern instrument is typically larger and lower pitched.

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[edit] Characteristics

Scottish Smallpipes are distinguished from the Northumbrian smallpipes by having an open end to the chanter, and usually by the lack of keys. This means that the sound of the chanter is continuous, rather than staccato, and that its range is only nine notes, rather than the nearly two octaves of the Northumbian pipes. A further distinction from the Northumbrian smallpipes is that the Scottish Smallpipes lack an unbroken line of traditional playing.

The instrument has a cylindrically bored chanter, most commonly pitched in A, although any key is feasible; D, C, and B flat are also common keys.[4][5] Being cylindrically bored, the chanter sounds an octave lower than a conical-bored chanter of the same size, such as that of the Border pipes. The fingering system is identical to that of the Great Highland pipes.[6]

Scottish Smallpipes are normally bellows-blown like the Northumbrian pipes and Border pipes. Mouth-blown versions are also available, but they are less common because the moist air tends to injure the cane reed's delicate construction.

It is most commonly unkeyed, but occasionally high B, G sharp, F natural, and C natural keys are added. Though it would in principle be possible to add as many keys as to the modern Northumbrian smallpipes, not many pipers use a set with more than a few keys. Most music written for the instrument uses only the nine notes of its unkeyed range.

The drones, typically three in number, are set in a common stock and are usually tuned in one of two patterns. For pipes in A, the tenor drone is tuned to the low "A" of the chanter, usually the tonic note, and the bass drone to the "A" an octave below this. There is also sometimes a dominant drone - this can be either a baritone, tuned a fifth above the bass, or else an alto drone, tuned a fifth above the tenor. For tunes in the key of D, the dominant drone can be either shut off or retuned. Most makers now prefer to make a baritone drone, rather than an alto, and many use only the bass and tenor. Other makers have developed drones compatible with both A and D chanters, so that one instrument can be used with either chanter. These sets include both A and D drones.[7] One example is the "ADAD" style, with bass, baritone, tenor, and alto, as seen here:[1]

[edit] History

It is perhaps the youngest bagpipe with any popularity, having only existed in its modern form since the early 1980s. It is extremely popular, particularly with Highland pipers, many of whom keep it or a set of border pipes as a second instrument.[8] It has somewhat supplanted the musically unsatisfactory Highland practice chanter as a relatively quiet rehearsal instrument for Highland pipers. Many Border pipers also play Scottish smallpipes; as makers have made Scottish smallpipes louder, and Border pipes which are quieter, ensembles of Border pipes and a few Scottish smallpipes are becoming feasible.

Colin Ross's invention allowed Highland pipers to participate in musical sessions with fiddlers, flutists and other instruments, as well as to accompany singers. Modern Scottish Border pipes have to some extent replaced the Scottish smallpipe in A as a session instrument, but some modern Border pipes are too loud for sessions.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hamish Moore of Dunkeld - maker of Scottish smallpipes and Highland bagpipes
  2. ^ http://www.goodbagpipes.com/montgomerysmallpipes.htm
  3. ^ http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=Sds9AAAAIAAJ&dq=Collinson+history+bagpipes&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=M4V9a567C0&sig=9Zbv5mg9end4xFEDveZ4vIkVpVk#PPR17,M1
  4. ^ Garvie Bagpipes, Edinburgh - Scottish border pipes and smallpipes
  5. ^ About Ian Kinnear's Small Pipes
  6. ^ Garvie Bagpipes, Edinburgh - Scottish border pipes and smallpipes
  7. ^ About Ian Kinnear's Small Pipes
  8. ^ Garvie Bagpipes, Edinburgh - Scottish border pipes and smallpipes

[edit] See also

  • Collinson, F., The Bagpipe, The history of a Musical Instrument, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1975, ISBN - 0710079133, pp. 123-4.
  • Bagpipe
  • List of Smallpipe makers
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