What is a Bagpipe Made of?
Bagpipes are wind instruments with a very distinctive sound. Anyone who has seen a parade has probably heard them coming long before the pipers were visible. Varieties of bagpipes are found around the world, but the most recognizable bagpipes are the traditional sets from Scotland and Ireland. All bagpipes share a similar construction, however, and bagpipes are made of several sections.
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Air Supply
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The air that fills the bag of the bagpipe comes in through a blowpipe, a hollow tube that's about the size of a child's recorder. Some bagpipes use a bellows instead of a blowpipe.
Bag
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The air from the blowpipe is held in the bag, which is usually made of animal skin, and can be covered with plaid cloth.
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Chanter
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The chanter is a tube held in the bagpiper's hands like a clarinet, and the player covers or opens holes in the chanter to play the pitches for a song.
Drone
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Drones are additional pipes that are attached to the bagpipe, and they are generally set to play one note throughout the song. If the bagpipe has several drones, they will be set to an open fifth interval to create the memorable humming sound that accompanies the melody.
Future Bagpipes
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There are electronic bagpipes available, but are mostly used for practicing and not for live performance.
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