How to Play Irish Uilleann Bagpipes

Though a first cousin of the Scottish Great Highland bagpipes, the Uilleann pipes (also called Irish pipes) are different. Uilleann pipes are played seated and played with bellows; Scottish pipes are played standing up by blowing into a bag. Scottish pipes have about an octave range; the Uilleann's have a two-octave range. The Uilleann pipes are quieter, use a chanter differently and incorporate regulators.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Learn the chanter. The Irish pipe chanter works differently than the Scottish bagpipe chanter. Players of the Uilleann chanter use a closed chanter by shutting the air off on the knee. Practice with the chanter until you can play several songs fluently.
2. Try a starter set. The set consists of a pipe bag, the bellows and the chanter. The bellows must be pumped while the chanter is played. Work on this until the process is a smooth routine.
3. Find an instructor when it's time to progress to the next level. The instructor can instruct on some of the finer nuances, such as pipe staccato and bellows operation.
4. Get a half set, the next level of Irish pipes. These pipes add three drones: a bass drone, a baritone and a tenor. The drones provide the chord background to the Uilleann sound. In Irish pipes, the drones are laid across the lap, as opposed to the Great Highland bagpipes, where the drones are over the shoulder. Work on tuning and using the drones to complement the chanter.
5. Buy a full set. The most complicated arrangement of all, the full set of Uilleann pipes adds three regulators to the system. Regulators include three closed pipes, normally a bass, tenor and baritone, which use keys to accompany the chanter. These keys only sound when they are depressed. With a full set of Irish pipes, the player must play the chanter, work the bellows and work the regulators.

Tips & Warnings

• You don't have to progress to the half set or full set. Many professional players play only the beginner's set.