How to Properly Hold the Bagpipe

Before you can learn to play the bagpipe, you must know the proper way to hold the instrument. Different situations, such as marching, resting and playing, each require different hand placement. What may seem like a tangle of pipes and parts is actually pretty simple to navigate if you follow these steps to learn the best way to hold a bagpipe.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Tuck the entire bagpipe under your arm during a march. Grip the drones (the three longest pipes) in your hand and hold the rest of the bagpipe at your side and underneath your arm, like a football.

2. Rest the bagpipe on your belly with one arm in between the blowpipe and the drums and the other arm crossed around the other side of the instrument. Your wrists should cross each other and the bagpipe should rest easily between your arms and your belly.

3. Lay the drums upon your left shoulder to prepare the bagpipe for playing. This should look much like a baby sleeping on your shoulder. The bag is tucked under your left armpit, between your body and your upper arm. The chanter then hangs down in front of you. With your right hand, hold the blowpipe to your mouth.

4. Place your fingers on the melody pipe, near the holes. You must not cover the holes with your fingers at the same time. Doing so blocks airflow and restricts noise production. As with other instruments, like the flute, different combinations of finger placement create different notes. If your bagpipe has more than one melody pipe, hold one in each hand.

5. Squeeze the bag inward with your forearm to adjust the pitch of the sound that comes out of the bagpipe.