How to Make a Bagpipe Sound With Orchestra Instruments

Bagpipes are popular at a variety of ceremonial occasions.

Bagpipes are often associated with Scotland. However, these instruments have been popular through the ages and in various parts of the world. Once used by armies marching into battle, today the music of bagpipes is heard on occasions such as parades, sporting events, funerals and weddings. By understanding how these instruments produce sound, and altering a few techniques of modern orchestral instruments, it is possible to imitate a single bagpipe or a whole pipe band.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Emulating the Drone Pipes

1. Drone pipes extend up and over the player's shoulders. sonneur image by Dominique LUZY from Fotolia.com

   Use clarinets for the tenor drone. A drone is a low accompaniment tone sustained while the melody is played above it. Bagpipes have two tenor drone pipes that extend up and over the player's shoulders. The clarinet's steady tone and absence of natural vibrato make it ideal for the tenor drone.

2. Use bass clarinets or bassoons for the bass drone. A bass drone is the same note, one octave below the tenor drone. A bagpipe has one bass-drone pipe.

3. Score drone parts for clarinets or bassoons so performers can stagger their breathing. Thus, more than one of each instrument is needed. Three of each would be ideal, as the players do not tire as easily during a performance.

Emulating the Chanter Pipe

1. Melody is produced using the double-reed chanter pipe. Dudelsackpfeifen image by ernstboese from Fotolia.com

   Use oboes for the chanter, a pipe that extends downward and in front of the wind bag. The player sounds the melody by opening and closing holes bored into the chanter, using the fingers of both hands. The oboe is the closest of orchestral instruments in tone quality to the chanter.

2. Use clarinets to double the oboe on melodies. The sound of a bagpipe's chanter is more complex than either an oboe or clarinet alone. Combining oboe and clarinet results in a more authentic tone quality.

3. Score woodwind parts within the range used for bagpipe music. Bagpipe melodies fall comfortably within the clarinet's range. For oboe, you must transpose the two lowest notes one octave higher. See the "Tips" section.

Adding a Drum Section

1. Pipe bands generally include a drum section. scottish pipe band marching on the grass - blur image by Elnur from Fotolia.com

   Add a part for bass drum. Pipe bands frequently include a drum section, in which there is at least one bass drum.

2. Add parts for tenor drums or tom-toms. Pipe bands have two or more tenor drums, played using sticks with felt beaters.

3. Add parts for snare drums. Pipe bands have two or more snare drums, played with sticks.

Expanding to Larger Orchestral Ensembles

1. Tuba used as a drone orchestra image by Grzegorz Kwolek from Fotolia.com

   Add brass instruments such as tuba or trombone as a bass drone to score for an expanded orchestra. Due to the natural loudness of brass instruments, the dynamics must be mezzo-piano. Also, breathing must be staggered between multiple players.

2. Trombone used as a drone playing the trombone image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com

   Add brass instruments such as French horns or trombones, using these as a tenor drone. Use a soft dynamic.

3. Flute or piccolo used to double the melody beautiful woman playing flute image by Galina Barskaya from Fotolia.com

   Double the melody with flute or piccolo. A muted trumpet played softly might also add additional color to the melody. In order to obtain the most authentic sound, do not use vibrato. See "Tips" section for more information on suppressing vibrato in a music score.

4. Low strings used as a drone Playing cello image by TekinT from Fotolia.com

   Use strings mainly in the low register--cellos and basses are best--for the drone. Keep the dynamic soft.

5. Violins and violas can double the melody. play violin string instrument image by Paul Retherford from Fotolia.com

   Use the higher strings such as violins and violas to double the melody. The agility of these instruments makes it possible to handle the intricate melodies and grace notes common in bagpipe melodies.

Tips & Warnings

• Bagpipe melodies include notes between G below middle C, and high G above the treble staff. The three lowest notes must be transposed an octave higher or omitted if scoring for oboe. The melodies conform to a scale pattern with two sharps, F# and C# that is similar to the key of D. But, the sound is actually a little higher when played on real bagpipes. So, consider scoring bagpipe music for orchestral instruments in a key with three flats, such as Eb or C minor. This is especially helpful since some wind instruments, such as clarinet, bass clarinet, and trumpet are easier to play in a key with flats rather than sharps.

• The drone is usually the tonic note of a bagpipe song. Sometimes it is a note that is below the tonic note, usually a perfect fourth. Listen to recordings of bagpipes, or study scores of bagpipe music--both available on the Internet--to learn more of the various conventions used in scoring bagpipe music.

• The suggestions for doubling with other orchestral instruments, and for adding percussion are optional. The minimal ensemble of instruments needed for making music that sounds like a bagpipe consists of two clarinets, bass clarinets or bassoons for the drone, and one clarinet plus one oboe for the chanter or melody part. In all cases, it is important to give performance directions for suppressing vibrato--natural to many orchestral instruments--which is not part of the bagpipe sound. The usual instruction used in standard sheet music is "senza vibrato", which is Italian for "without vibrato."

References

• Introduction to bagpipe music
• Bagpipes
• Bagpipe music scores