How to Put Air in Bagpipes

Bagpipes are a traditional instrument of Scotland in the United Kingdom.

Bagpipes are a well-known musical instrument seen in parades, festivals, special occasions and funerals. The instrument plays a tone that, depending on the musician, can be haunting or lively. The key to playing the bagpipes is keeping constant air pressure within the bag chamber. Air pressures that are inconsistent will produce a tone that is wavering and unpleasant to the ear. Practice with your bagpipes constantly to get a feel for the unique method of playing.

Instructions

1. Cork the pipes in your bag before putting air into the instrument. Check the stocks for tightness and fit. If the stocks on your bagpipes are loose, air will leak from the instrument. Wiggle the drone slides to see if they, too, are properly tightened. Loose drone slides will leak much like loose stocks.

2. Look at the reeds on your drones to see if they are playable. The reeds should not be frayed or broken. Good reeds will show no damage and will not be brittle. If you do not have playable reeds on your drones, you will not create a steady pitch once you uncork the drones for playing.

3. Insert a chanter into the body of the bagpipes. The chanter is the place in which you blow air into the bagpipes.

4. Take a deep breath, and blow steadily into the chanter until it is completely full. Apply steady pressure to the bag with your left arm. You will hear a high "A" note sound from the bag. Maintain the pressure within the bag by blowing a steady stream of air.

5. Press slightly harder on the bag immediately before you take a breath for air. Doing this will ensure that the pitch does not alter during breathing. After your breath, continue keeping a constant air pressure within the bagpipes by blowing into the chanter.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice keeping a steady tone while playing your bagpipes. After you can keep a steady high "A" note, uncork your drones and practice playing different notes.

References

• Hot Pipes: Playing Bagpipes
• School of Piping: Blowing a Bagpipe

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish