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| Schäferpfeife | Marktsackpfeife | Great Highland Bagpipe |
Hümmelchen |
Hier geht's zur deutschsprachigen Version
Go here to the German version
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Hier geht's zur deutschsprachigen Version Go here to the German version |
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SchäferpfeifeThe bagpipe (bagpipe = ger.: Sackpfeife, (very old spelling) Sackpfeyffe, Dudelsack) shown here is mouth blown and has a conical bored chanter equipped with a double-reed and one cylindrical bored drone equipped with a single-reed. This bagpipe sounds rather loud despite its small size. It corresponds to a Schäferpfeife (ger., means "shepherd's bagpipe") in physics and sound, but it's plainly designed in difference to most Schäferpfeifes. So this instrument looks very similar like a medieval bagpipe. The scale of the chanter encloses c2 d2 — e♭3. The chanter is tuned up to the tuning pitch a1 = 440 Hz. The drone is tuned on the tone d0 and can be tuned on the tone c0 if it's needed. This instrument can also be used to produce "strange" sounds. If the air pressure in the bag is increased more or less some overblown tones (g3, a3 and b3 almost stable), some squeaking tones and some intentional dirty tones can be played. This instrument is equipped with plastic reeds. This normally causes no problems for the sound of bagpipes in difference to direct blown reed instruments. The use of plastic reeds in bagpipes often are a reason for "religious wars" ;-) Don't mail flame to me about this theme!Download here two sound examples (an antique tune and a modern tune: antiquity ("Hymn to the Muse", Mesomedes of Crete, ~130):  modern age ("improvisation", own work):
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MarktsackpfeifeThe bagpipe shown here is mouth blown and has a conical bored chanter equipped with a double-reed and two cylindrical bored drones equipped with single-reeds. It's a real "bastard". The chanter and the bag belong to a "Marktsackpfeife" (= loud "medieval" bagpipe). Drones, stocks and the blowpipe belong to a Great Highland Bagpipe. The scale of the chanter encloses g1 a1 b1 — a2. The chanter is tuned up to the tuning pitch a1 = 440 Hz. The "bass drone" is tuned on the tone A, the "tenor drone" is tuned on the tone e0. I've modified the "tenor drone" to get this .Description of the modification. Download here a sound example ("Stella splendens", Llibre Vermell, 14. c.): The tones c♯1 and e♭1 are problematically caused by construction of the chanter. So only the modes Dorian a, Aeolian a, hypo-Mixolydian d and hypo-Dorian d are normally used on this instrument. Both modes with the key-note d will get their special own timbre if the e-drone sounds in addition to the a-drone :-) Download here a sound example ("Ungaresca", Jacob Paix, tablature book 1589): If I need it I can exchange the modified "tenor drone" with the other existing "tenor drone" that's tuned on the tone a0. If I exchange the chanter too with a Highland Pipe Chanter I'll get an instrument whose sound corresponds to the progenitor of the Great Highland Bagpipe. This instrument is equipped with plastic reeds. Some squeaking tones and some intentional dirty tones can be played on this instrument too. |
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Great Highland BagpipeThe bagpipe shown here is mouth blown and has a conical bored chanter equipped with a double-reed and three cylindrical bored drones equipped with single-reeds. This bagpipe is called "Great Highland Bagpipe" (Piob mhor, Cornemuse écossaise, Biniou braz). The scale of the chanter encloses g1a1-a2. The absolute pitch is circa +120 cent above the standard pitch, which results in a tuning pitch of circa a1 = 472 Hz. The "bass drone" is tuned on the tone A, the two "tenor drones" are tuned on the tone a0. This drone configuration is the most conspicuous and most peculiar characteristic of this kind of bagpipe, because normally bagpipes only have one drone pipe for each drone tone. A second chanter exists for this bagpipe. This chanter has an absolute pitch circa +100 cent above the standard pitch, which results in a tunig pitch of circa a1 = 466 Hz. This is equal to the tone b♭1, if equal temperament and the standard pitch are used. The tones b♭1, d♯2 and g♯2 are problematically on both chanters. Less this isn't a problem of these tones itself. The problem is caused by the very sharp dissonances (minor second, tritone, major seventh; plus one octave each) those are created through the addition of these tones with the tones of the two tenor drones, which hardly goes well together with the tonal characteristic of this very loud kind of bagpipe. Only the drones are equipped with plastic reeds in this instrument. The chanter is equipped with a "natural reed" (reed made of the reed "arundo donax"). The bag is made of cowhide. The drones are made of blackwood. The chanter is made of a special plastic (polypenco®). The mounts are made of imitation ivory (synthetic ivory replacement, art ivory). The drones have nickel-slides.The absolute pitch of the Great Highland Bagpipe (GHB) has gone higher and higher in the course of time. This can be seen in the notation for the GHB too, because the GHB is traditionally notated in a still today. Only nine tones are used on the GHB especially in the sphere of the military influenced music. These nine tones result in a Mixolydian scale in reference to the drone tones. Many musicians think that's a part of the tradition of the GHB and therefore any other tones should be played on it. Special names exist for these nine tones. Today these special names are extendet to the additional tones. The special names are shown in table left. The additional tones are written into the gray cells. The limitation to these nine tones also influences the notation of the "traditional" GHB music. All this tunes have to be notated with two sharps, but these accidentals are often omitted. If somebody gets such sheets of music and he doesn't now anything about this bad habit, he will hear a very strange and wrong result trying to play this tune. The limitation to these nine tones may be useful in the sphere of the military influenced music (Pipes & Drums, Pipeband), because the additional tones can't usefully produce with each reed-chanter-combination and these tones aren't 100% stable in every case. The limitation to these nine tones isn't useful in the most other cases! GHBs are used for the traditional Breton music on those at least the additional tones minor third (C natural) and minor sixt (F natural) can be played. It may be a disadvantage that some of the "traditional" grace notes can't be played on a more or less chromatic playable chanter, but these chanters offer other possibilities for graces. It's recommended to have two chanters for the instrument to use all possibilities of the GHB. One chanter is optimized for the nine tones. It's used in the Pipeband and for "traditional" tunes. The other chanter is optimized for chromatic playing. It enables to play scales/modes with a different number of accidentals. |
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HümmelchenThis bagpipe, the "German small bagpipe" (ger.: Hümmelchen, means "small bumblebee"), is mouth blown and has a cylindrical bored chanter equipped with a double-reed and two cylindrical bored drones equipped with double-reeds. The scale of the chanter encloses c1 d1 e1 — g2. The chanter is tuned up to the tuning pitch a1 = 440 Hz. This large scale range is enabled by two mounted keys. These keys are modern developments. They are laterally mounted, seen from player high-E-key left, high-F-key right, caused by construction in difference to the modern crumhorn. This causes a little bit strange use. The high-E-key is similarly used like the g-sharp-key of the saxophone, the high-F-key is similarly used like the Ta-key of the saxophone. The scale range of the chanter ends at e♭2 without key fingerings. The tones e2, f2 and f♯2 are played with the keys. The tone g2 is an overblown tone. The tone c1 is fingered and additionally the high-E-key is opened to play this tone. The drones are constructed to tune them to different tones, that's supported by the used double-reeds. The long drone can be tuned to the tones c0 and d0 by turning the upper section. A vent-hole is opened for the tone d0 by turning. This drone can also be tuned to the tone B starting from the tone c0. The short drone can be tuned to the tones f0, g0 and a0 by turning the upper section. Vent-holes are opened for the tones g0 and a0 by turning. This drone can also be tuned to the tone e0 starting from the tone f0. These tuning possibilities result in 20 different drone tunings. 13 out of them are musically useful: Both drones are stopped. The short drone is stopped, the long drone is tuned to one of the tones B, c0 or d0. The long drone is stopped, the short drone is tuned to one of the tones e0, f0, g0 or a0. If both drones are used, they can be tuned to the tones B+e0, c0+f0, c0+g0, d0+g0 or d0+a0. The other possible tunings with both drones are useless in most cases. They can only be used for modern music in rare cases.This instrument is equipped with plastic reeds. Some squeaking tones and some intentional dirty tones can be played on this instrument too. Hümmelchens (with keyless chanters) are typical instruments of the Renaissance. They sound distinct softer than bagpipes with conical bored chanters. The chanter is always equipped with a double-reed. The drones can be equipped with double-reeds or single-reeds. If the drones are equipped with double-reeds too, nearly no differences are between the sounds of the chanter and the drones. This results in a very homogeneous sound of the instrument. The German name Hümmelchen or Hummelchen goes back to a sound component of the instrument, that reminds one of the flapping of wings of a bumblebee (ger.: Hummel). Hümmelchens with three or four drones are also called Dudey. Some modern Hümmelchens are build with only one drone. These instruments are chiefly designed for learners. Sopranino- and alto-chanters are build in f-pitch besides the soprano-chanters in c-pitch. |
Bagpipes are known since the antiquity. Instruments similar to the bagpipe that's shown on the top of this page are known in Europe since the late Middle Ages. Similar to the most European music instruments they have their origin in the orient and were imported by the Moorish people in Spain as well as the crusaders, pilgrims and merchants to Europe.
Four kinds of chanters exist:Some bagpipes have a chanter that's finished with an animal horn (from a cow or a goat) as bell, e.g. all Bocks, Gaide,
Zukra. Some bagpipes are equipped with two chanters. Often oriental bagpipes without any drones are equipped with two chanters, e.g.
Zukra, Tulum. These instruments are normally played unison. Because these two chanters are constructed like a
mijwiz on principle it's possible to play two different parts at one time. Normally two different parts at one time are
played on the European bagpipes with two chanters. Mostly the chanter has a scale range of a ninth. The possibilities to play tones that
aren't included in the scale differ from chanter to chanter. Everything is possible from diatonic to full chromatic. Each chanter of
instruments with two chanters normally has a scale range of a sixth only. Some chanters have a scale range that's extended up to two octaves.
Either the chanter is overblown (e.g. Schäferpfeife) or it's equipped with keys instead of fingerholes (e.g. modern Uilleann Pipe).
The number of the drones differs from 0 to 6. Mostly one to three drones exist. Normally the drones have cylindrical bores and singe-reeds,
but double-reeds are used too, e.g. Hümmelchen, Dudey. Bagpipes those sound loud often have drones that are finished with bells. If the
chanter is finished with an animal horn as bell the drones are mostly finished with an animal horn as bell too.
Either the air is blown through a blowpipe into the bag ("mouth blown") or it's blown with a bellow through a flexible tube into
the bag ("bellow blown"). A recoil valve impedes that the air can flow back. The constant air pressure that's needed for the
chanter(s) and the drone(s) is controlled with the arm that holds the bag.
Chanter(s) and the drone(s) are normally manufactured out of wood. Chanters and drones of antique and oriental bagpipes can be manufactured
out of hollow plantstalks (mostly bamboo). Today some chanters are manufactured out of special plastics especially for the Great Highland
Bagpipe. The bag is normally manufactured out of leather. Sometimes the hairs are leaved on the skin, e.g. Gaide. Today some bags are
manufactured out of special synthetic materials. Rubber ins't absolutely suitable for bags of mouth blown bagpipes, because the humidity blown into the bag can't sufficiently be drained off!
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© Sönke Kraft, Hannover 2001 last update: 03.11.2007 |
