There have been a number of discussions here giving examples to get stuck into. Although there is evidence of small pipes dating back to 15th century, in its current form it is perhaps the youngest bagpipe with any popularity, having only existed in this form since the early 1980s.

Scottish Smallpipes A modern development of the 1980s, Scottish Smallpipes are based on the old eighteenth-century instruments that survive in various museums.

The bag is hand-sewn leather, with the traditional green baize woollen cover.I have put a great deal of care and attention into the design and construction of the bellows, based on many of the better Scottish bellows I have measured in the collections. Not only are these very stable but they combine perfectly with the woods I use to give a great tone.

The Scottish Small Pipes are the quietest of the Scottish 'cauld wind' bellows pipes. The chanters are, one of the four drones being plugged.These are the same as the Scottish Small Pipes, except that they are fitted with a double chanter. Evidence shows them to have existed since the 15th century (Highland pipes can only be documented from the 16th Century), when they were used for dancing and entertainment in court and castle, later they became popular amongst burgh pipers, and town minstrels until the early 19th Century, when the demise of the town pipers led to their disappearing from the record. The Highland configuration of one bass and two identical tenors is also available.The chanter and drones use plastic reeds. I play GHB, Walsh shuttle pipes, and Walsh smallpipes in D. I like the Walsh instruments in part because the reeds are so stable--I just pick them up and play and seldom (almost never) have to fiddle with the reeds. There are audio and video files for each chapter, all performed on a set of Scottish Smallpipes in A. The set’s complete with Simon Hope bellows. It is aimed at both the total beginner, not able to read music, I got a one-keyed D chanter and 3 drones last summer (‘11), and I love them. The Scottish smallpipes were the first widely available instrument to allow Highland pipers to participate in musical sessions with Scottish Smallpipes The smaller brother to the Scottish Border bagpipes is the Scottish smallpipes. The chanter is made from one piece of wood, with two bores, two reeds and two sound holes for each note. I know that the most common keys are A and D, but I am not sure which would be best. These accompany the tutor book, which is delivered as a printable pdf. Touch any key to start the chanter playing.

The boards have a solid- drawn hinge, which gives a much more positive action than the simpler and more commonly employed system of using leather as a hinge. (or The problems of instability often associated with double chanters fitted with cane reeds are overcome by the use of my plastic reeds which are very stable.Usually a double chanter is fingered exactly like the single chanter, placing each finger over a pair of holes; however, there are possibilities of introducing harmonies by fingering individual holes, as Callum Armstrong spectacularly demonstrates on a C double chanter:The C chanter has comfortable finger-spacing and gives a sprightly, cheerful sound; I also make an A chanter, with wider finger-spacing and a rich and mellow tone.Another possibility is to fit an English Double Pipe chanter whose harmonies sound even richer and more wonderful when played with three drones as in the Scottish Small Pipe.I enjoy incorporating a customer’s suggestions whenever practical; you can see some of the possibilities on the Latest Developments page, which describes the features Callum and I have evolved. Smallpipes are a wonderful way to expand and share your love of piping. tutor to your desktop.
Some styles have drones over the shoulder, which can be played sitting or standing. Eighteenth and nineteenth sets of a similar instrument were called union pipes and a yet earlier incarnation were pastoral pipes.Fair enough. For most people (like myself) that come from a GHB background, a D chanter is just to small. There are plenty of exercises and tunes, use what you need The outcomes Scottish Smallpipes are distinguished from the Northumbrian smallpipes by having an open end to the chanter, and usually by the lack of keys.This means that the sound of the chanter is continuous, rather than staccato, and that its range is only nine notes, rather than the nearly two octaves of the later 18th/19th century style Northumbrian pipes. For those people who no longer have a CD drive, the tutor is also available on a memory stick. Our Smallpipe chanters use cane reeds designed to be robust in sound while still being very comfortable to play. The

I’m getting a set of Scottish smallpipes to play, and I thought I might ask people more experienced than I: What is the best key for smallpipes? I like the sound of the border pipes, and am considering adding that to the mix. or view it on your computer and then listen to / watch the lessons! However, according to the evidence provided by surviving sheet music written for these pipes (Dixon, Peacock, Riddell,) their style depended more on variations, runs, and arpeggios, as opposed to the surviving Highland music which is dominated by stylised gracenote techniques. Scottish smallpipes have experienced a revival in interest and players, starting in the 1980's, through the present day. Characteristics. Mouth-blown versions are also available, but they are less common because of the advantages of using a bellows, e.g being able to talk or sing whilst playing and blowing room temperature air across the reeds results in more stable tuning.
to teach the Scottish Smallpipes using podcasting. If you have any other ideas for drone/chanter arrangements I am happy to discuss them.Many of the early surviving examples of Scottish Small Pipes are mouthblown. As Richard says, what you find are similar looking bellows driven bagpipes called Lowland pipes. I know that the most common keys are A and D, but I am not sure which would be best.A is best for playing in A.