| The Northumbrian
Smallpipes are a melodious,
bellows blown bagpipe. They are rather quiet by comparison with other
bagpipes
and are normally played indoors. The chanter has a closed end and is
played
with closed fingering, giving a unique staccato character. Three drones
are normally used as accompaniment – a bass and tenor tuned an octave
apart,
and a baritone tuned a fifth above the bass. The sound of the chanter
has
been likened to the singing of a lark over the drones sounding like the
buzzing of bees.
The current form of the pipes was developed by
makers in Newcastle-on-Tyne
and North Shields towards the end of the 18th century, when the
addition
of chanter keys extended the melodic range of the chanter beyond an
octave.
This allowed pipers to explore the fiddle repertoire as well as the
older
pipe tunes of the region. Playing tunes with different key signatures
required
a variety of drone tunings which lead to: the addition of more drones;
stoppers to turn off those which conflicted with the melody; and tuning
beads to widen the selection of pitches.
More information on the Smallpipes is available in
the Northumbrian
Smallpipes Encyclopaedia
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The Society also supports the Border or Half-long
pipes (also known
in Scotland as the Lowland pipes or - rather unfavourably - the Cauld
wind
pipes). These are also bellows-blown but have an open-ended,
conical-bored
chanter and are somewhat louder than the Smallpipes.
Membership of the Society is open to all who have
an interest in the
bagpipes of North-East England, but players are particularly welcome,
whatever
their standard.
Colin Ross
Chairman and Technical Adviser
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