[Trombone-l] Bagpipes (was Bone guys that play other horns)

[Adrian Drover]

> From: Keith Marr
> 
> The Highland bagpipe has three drones, the usual configuration of which is
> two drones tuned to A (5th line of bass clef), and one to A (first space
> bass clef). The chanter plays the "white keys" of the piano from G (2nd
> line
> treble clef) up to A (1st ledger line above treble clef). It follows that
> most bagpipe music is roughly in A major/minor/Aeolian mode. I say roughly
> as the tuning isn't to an even tempered scale. The bagpipes have their own
> unique scale. Hence the untuneful impression to sassenachs like Adrian.



There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the tuning and scale of the
pipes.  I once had to write an arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne" for Pipes and
orchestra.  I was fortunate in that the solo piper was also a clarinet
player with the Scottish Symphony Orchestra so was able to give me the
complete lowdown.

I was instructed to write the score in Eb.  He also told me that the bagpipe
part is normally transposed down half a tone using the D major scale.  The
diatonic scale has no half tone steps as the C# and F# are tuned a quarter
tone flat (by Western standards) which provides the scale with four
three-quarter tone steps.  Alternately the scale can be written all on the
white notes which would mean C and F being a quarter tone sharp.

A.