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

[ROBERT SLAVEN]

That makes sense.  Wikipedia's article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Highland_Bagpipe) says "This "A" of the G[reat] H[ighland] B[agpipes] is actually slightly sharper than B-flat, around 480 Hz, and within the realm of competitive pipe bands, seems to get sharper each year."

Unfortunately, part of why I love the trombone is because my lack of fine motor control and finger dexterity means it's an instrument I can actually play well.  On the chanter (never actually blew a full set of pipes), I can't even throw a double D without risking the dislocation of a digit....

Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: Adrian Drover <slide at adios.co.uk>
Date: Monday, April 17, 2006 4:31 pm
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Bagpipes (was Bone guys that play other horns)

> 
> 
> > 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 
> quartertone 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.
> 
> 
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