There is no one answer to this question as everyone has their own opinion on how hard bagpipes are to play. However, in general, most people would say that bagpipes are relatively easy to play, especially for beginners. There are a few things that you will need to learn in order to play the bagpipes, such as how to hold the instrument, how to blow the pipes, and how to tune the pipes. Additionally, you will need to learn some basic Scottish tunes. Show 
(Set of reedpipe aerophones) Developed in Ireland from the mid-18th century to the early 19th century[1][2] Playing range 2 octaves Related instruments 2 octaves Related instruments
The uilleann pipes (IL-n or IL-yn, Irish: [ljn]) are Ireland's distinctive national bagpipe. Previously known in English as "union pipes," their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms poba uilleann (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their method of inflation.Before the twentieth century, there is no historical record of the name or use of the term uilleann pipes; it was invented by Grattan Flood[3], and the name stuck.People mistook the term "union" to refer to the 1800 Act of Union; however, Breandán Breathnach points out that the term "union" is used in a poem published in 1796.uilleann pipes ( IL-ən or IL-yən, Irish: [ˈɪl̠ʲən̪ˠ]) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms píobaí uilleann (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their method of inflation. There is no historical record of the name or use of the term uilleann pipes before the 20th century. It was an invention of Grattan Flood[3] and the name stuck. People mistook the term 'union' to refer to the 1800 Act of Union; this is incorrect as Breandán Breathnach points out that a poem published in 1796 uses the term 'union'.[4] The uilleann pipes' bag is inflated by a small set of bellows strapped around the player's waist and right arm (in the case of a right-handed player; in the case of a left-handed player, the location and orientation of all components is reversed). The bellows not only relieve the player of the effort required to blow into a bag to maintain pressure, but they also allow relatively dry air to power the reeds, reducing the adverse effects of moisture on tuningSome pipers can converse or sing while playing, and the bag that the bellows fill is clamped under the other elbow, controlling the flow of air to the reeds (which make the notes). The air is routed from the bag to the chanter, drones, and regulators, and the chanter is played like a flute with the fingers.The chanter has a two-octave range that includes sharps and flats (because, unlike most bagpipe chanters, it can be overblown to produce the higher octave[5]).A staccato effect can be created by closing one tone hole before opening the next, because the sound stops completely when no air can escape at all. The three drones are simple open pipes that constantly play three notes spaced an octave apart.The three regulators are closed pipes that do not make any sound when not touched, but they have keys that can be opened by the piper's wrist action (or hand, if they take one hand off the chanter).The regulator keys are aligned so that several can be pressed at the same time, allowing the piper to play simple chords while providing rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment as needed.Many ornaments are also based on multiple or single grace notes. The tone of the uilleann pipes differs from that of many other types of bagpipes, as they have a different harmonic structure, sounding sweeter and quieter than the Great Irish warpipes, Great Highland bagpipes, or Italian zampognas.The uilleann pipes are almost always played sitting down and are frequently played indoors. Etymology[edit]The Irish word for uilleann pipes is poba uilleann, which means "pipes of the elbow." is the genitive of the Irish word uillinn, meaning "elbow", emphasising the use of the elbow when playing the uilleann pipes. The Irish word for uilleann pipes is píobaí uilleann, which means "pipes of the elbow". However, the first attested written form is "Union pipes," at the end of the 18th century, possibly to denote the union of the chanter, drones, and regulators; another theory is that it was played throughout a prototypical full union of England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.Alternatively, the uilleann pipes were undoubtedly popular among the upper classes in Scotland, Ireland, and the North-East of England, and were popular for a time in formal social settings, where the term Union pipes may have originated.citation needed] This is definitely untrue, because this name for the instrument predates the Act of Union, which took effect in 1801. Alternatively, the uilleann pipes were certainly a favourite of the upper classes in Scotland, Ireland and the North-East of England and were fashionable for a time in formal social settings, where the term Union pipes may also originate.[6] The term "uilleann pipes" first appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century, when Irish music scholar William Henry Grattan Flood proposed that the name "uilleann" came from the Irish word for "elbow."He cited William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, which was published in 1600 (Act IV, sc. I, lThis theory originated in correspondence between two earlier antiquarians, and was accepted as gospel by the Gaelic League.Breandán Breathnach demonstrated that it would be difficult to explain the Anglicization of the word uillin into 'woollen' before the 16th century (when the instrument did not exist as such), and then its adaptation as 'union' two centuries later. History[edit]The first bagpipes well attested for Ireland were similar, if not identical, to the Scottish Highland bagpipes now played in Scotland, and are known as the "Great Irish Warpipes."This instrument was known as the pob mhór ("great pipe") in Irish and Scottish Gaelic.píob mhór ("great pipe"). While the mouth-blown warpipe was alive and well on the battlefields of France and other parts of Europe, it had almost vanished in Ireland. The union or uilleann pipe emerged in the early 18th century, around the same time as the bellows-driven Northumbrian smallpipes and the bellows-driven Scottish Lowland bagpipes.Essentially, their design required the joining of a bellows under the right arm, which pumped air via a tube to a leather bag under the left arm, which in turn supplied air at a constant pressure to the chanter and drones (and regulators in the case of the Irish Uilleann pipes).Geoghegan's 1740s tutor refers to this early form of the uilleann pipes as the "Pastoral or New bagpipe," which was bellows blown and played in either a seated or standing position.Unlike the uilleann pipes, which can also be played "closed," that is, staccato, the conical bored chanter was played "open," that is, legato. The early Pastoral pipes had two drones, and later examples had one (or rarely, two) regulator(s).Around the 18th and early 19th centuries, ideas for the Pastoral and later flat set Union pipes were traded back and forth between Ireland, Scotland, and England[8][9]. The earliest surviving sets of uilleann pipes date from the second half of the 18th century, but dating is not definitive; scientific interest in the instrument has only recently begun, and problems relating to various stages of its development have yet to be resolved.The Uilleann pipes or union pipes may have evolved from Pastoral pipes (Border pipes, Northumbrian pipes, Scottish smallpipes) and gained popularity in Ireland among the Protestant Anglo-Irish community and its gentlemen pipers, who could afford such expensive hand-made instruments. The Irish Uilleann pipes are far more elaborate in design, and their development is likely to have occurred among the well-to-do.Many of the early players in Ireland were Protestant, perhaps the best known being the mid-18th-century piper Jackson from Co Limerick and the 18th-century Tandragee blind pipemaker William Kennedy.Until the mid-late 19th century, Wexford was also Church of Ireland, and the Uilleann pipes were frequently used by Protestant clergy as an alternative to the church organ.[citation needed] As late as the 19th century, the instrument was still commonly associated with the Anglo-Irish, e.g.Canon James Goodman (1828-1896), an Anglican clergyman from Kerry, had his tailor-made uilleann pipes buried with him at Creagh (Church of Ireland) cemetery near Baltimore, County Cork, as did his friend and Trinity College colleague John Hingston from Skibbereen, who also played the uilleann pipes.Alderman Phair of Cork (founder of the Cork pipers club in the 1890s) had Canon Goodman's pipes recovered from Creagh cemetery and later donated to Cork piper Michael O'Riabhaigh, who had re-established the (by then extinct) Cork pipers club in the 1960s.citation needed] As late as the 19th century the instrument was still commonly associated with the Anglo-Irish, e.g. the Anglican clergyman Canon James Goodman (1828–1896) from Kerry, who had his tailor-made uilleann pipes buried with him at Creagh (Church of Ireland) cemetery near Baltimore, County Cork. His friend, and Trinity College colleague, John Hingston from Skibbereen also played the uilleann pipes. Another piping friend of Canon Goodman, Alderman Phair of Cork (founder of the pipers club in Cork in the 1890s) had Goodman's pipes recovered from Creagh cemetery. They were later donated to Cork piper Michael O'Riabhaigh, who had re-established the (by then extinct) pipers club in Cork in the 1960s. Tuning[edit]The instrument is most commonly (nowadays) tuned in the key of D, a tradition started in the late 19th century by the Taylor brothers (originally from Drogheda, Ireland, and later from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Canon Goodman played a Taylor set.The chanter length determines the overall tuning; accompanying pieces of the instrument, such as drones and regulators, are tuned to the same key as the chanter.Chanters of around 362 mm in length (span class="frac" role="math">14span class="sr-only">+/span>span class="num">1/span>span class="den">4/span>/span> in) produce a bottom note on or near Dsub>4/sub> (D above a target="_blank" href="httpSuch pipes are a relatively new invention, pioneered by the Taylor brothers, and have wider bores and larger tone holes than earlier "flat" pitch sets, making them much louder, though not as loud as the Highland pipes of Scotland.They were created by the Taylors to meet the demands of playing in larger venues in the United States; today, they are the most commonly encountered type of uilleann pipes, though many players still prefer the mellower sound of the earlier style narrow-bore pipes, which exist in pitches ranging from D through Cspan class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode">span class="music-sharp">Some of these instruments appear to have been designed with lower pitch standards in mind, such as Asub>4/sub> = 415 Hz, while the Taylors also built many instruments with higher pitch standards in mind, such as the Old Philharmonic pitch of Asub>4/sub> = 453 Hz, which was commonplace in late/p>p>The D pipes are most commonly used in ensembles, while the flat-pitched pipes are more often used for solo playing - often a fiddler will tune down his or her instrument to play with a piper's flat set, but the inflexibility of other instruments used in Irish music (a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_styles_(violin)#Fiddle" class="mwuilleann pipes, like some older pipe organs, are usually tuned to a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_tuning" title="Musical tuning">just intonation/a>, so that the chanter and regulators blend sweetly with the three drones./p> h2>span class="mw-headline" id="Instrument_variations">Instrument variations/span>span class="mw-editsection">span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[/span>a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uillean/p> h3>span class="mw-headline" id="Practice_set">Practice set/span>span class="mw-editsection">span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[/span>a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit/p>div class="thumb tright">div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px">a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uilleann_pipes_practice_set.jpg" class="image">img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Uillean/p>p>In order to play the uilleann pipes effectively, students must learn to pump the bellows steadily while controlling the pressure on the bag and playing the chanter at the same time, so beginners frequently play on practice sets until they become comfortable with those fundamental mechanics.Despite their name, practice sets are used not only by beginning players, but also by some advanced players when they want to play just the chanter with other musicians, either live or in recording sessions, and can be tuned to a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament" title="Equal temperament">equal temperament/a> if necessary./p> h3>span class="mw-headline" id="Half_set">Half set/span>span class="mw-editsection">span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]/span>/span>/h3>The pipes are generally equipped with three drones: the a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor" title="Tenor">tenor/a> drone, which is pitched the same as the lowest note of the chanter; the a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baritone" title="Baritone">baritone/a> droneThese drones are attached to the pipe bag via a "stock," which is an intricately crafted wooden cylinder tied into the bag (like any other stock) with thick yarn or hemp thread.The drones and regulators are connected to the stock (see a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uilleann_pipes#Full_set">full set/a> below). The stock and drones are laid across the right thigh.In contrast to other types of bagpipes, the drones are usually carried over the shoulder or over the right arm. /p>p>The drones can be turned off.This is made possible by a key connected to the stock, which was originally designed as a hollow cylinder with two metal tubes running through it to both hold and independently supply air to the regulators.As a result, the regulators could be played while the drones were silenced. In the late nineteenth century, it became more common to construct the stock from a solid piece of wood, with five holes bored through it end-to-end.The piper can also switch on and off various drones individually (by applying slightly more pressure to the bag and tapping the end of a drone), which is generally used to aid in tuning (a technique used in almost all bagpipes that have drones), or all of them at the same time using this key.This makes the instrument more versatile and usable not only as a half set, but also to allow playing the chanter by itself. The drones use a single-bladed a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_(music)" class="mw-redirect" title="Reed (music)">reed/a> (the actual part creating sound), unlike the chanter andh3>span class="mw-headline" id="Full_set">Full set/span>span class="mw-editsection">span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[/span>a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elderberry" class="mw-redirect" title="Elderberry">elderberry/a>This is a half set with the addition of three regulators, which are three closed pipes similar to the chanter in the stock.A regulator, like a drone, uses keys (five on the tenor and four on both baritone and bass) to accompany the melody of the chanter; these keys are arranged in rows to give limited two-note "chords" or, alternatively, single notes for emphasis on phrases or specific notes.The notes of the regulators are as follows, in order of highest to lowest (given a nominal pitch of D): tenor: C, B, A, G, Fspan class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode">span class="music-sharp">/span>/span>; baritone: A, G, Fspan class="music-symbol/p>div class="thumb tright">div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px">a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Deegan,_piper,_Salamanca_Place,_Hobart,_1995.jpg" class="image">img alt="/p> h3>span class="mw-headline" id="Chanter">Chanter/span>span class="mw-editsection">span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]/span>/span>[/span>a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&To achieve the bottom D (Dsub>4/sub>), lift the chanter off the knee, exposing the exit of the chanter's bore, where the note is produced, and then set on the right knee, closing off the bottom hole.Many players use a "popping strap," which is a strip of leather placed over the knee to provide an airtight seal, but a simple gravity- or spring-operated flap valve attached to the bottom of the chanter achieves the same result./p>p>The piper seals off the bottom of the chanter, which allows it to produce staccato notes; with all of the finger holes closed, the chanter is silenced.This is also required to obtain the second octave; the chanter must be closed and the bag pressure increased before fingered notes will sound in the second octave. A wide range of timbres can be achieved by varying note fingering and also raising the chanter off the knee, giving the uilleann pipes a degree of dynamic range not found in other types of bagpipes.Pipers who use staccato fingering are often referred to as "closed-style," while those who use legato fingering more frequently are referred to as "open-style."Open piping has historical associations with musicians (often a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Traveller" class="mw-redirect" title="Irish Traveller">Irish travelling people/a>) who played on the street or outdoors, because the open fingering is somewhat louder, especially with the chanter played off the knee (which can, however, lead toThe bottom note has two "modes," the "soft D" and the "hard D," which sound louder and more strident than the soft D and are achieved by applying slightly more pressure to the bag and flicking a higher note finger as it is sounded.Many chanters are fitted with keys to allow accurate playing of all the a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitone" title="Semitone">semitones/a> of the scale. /p>p>Fspan class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode">span class="music-natural">/span>/span>, Gspan class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode">span class="music-sharp">/span>/span>Most uilleann chanters respond well to "half-holing" or "sliding," which is the practice of obtaining a note by leaving a fingerhole only partially covered, which is why many chanters sold in Ireland come without keys.Many pipers can accurately play the semitones that would otherwise require a chromatic key with this technique and some practice, with the exception of the Csub>6/sub> (Cspan class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode">span class="music-natural">/span>/span> in the second octave), which cannot be cross-fingered or half-This is the most commonly fitted key. /p>p>The chanter employs a a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_reed" title="Double reed">double reed/a>, similar to that of the a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oboe" title="OUnlike most reed instruments, the uilleann pipe reed must be crafted so that it can play two full octaves accurately, without the fine tuning allowed by a player's lips; only bag pressure and fingering patterns can be used to maintain the correct pitch of each note./p> h2>span class="mw-headline" id="Notable_players">Notable players/span>span class="mw-editsection">span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[/span>(December 2021)">citation needed/span>/a>/i>]/sup>/li>/ul>Archived from the original on December 27, 2007, at the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.Retrieved January 20, 2011.♯, C, B and B♭, tunings which were largely incompatible with playing with other instruments. The chanter length determines the overall tuning; accompanying pieces of the instrument, such as drones and regulators, are tuned to the same key as the chanter. Chanters of around 362 mm (<span class="frac" role="math">14<span class="sr-only">+</span><span class="num">1</span>⁄<span class="den">4</span></span> in) in length produce a bottom note on or near D<sub>4</sub> (D above <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_C" class="mw-redirect" title="Middle C">middle C</a>) where A<sub>4</sub> = 440 <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertz" title="Hertz">Hz</a>, i.e. modern "concert pitch". Such pipes are a relatively recent invention pioneered by the Taylor brothers. They typically have wider bores and larger tone holes than the earlier "flat" pitch sets, and as a consequence are a good deal louder, though by no means as loud as the Highland pipes of Scotland. They were developed by the Taylors to meet the requirements of playing in larger venues in the United States; today they are the most common type of uilleann pipes encountered, though many players still prefer the mellower sound of the earlier style narrow-bore pipes, which exist in pitches ranging from D through C<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-sharp">♯</span></span>, C, and B down to B<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-flat">♭</span></span>. Pipemakers before the Taylors had, however, built concert pitch pipes using the narrower bores and smaller fingerholes of the flat pipes. Some of these instruments seem to have been designed with lower pitch standards in mind, such as A<sub>4</sub> = 415 Hz. The Taylors also built many instruments with higher pitch standards in mind, such as the Old Philharmonic pitch of A<sub>4</sub> = 453 Hz that was commonplace in late 19th-century America. </p><p>The D pipes are most commonly used in ensembles, while the flat-pitched pipes are more often used for solo playing – often a <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_styles_(violin)#Fiddle" class="mw-redirect" title="Musical styles (violin)">fiddler</a> will tune down his or her instrument to play with a piper's flat set, but the inflexibility of other instruments used in Irish music (<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accordion" title="Accordion">accordions</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flute" title="Flute">flutes</a>, etc.) does not usually permit this. It is noteworthy that Irish music was predominantly solo music until the late 19th century, when these fixed-pitch instruments began to play more of a role. Like some older pipe organs, uilleann pipes are not normally tuned to even <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_tuning" title="Musical tuning">temperament</a>, but rather to <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_intonation" title="Just intonation">just intonation</a>, so that the chanter and regulators can blend sweetly with the three drones. <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament" title="Equal temperament">Equal temperament</a> is almost universal with the fixed pitch instruments used in Irish music, which can clash with the tuning of the pipes. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Instrument_variations">Instrument variations</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=4" title="Edit section: Instrument variations">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>A full set of uilleann pipes includes a chanter, drones, and regulators. A half-set lacks the regulators, and a practice set lacks both regulators and drones. All three are used in professional performance. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Practice_set">Practice set</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=5" title="Edit section: Practice set">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3><p> Because of the instrument's complexity, beginning uilleann pipers often start out with partial sets known as <b>practice sets</b>. </p><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg/250px-Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="182" class="thumbimage" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg/375px-Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg/500px-Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2200" data-file-height="1604"></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uilleann_pipes-practice_set.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Starter or Practice Set</div></div></div><p> A practice set consists of only the basic elements of pipe bag, bellows and <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanter" title="Chanter">chanter</a>, with no drones or regulators. The chanter is available in keys ranging from the "concert pitch" D chanter in half-note steps downward to a B<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-flat">♭</span></span> chanter, the latter being regularly referred to as a "flat set" (as are any sets below the key of D). </p><p>To play the uilleann pipes effectively, students must learn to pump the bellows steadily while controlling the pressure on the bag and playing the chanter simultaneously. So beginners often play on practice sets until they become comfortable with those basic mechanics. Despite their name, however, practice sets are used not only by beginning players but also by some advanced players when they wish to play just the chanter with other musicians, either live or in recording sessions. In these instances, the practice sets can be tuned to <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament" title="Equal temperament">equal temperament</a> if needed. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Half_set">Half set</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=6" title="Edit section: Half set">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg/220px-Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="182" class="thumbimage" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg/330px-Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg/440px-Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg 2x" data-file-width="806" data-file-height="666"></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uilleann_pipes-Drones.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Uilleann Pipes drones</div></div></div> <p>A <b>half set</b> is the next stage up from a practice set. As with other forms of bagpipes, uilleann pipes use "<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drone_(music)" title="Drone (music)">drones</a>", which are most commonly three pipes accompanying the melody of the chanter with a constant background tonic note. The pipes are generally equipped with three drones: the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor" title="Tenor">tenor</a> drone, as the highest sounding pipe, which is pitched the same as the lowest note of the chanter; the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baritone" title="Baritone">baritone</a> drone pitched one <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave" title="Octave">octave</a> below that; and the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_(sound)" title="Bass (sound)">bass</a> drone, as the lowest sounding pipe, two octaves below the bottom note of the chanter. The Pastoral pipes had four drones: these three plus one more that would play a harmony note at the fourth or fifth <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_(music)" title="Interval (music)">interval</a>. These drones are connected to the pipe bag by a "stock". This is an intricately made wooden cylinder tied into the bag (as any other stock) by a thick yarn or hemp thread. The drones connect to the stock, as do the regulators (see <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uilleann_pipes#Full_set">full set</a> below). The stock and drones are laid across the right thigh. This is distinct from other forms of bagpipes, in which the drones are usually carried over the shoulder or over the right arm. </p><p>The drones can be switched off. This is made possible by a key connected to the stock. The original design of the stock was a hollow cylinder, with two metal tubes running through it to both hold the regulators and independently supply air to them. Thus the regulators could be played with the drones silenced. In the late 19th century it became more common to build the stock from a solid piece of wood, with five holes bored through it end-to-end. This was less susceptible to damage than the earlier design. The piper is also able to switch on and off various drones individually (applying slightly more pressure to the bag and tapping the end of a drone), which is generally used to aid in tuning (a technique used in almost all bagpipes that have drones) or all of them at the same time using this key. This makes the instrument more versatile and usable not only as a half set, but also to allow playing the chanter by itself. The drones use a single-bladed <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_(music)" class="mw-redirect" title="Reed (music)">reed</a> (the actual part creating sound), unlike the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_reed" title="Double reed">double reed</a> used in the chanter and the regulators. These drone reeds were generally made from <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elderberry" class="mw-redirect" title="Elderberry">elderberry</a> twigs in the past, while cane began to be used in the late 19th century. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Full_set">Full set</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=7" title="Edit section: Full set">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UilleannPipes.jpg" class="image"><img alt="A full set of Uillean pipes." src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/UilleannPipes.jpg/220px-UilleannPipes.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="136" class="thumbimage" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/UilleannPipes.jpg/330px-UilleannPipes.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/UilleannPipes.jpg/440px-UilleannPipes.jpg 2x" data-file-width="500" data-file-height="309"></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UilleannPipes.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Full set</div></div></div><p>A <b>full set</b>, as the name implies, is a complete set of uilleann pipes. This would be a half set with the addition of three regulators. These are three closed pipes, similar to the chanter, held in the stock. Like the drones, they are usually given the terms tenor, baritone, and bass, from smallest to largest. A regulator uses keys (five on the tenor and four on both baritone and bass) to accompany the melody of the chanter; these keys are arranged in rows to give limited two-note "chords" or, alternatively, single notes for emphasis on phrases or specific notes. The notes of the regulators, from highest to lowest (given a nominal pitch of D) are as follows: tenor: C, B, A, G, F<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-sharp">♯</span></span>; baritone: A, G, F<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-sharp">♯</span></span>, D; bass: C, B, A, G. The tenor and baritone regulators fit into the front face of the stock, on top of the drones; the bass regulator is attached to the side of the stock (furthest from the piper), and is of complex construction. </p><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Deegan,_piper,_Salamanca_Place,_Hobart,_1995.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Richard_Deegan%2C_piper%2C_Salamanca_Place%2C_Hobart%2C_1995.jpg/220px-Richard_Deegan%2C_piper%2C_Salamanca_Place%2C_Hobart%2C_1995.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="152" class="thumbimage" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Richard_Deegan%2C_piper%2C_Salamanca_Place%2C_Hobart%2C_1995.jpg/330px-Richard_Deegan%2C_piper%2C_Salamanca_Place%2C_Hobart%2C_1995.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Richard_Deegan%2C_piper%2C_Salamanca_Place%2C_Hobart%2C_1995.jpg/440px-Richard_Deegan%2C_piper%2C_Salamanca_Place%2C_Hobart%2C_1995.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3465" data-file-height="2400"></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Deegan,_piper,_Salamanca_Place,_Hobart,_1995.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Richard "Dicky" Deegan, piper, busking with his full set in Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia in 1995</div></div></div> <p>Another method of using the regulators is to play what are referred to as "hand chords": when the melody (usually in a slower piece of music such as an <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean-n%C3%B3s_singing" title="Sean-nós singing">air</a>) is being played on the chanter exclusively with the left hand, the right hand will be free to create more complex chords, using all three regulators at once if so desired. Many airs end a section on a G or A in the first octave, at which point a piper will often play one of these hand chords for dramatic effect. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Chanter">Chanter</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=8" title="Edit section: Chanter">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanter" title="Chanter">chanter</a> is the part of the uilleann pipes that is used to play the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody" title="Melody">melody</a>. It has eight finger holes (example given of a D pitched chanter): bottom D, E<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-flat">♭</span></span>, E, F<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-sharp">♯</span></span>, G, A, B, C, C<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-sharp">♯</span></span>, high D (also called "back D"). To achieve the bottom D (D<sub>4</sub>) the chanter is lifted off the knee, exposing the exit of the chanter's bore, where the note is produced. The chanter is set on the right knee thus closing off the bottom hole. Many players use a strip of leather placed over the knee, called a "popping strap", which provides for an airtight seal. More rarely, a simple gravity- or spring-operated flap valve attached to the bottom of the chanter achieves the same end. Generally, for all other notes (except for special effects, or to vary the volume and tone) the chanter stays on the knee. </p><p>One characteristic of the chanter is that it can produce staccato notes, because the piper seals it off at the bottom; with all of the finger holes closed, the chanter is silenced. This is also necessary for obtaining the second octave; the chanter must be closed and the bag pressure increased, and then fingered notes will sound in the second octave. A great range of different timbres can be achieved by varying the fingering of notes and also raising the chanter off the knee, which gives the uilleann pipes a degree of dynamic range not found in other forms of bagpipes. Pipers who use staccato fingering often are termed "closed-style" pipers. Those who use legato fingering more predominately are referred to as "open-style" pipers. Open piping has historical associations with musicians (often <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Traveller" class="mw-redirect" title="Irish Traveller">Irish travelling people</a>) who played on the street or outdoors, since the open fingering is somewhat louder, especially with the chanter played off the knee (which can, however, lead to faulty pitch with the second octave notes). </p><p>A type of simultaneous <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrato" title="Vibrato">vibrato</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremolo" title="Tremolo">tremolo</a> can be achieved by tapping a finger below the open note hole on the chanter. The bottom note also has two different "modes", namely the "soft D" and the "hard D". The hard bottom D sounds louder and more strident than the soft D and is accomplished by applying slightly more pressure to the bag and flicking a higher note finger as it is sounded. Pipemakers tune the chanter so the hard D is the in-tune note, the soft D usually being slightly flat. </p><p>Many chanters are fitted with keys to allow accurate playing of all the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitone" title="Semitone">semitones</a> of the scale. Four keys will give all the semitones: F<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-natural">♮</span></span>, G<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-sharp">♯</span></span>, B<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-flat">♭</span></span>, C<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-natural">♮</span></span>. Older chanters usually had another key for producing D<sub>6</sub> (D in the third octave), and often another small key for E<sub>6</sub>, and another for D<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-sharp">♯</span></span><sub>5</sub> (as opposed to the E<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-flat">♭</span></span> fingerhole, which could be slightly off-pitch). Most uilleann chanters are very responsive to "half-holing" or "sliding", which is the practice of obtaining a note by leaving a fingerhole only half-covered. This is why many chanters sold in Ireland are sold without keys. With this technique and some practice, many pipers can accurately play the semitones which would otherwise require a chromatic key to be installed. The exception to this is the C<sub>6</sub> (C<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:Arial Unicode MS,Lucida Sans Unicode"><span class="music-natural">♮</span></span> in the second octave), which cannot be cross-fingered or half-holed, and requires the key. This is the most commonly fitted key. </p><p>The chanter uses a <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_reed" title="Double reed">double reed</a>, similar to that of the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oboe" title="Oboe">oboe</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassoon" title="Bassoon">bassoon</a>. Unlike most reed instruments, the uilleann pipe reed must be crafted so that it can play two full octaves accurately, without the fine tuning allowed by the use of a player's lips; only bag pressure and fingering patterns can be used to maintain the correct pitch of each note. It is for this reason that making uilleann-pipe chanter reeds is a demanding task. Uilleann pipe reeds are also often called "the piper's despair" for the immense difficulty of maintaining, tuning and especially making the double reed of the regulators and, most importantly, the chanter. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Notable_players">Notable players</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=9" title="Edit section: Notable players">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_O%27Flynn" title="Liam O'Flynn">Liam O'Flynn</a> (15 September 1945 – 14 March 2018) of <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planxty" title="Planxty">Planxty</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Moloney" title="Paddy Moloney">Paddy Moloney</a> (1938–2021) of the traditional Irish band <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chieftains" title="The Chieftains">The Chieftains</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uilleann_pipes#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Donockley" title="Troy Donockley">Troy Donockley</a> (born 1964) of the symphonic metal band <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightwish" title="Nightwish">Nightwish</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap">[<i><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=10" title="Edit section: See also">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_bagpipes" class="mw-redirect" title="Types of bagpipes">Types of bagpipes</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_All-Ireland_Champions#Uilleann_Pipes_.28Piob_Uilleann.29" class="mw-redirect" title="List of All-Ireland Champions">List of All Ireland Uilleann pipe champions</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bagpipers" title="List of bagpipers">List of bagpipers</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_published_bagpipe_music" title="List of published bagpipe music">List of published bagpipe music</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nontraditional_bagpipe_usage" title="List of nontraditional bagpipe usage">List of nontraditional bagpipe usage</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_bagpipe_terms" title="Glossary of bagpipe terms">Glossary of bagpipe terms</a></li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uilleann_pipes&action=edit§ion=11" title="Edit section: References">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p><b>Notes</b> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1011085734">.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%;margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman} |