View source for Bagpipes

{{short description|Woodwind instrument}}
{{About |the general form of bagpipes|other uses}}
{{more citations needed |date = November 2017}}
{{Infobox instrument
| name           = Bagpipe
| names          = 
| image          = Gaiteros Galicia.jpg
| image_capt     = Bagpipers from Asturias
| background     = woodwind
| classification = *[[Aerophone]]
*Wind
*Woodwind
| hornbostel_sachs = 422.112
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = [[Reed aerophone]] with conical bore
| developed      = 
| range          = 
| related        = *[[Oboe]]
*[[Shawm]]
*[[Bassoon]]
| musicians      = *[[List of bagpipers]]
| articles       = 
}}

'''Bagpipes''' are a [[woodwind instrument]] using enclosed [[reed (music)|reeds]] fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The [[Great Highland bagpipe]]s are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of [[Europe]], [[Northern Africa]], [[Western Asia]], around the [[Persian Gulf]] and northern parts of [[South Asia]].

The term ''bagpipe'' is equally correct in the singular or the plural, though pipers usually refer to the bagpipes as "the pipes", "a set of pipes" or "a stand of pipes".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SNARAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22stand+of+bagpipes%22&pg=PA561|title=The English dialect dictionary|first=J.|last=Wright|publisher=Рипол Классик|isbn=9785878652940 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebagpipemuseum.com/unknown-makers/unknown-33/|title=Unknown #33}}</ref>

Bagpipes are part of the aerophone group because to play the instrument you must blow air into it to produce a sound. 

== Construction ==
{|align=right
|{{Listen|filename=Skye Boat Song.ogg|title=Skye Boat Song|description=An adaptation of "[[The Skye Boat Song]]" for Great Highland bagpipes played by the Clan Stewart Pipe Band.}}
|}
[[File:Cantiga bagpipes 1.jpg|thumb|right|A detail from the [[Cantigas de Santa Maria]] showing bagpipes with one chanter and a parallel drone (Spain, 13th century).]]
[[File:Bagpipe en.PNG|thumb|On this Bulgarian gaida, the chanter is the short gray pipe at the top, while the drone is the long three-section pipe.]]
[[File:Hieronymus Bosch 068.jpg|thumb|right|A detail from a painting by [[Hieronymus Bosch]] showing two bagpipers (15th century).]]
A set of bagpipes minimally consists of an air supply, a bag, a [[chanter]], and usually at least one [[Drone (music)|drone]]. Many bagpipes have more than one drone (and, sometimes, more than one chanter) in various combinations, held in place in stocks—sockets that fasten the various pipes to the bag.

=== Air supply ===
The most common method of supplying air to the bag is through blowing into a blowpipe or blowstick. In some pipes the player must cover the tip of the blowpipe with the tongue while inhaling, in order to prevent unwanted deflation of the bag, but most blowpipes have a non-return valve that eliminates this need. In recent times, there are many instruments that assist in creating a clean air flow to the pipes and assist the collection of condensation.

The use of a [[bellows]] to supply air is an innovation dating from the [[16th century|16th]] or [[17th century|17th]] century. In these pipes, sometimes called "[[cauld wind pipes (disambiguation)|cauld wind pipes]]", air is not heated or moistened by the player's breathing, so bellows-driven bagpipes can use more refined or delicate reeds. Such pipes include the Irish [[uilleann pipes]]; the [[border pipes|border or Lowland pipes]], [[Scottish smallpipes]], [[Northumbrian smallpipes]] and [[pastoral pipes]] in Britain; the [[musette de cour]], the [[musette bechonnet]] and the [[cabrette]] in France; and the {{ill|Dudy|pl}}, [[Kozioł (bagpipe)|koziol bialy]], and [[koziol czarny]] in Poland.

=== Bag ===
The bag is an airtight reservoir that holds air and regulates its flow via arm pressure, allowing the player to maintain continuous, even sound. The player keeps the bag inflated by blowing air into it through a blowpipe or by pumping air into it with a bellows. Materials used for bags vary widely, but the most common are the skins of local animals such as goats, dogs, sheep, and cows. More recently, bags made of synthetic materials including [[Gore-Tex]] have become much more common. Some synthetic bags have [[Zipper|zips]] that allow the player to fit a more effective moisture trap to the inside of the bag. However, synthetic bags still carry a risk of colonisation by fungal spores, and the associated danger of lung infection if they are not kept clean, even if they otherwise require less cleaning than do bags made from natural substances.

Bags cut from larger materials are usually [[saddle stitch|saddle-stitched]] with an extra strip folded over the seam and stitched (for skin bags) or glued (for synthetic bags) to reduce leaks. Holes are then cut to accommodate the stocks. In the case of bags made from largely intact animal skins, the stocks are typically tied into the points where the limbs and the head joined the body of the whole animal, a construction technique common in [[Central Europe]]. Different regions have different ways of treating the hide. The simplest methods involve just the use of salt, while more complex treatments involve [[milk]], [[flour]], and the removal of fur. The hide is normally turned inside out so that the fur is on the inside of the bag, as this helps to reduce the effect of moisture buildup within the bag.

=== Chanter ===
{{Main|Chanter}}
[[File:Thechanter.jpg|thumb|A Great Highland bagpipe [[practice chanter]]]]
The chanter is the [[melody]] pipe, played with two hands. All bagpipes have at least one chanter; some pipes have two chanters, particularly those in North Africa, in the Balkans, and in Southwest Asia. A chanter can be bored internally so that the inside walls are parallel (or "cylindrical") for its full length, or it can be bored in a conical shape. Popular woods include [[Buxus|boxwood]], [[cornus mas|cornel]], plum or other fruit wood.

The chanter is usually open-ended, so there is no easy way for the player to stop the pipe from sounding. Thus most bagpipes share a constant [[legato]] sound with no [[Rest (music)|rests]] in the music. Primarily because of this inability to stop playing, technical movements are made to break up notes and to create the illusion of articulation and accents. Because of their importance, these embellishments (or "ornaments") are often highly technical systems specific to each bagpipe, and take many years of study to master. A few bagpipes (such as the musette de cour, the [[uilleann pipes]], the Northumbrian smallpipes, the [[Piva (bagpipe)|piva]] and the left chanter of the [[surdelina]]) have closed ends or stop the end on the player's leg, so that when the player "closes" (covers all the holes), the chanter becomes silent.

A [[practice chanter]] is a chanter without bag or drones and has a much quieter reed, allowing a player to practice the instrument quietly and with no variables other than playing the chanter.

The term ''chanter'' is derived from the Latin ''cantare'', or "to sing", much like the modern French verb meaning "to sing", ''[[wikt:chanter#French|chanter]]''.

A distinctive feature of the gaida's chanter (which it shares with a number of other Eastern European bagpipes) is the "flea-hole" (also known as a ''mumbler'' or ''voicer'', ''marmorka'') which is covered by the index finger of the left hand. The flea-hole is smaller than the rest and usually consists of a small tube that is made out of metal or a chicken or duck feather. Uncovering the flea-hole raises any note played by a half step, and it is used in creating the [[musical ornamentation]] that gives [[Balkan music]] its unique character.

Some types of gaida can have a double bored chanter, such as the Serbian three-voiced gajde. It has eight fingerholes: the top four are covered by the thumb and the first three fingers of the left hand, then the four fingers of the right hand cover the remaining four holes.

==== Chanter reed ====
The note from the chanter is produced by a [[Reed (instrument)|reed]] installed at its top. The reed may be a [[Single-reed instrument|single]] (a reed with one vibrating tongue) or [[double reed]] (of two pieces that vibrate against each other). Double reeds are used with both conical- and parallel-bored chanters while single reeds are generally (although not exclusively) limited to parallel-bored chanters. In general, double-reed chanters are found in pipes of Western Europe while single-reed chanters appear in most other regions.

They are made from reed (''[[arundo donax]]'' or [[Phragmites]]), [[bamboo]], or [[elderberry|elder]]. A more modern variant for the reed is a combination of a cotton phenolic (Hgw2082) material from which the body of the reed is made and a clarinet reed cut to size in order to fit the body. These types of reeds produce a louder sound and are not so sensitive to humidity and temperature changes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = gaida (bagpipe) in Greece : γκάιντα στην Ελλάδα : gaida (Dudelsack) in Griecheland : gaida Yunanistan'da|url = http://www.gaida.gr|website = www.gaida.gr|access-date = 2016-01-24}}</ref>

=== Drone ===
Most bagpipes have at least one [[drone (music)|drone]], a pipe that generally is not fingered but rather produces a constant harmonizing note throughout play (usually the [[Tonic (music)|tonic]] note of the chanter). Exceptions are generally those pipes that have a double-chanter instead. A drone is most commonly a cylindrically bored tube with a single reed, although drones with double reeds exist. The drone is generally designed in two or more parts with a sliding joint so that the pitch of the drone can be adjusted.

Depending on the type of pipes, the drones may lie over the shoulder, across the arm opposite the bag, or may run parallel to the chanter. Some drones have a tuning screw, which effectively alters the length of the drone by opening a hole, allowing the drone to be tuned to two or more distinct pitches. The tuning screw may also shut off the drone altogether. In most types of pipes with one drone, it is pitched two octaves below the tonic of the chanter. Additional drones often add the octave below and then a drone consonant with the fifth of the chanter.

== History ==

=== Possible ancient origins ===
The evidence for bagpipes prior to the [[13th century]] is still uncertain, but several textual and visual clues have been suggested. The ''[[Oxford History of Music]]'' posits that a sculpture of bagpipes has been found on a [[Hittites|Hittite]] slab at [[Euyuk]] in Anatolia, dated to 1000 BCE. Another interpretation of this sculpture suggests that it instead depicts a [[pan flute]] played along with a [[friction drum]].<ref name="vereno">{{cite book |last=Vereno |first=Michael Peter |date=2021 |title=The Voice of the Wind |location=[[Lincoln, England]] |publisher=International Bagpipe Organisation |pages=14–15 }}</ref>

Several authors identify the [[ancient Greek]] {{transliteration|grc|askaulos}} (ἀσκός ''askos'' – [[wine-skin]], αὐλός ''[[aulos]]'' – reed pipe) with the bagpipe.<ref name="google15">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DOfuAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA15|title=The story of the bagpipe|first=William Henry Grattan|last=Flood|publisher=Рипол Классик|isbn=9781176344228 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

[[Dio Chrysostom]] wrote in the [[1st century]] CE of a contemporary sovereign (possibly the Roman emperor [[Nero]]) who could play a pipe ([[Tibia (instrument)|tibia]], Roman reedpipes similar to Greek and Etruscan instruments) with his mouth as well as by tucking a bladder beneath his armpit.<ref>{{Citation
 | title       = Discourses by Dio Chrysostom (Or.&nbsp;71.9)
 |author = Dio Chrysostom
 | url          = https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dio_Chrysostom/Discourses/71*.html#9
 | publisher   = [[Loeb Classical Library]]
 | work       = The Seventy-first Discourse: On the Philosopher (Volume V)
 | volume      = V
 | page        = 173
 | access-date  = 2013-01-02
}}</ref>

In the [[2nd century]] CE, [[Suetonius]] also described [[Nero]] as a player of the ''tibia utricularis''.<ref>{{Citation
 | title       = ''Life of Nero'', 54
 | author= Suetonius
 | url         = https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html#54
 | publisher   = [[Loeb Classical Library]]
 | work       = Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars
 | page        = 185
 | access-date  = 2013-01-02
}}</ref>

Modern scholarship suggests that such instruments, rather than being seen as an independent class, were understood as variants on mouth-blown instruments that used a bag as an alternative blowing aid, and that it was not until drones were added in the European Medieval era that bagpipes were seen as a distinct class.<ref name="vereno"/>

=== Spread and development in Europe ===
{{stack|
[[File:Santes Creus Bagpiper.JPG|thumb|Medieval bagpiper at the [[Cistercian]] monastery of [[Santes Creus]], Catalonia, Spain.]]
[[File:The Image of Irelande - plate02.jpg|thumb|''Image of Irelande'', Military use of the bagpipe (1581).]]
[[File:Hendrick ter Brugghen - Bagpipe Player - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''De doedelzakspeler'' ("Bagpipe Player"), [[Hendrick ter Brugghen]] (1624).]]
[[File:Merry brothers 1887.jpg|thumb|''[[Happy Brothers]]'' by [[Uroš Predić]] (1887).]]
[[File:MDF Strakonice, 2018, 09 Anglie 02.jpg|thumb|International Bagpipe Festival, Strakonice (2018).]]
}}
In the early part of the [[second millennium]], representations of bagpipes began to appear with increasing frequency in Western European art and iconography. The [[Cantigas de Santa Maria]], written in [[Galician-Portuguese]] and compiled in [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] in the mid-13th century, depicts several types of bagpipes.<ref>{{Citation
 | first       = Elizabeth
 | last        = Aubrey
 | title       = The Music of the Troubadours
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=1nqgFob3uV0C&pg=PA257
 | publisher   = [[Indiana University Press]]
 | isbn        = 978-0-253-21389-1
 | year        = 1996
 | access-date  = 2013-01-02}}</ref>

Several illustrations of bagpipes also appear in the ''Chronique dite de Baudoin d’Avesnes'', a 13th-century manuscript of northern French origin.<ref>Chronique dite de Baudoin d'Avesnes, Arras, BM, ms. 0863, f. 007, 126v, 149v</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Hybride jouant de la cornemuse | publisher=Sorbonne, Paris | url=http://musiconis.paris-sorbonne.fr/fiche/429/Hybride+jouant+de+la+cornemuse | access-date=2017-01-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110030957/http://musiconis.paris-sorbonne.fr/fiche/429/Hybride+jouant+de+la+cornemuse | archive-date=2017-01-10 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Although evidence of bagpipes in the British Isles prior to the 14th century is contested, they are explicitly mentioned in ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'' (written around 1380):<ref>{{Citation
 | first       = Geoffrey
 | last        = Chaucer
 | title       = The Canterbury Tales: Prologue to "The Miller's Tale" (line 565)
 | url         = http://www.bartleby.com/40/0103.html
 | access-date  = 2013-01-02
}}</ref>
{{blockquote|A baggepype wel coude he blowe and sowne, /And ther-with-al he broghte us out of towne.|Canterbury Tales}}

Bagpipes were also frequent subjects for carvers of wooden choir stalls in the late 15th and early 16th century throughout Europe, sometimes with animal musicians.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cochon jouant de la cornemuse | publisher=Sorbonne, Paris | url=http://musiconis.paris-sorbonne.fr/fiche/233/Cochon+jouant+de+la+cornemuse | access-date=2017-01-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110023950/http://musiconis.paris-sorbonne.fr/fiche/233/Cochon+jouant+de+la+cornemuse | archive-date=2017-01-10 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Actual specimens of bagpipes from before the 18th century are extremely rare; however, a substantial number of paintings, carvings, engravings, and manuscript illuminations survive. These artefacts are clear evidence that bagpipes varied widely throughout Europe, and even within individual regions. Many examples of early folk bagpipes in continental Europe can be found in the paintings of Brueghel, Teniers, Jordaens, and Durer.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Great Highland Bagpipes (an piob-mhor) |url=http://www.northport-bagpipes.org/bagpipes.htm |publisher=The Northport Pipe Band, NY |access-date=2013-01-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211205152/http://www.northport-bagpipes.org/bagpipes.htm |archive-date=2013-02-11 }}</ref>

The earliest known artefact identified as a part of a bagpipe is a chanter found in 1985 at [[Rostock]], Germany, that has been dated to the late 14th century or the first quarter of the 15th century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Rostock Chanter|url=http://www.bagpipesociety.org.uk/articles/2014/chanter/winter/the-rostock-chanter/|access-date=2021-06-06|website=www.bagpipesociety.org.uk}}</ref>

The first clear reference to the use of the Scottish [[Highland bagpipes]] is from a French history that mentions their use at the [[Battle of Pinkie]] in 1547. [[George Buchanan]] (1506–82) claimed that bagpipes had replaced the trumpet on the battlefield. This period saw the creation of the ''ceòl mór'' (great music) of the bagpipe, which reflected its martial origins, with battle tunes, marches, gatherings, salutes and laments.<ref>J. E. A. Dawson, ''Scotland Re-Formed, 1488–1587'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007), {{ISBN|0-7486-1455-9}}, p. 169.</ref> The Highlands of the early 17th century saw the development of piping families including the [[MacCrimmon (piping family)|MacCrimmonds]], MacArthurs, [[Clan Gregor|MacGregors]], and the Mackays of [[Gairloch]].<ref name="Porterp35">J. Porter, "Introduction" in J. Porter, ed., ''Defining Strains: The Musical Life of Scots in the Seventeenth Century'' (Peter Lang, 2007), {{ISBN|3-03910-948-0}}, p. 35.</ref>

The earliest Irish mention of the bagpipe is in 1206, approximately thirty years after the Anglo-Norman invasion;<ref>"The Concise History of the Bagpipe by Frank J. Timoney | Ireland".</ref> another mention attributes their use to Irish troops in Henry VIII's [[Sieges of Boulogne (1544–46)|siege of Boulogne]].<ref>Donnelly, Seán, The Early History of Piping in Ireland (2001), p. 9</ref> Illustrations in the 1581 book ''[[The Image of Irelande]]'' by [[John Derricke]] clearly depict a bagpiper. Derricke's illustrations are considered to be reasonably faithful depictions of the attire and equipment of the English and Irish population of the 16th century.<ref>{{Citation
 | first       = John
 | last        = Derrick
 | title       = The Image of Irelande
 | url         = http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk/about/bgallery/Gallery/researchcoll/ireland.html
 | place       = London
 | year        = 1581
}}</ref>

The "Battell" sequence from ''[[My Ladye Nevells Booke]]'' (1591) by [[William Byrd]], which probably alludes to the Irish wars of 1578, contains a piece entitled ''The bagpipe: & the drone''. In 1760, the first serious study of the Scottish Highland bagpipe and its music was attempted in Joseph MacDonald's ''Compleat Theory''. A manuscript from the 1730s by a [[William Dixon manuscript|William Dixon]] of [[Northumberland]] contains music that fits the [[border pipes]], a nine-note bellows-blown bagpipe with a chanter similar to that of the modern [[Great Highland bagpipe]]. However, the music in Dixon's manuscript varied greatly from modern Highland bagpipe tunes, consisting mostly of extended variation sets of common dance tunes. Some of the tunes in the Dixon manuscript correspond to those found in the early 19th century manuscript sources of [[Northumbrian smallpipe]] tunes, notably the rare book of 50 tunes, many with variations, by [[John Peacock (piper)|John Peacock]].{{fact|date=August 2025}}

As Western classical music developed, both in terms of musical sophistication and instrumental technology, bagpipes in many regions fell out of favour because of their limited range and function. This triggered a long, slow decline that continued, in most cases, into the 20th century.{{fact|date=August 2025}}

Extensive and documented collections of traditional bagpipes may be found at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York City, the [[International Bagpipe Museum]] in [[Gijón]], Spain, the [[Pitt Rivers Museum]] in [[Oxford]], England and the [[Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum]] in Northumberland, and the [[Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix)|Musical Instrument Museum]] in Phoenix, [[Arizona]].{{fact|date=August 2025}}

The {{ill|International Bagpipe Festival|cs|Mezinárodní dudácký festival ve Strakonicích}} is held every two years in [[Strakonice]], [[Czech Republic]].{{fact|date=August 2025}}

=== Recent history ===
[[File:Afghanistan bagpiper.jpg|thumb|right| A Canadian soldier plays the bagpipes during the war in Afghanistan. Bagpipes are frequently used during funerals and memorials, especially among fire department, military and police forces in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Commonwealth realms, and the U.S.]]

During the 19th and 20th centuries, as a result of the participation of [[Scottish regiment]]s in the expansion of the [[British Empire]], the bagpipes became well known worldwide. This surge in the bagpipes' popularity was boosted by large numbers of Allied pipers which served in [[World War I]] and [[World War II]]. This coincided with a decline in the popularity of many traditional forms of bagpipe throughout Europe, which began to be displaced by instruments from the classical tradition and later by gramophone and radio.

As pipers were easily identifiable, combat losses were high, estimated at one thousand in World War I. A front line role was prohibited following high losses in the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]] in 1943, though a few later instances occurred.

In the United Kingdom and [[Commonwealth Nations]] such as [[Canada]], [[New Zealand]] and [[Australia]], the [[Great Highland bagpipe]] is commonly used in the military and is often played during formal ceremonies. Foreign militaries patterned after the British army have also adopted the Highland bagpipe, including those of [[Uganda]], [[Sudan]], [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Jordan]], and [[Oman]]. Many police and fire services in [[Scotland]], Canada, Australia, New Zealand, [[Hong Kong]], and the [[United States]] have also adopted the tradition of fielding pipe bands.

[[File:Bagpiper in Edinburgh 001.jpg|thumb|right|A bagpiper [[busking]] with the Great Highland bagpipe on the street in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]]]]

In recent years, often driven by revivals of native folk music and dance, many types of bagpipes have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and, in many cases, instruments that had fallen into obscurity have become extremely popular. In [[Brittany]], the Great Highland bagpipe and concept of the [[pipe band]] were appropriated to create a Breton interpretation known as the [[bagad]]. The pipe-band idiom has also been adopted and applied to the [[Galician bagpipe|Galician gaita]] as well. Bagpipes have often been used in various films depicting moments from Scottish and Irish history; the film ''[[Braveheart]]'' and the theatrical show ''[[Riverdance]]'' have served to make the uilleann pipes more commonly known.

Bagpipes are sometimes played at formal events at Commonwealth universities, particularly in Canada. Because of Scottish influences on the sport of [[curling]], bagpipes are also the official instrument of the [[World Curling Federation]] and are commonly played during a ceremonial procession of teams before major curling championships.

Bagpipe making was once a craft that produced instruments in many distinctive, local and traditional styles. Today, the world's largest producer of the instrument is [[Pakistan]], where the industry was worth $6.8 million in 2010.<ref>{{Citation
 | first       = Caroline
 | last        = Jaine
 | title       = Doing business with Pakistan
 | url         = http://www.dawn.com/news/663807/doing-business-with-pakistan
 | publisher   = [[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]
 | date        = 2011-10-04
 | access-date  = 2013-02-02
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | last        = Abbas
 | first       = Nosheen
 | title       = The thriving bagpipe business of Pakistan
 | url         = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-20876096
 | work   = [[BBC News Online]]
 | location    = [[Pakistan]]
 | date        = 2012-12-31
 | access-date  = 2013-01-02
 }}</ref> In the late 20th century, various models of [[electronic bagpipes]] were invented. The first custom-built [[MIDI]] bagpipes were developed by the Asturian piper known as [[Hevia]] (José Ángel Hevia Velasco).<ref>{{Citation
 | first       = Susana
 | last        = Roza-Vigil
 | title       = Bagpipes resonate through rugged coastline of... Spain
 | url         = http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9911/05/wb.galicia/
 | publisher   = CNN
 | series      = WorldBeat
 | location    = Spain
 | date        = 1999-11-05
 | access-date  = 2013-01-02
 }}</ref>[[File:FIL 2016 - The City Of Auckland Pipe Band - 4780.webm|thumb|Bagpipes players from ''The City Of Auckland Pipe Band''.]]

Astronaut [[Kjell N. Lindgren]] is thought to be the first person to play the bagpipes in [[outer space]], having played "[[Amazing Grace]]" in tribute to late research scientist Victor Hurst aboard the [[International Space Station]] in November 2015.<ref name="BBC2015">{{cite news|title=Astronaut plays bagpipes on International Space Station|work=BBC News|date=7 November 2015|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-34757254|access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref>

Traditionally, one of the purposes of the bagpipe was to provide music for dancing. This has declined with the growth of dance bands, recordings, and the decline of traditional dance. In turn, this has led to many types of pipes developing a performance-led tradition, and indeed much modern music based on the dance music tradition played on bagpipes is suitable for use as dance music.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

== Modern usage ==
=== Types of bagpipes ===
{{Main|List of bagpipes}}

Numerous types of bagpipes today are widely spread across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa as well as through much of the former [[British Empire]]. The name bagpipe has almost become synonymous with its best-known form, the [[Great Highland bagpipe]], overshadowing the great number and variety of traditional forms of bagpipe. Despite the decline of these other types of pipes over the last few centuries, in recent years many of these pipes have seen a resurgence or revival as musicians have sought them out; for example, the [[Uilleann pipes|Irish piping tradition]], which by the mid 20th century had declined to a handful of master players is today alive, well, and flourishing, a situation similar to that of the [[gaita asturiana|Asturian gaita]], the [[Galician gaita]], the Portuguese [[gaita transmontana]], the [[Aragon]]ese [[gaita de boto]], [[Northumbrian smallpipe]]s, the [[Breton people|Breton]] [[biniou]], the [[Balkan]] [[gaida]], the [[Romanians|Romanian]] [[cimpoi]], the Black Sea [[Tulum (bagpipe)|tulum]], the [[Scottish smallpipes]] and [[pastoral pipes]], as well as other varieties. Bulgaria has the [[Kaba gaida]], a large bagpipe of the [[Rhodope mountains]] with a hexagonal and rounded drone, often described as a deep-sounding gaida and the Dzhura gaida with a straight conical drone and of a higher [[pitch (music)|pitch]]. The [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] gaida is structurally between a kaba and dzhura gaida and described as a medium pitched gaida.

In [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]] and [[Eastern Europe]] bagpipes known as '''''gaida''''' include: the {{Langx|sq|gajde, mishnica, bishnica}}, {{Langx|rup|gaidã}}, {{Langx|bg|гайда}} ({{Lang|bg-Latn|gaida}}), {{Langx|el|γκάιντα}} ({{Lang|el-Latn|gáida}}) {{Lang|el|τσαμπούνα}} ({{Lang|el-Latn|tsaboúna}}) or {{lang|el|ασκομαντουρα}} ({{lang|el-Latn|askomandoura}}), {{Langx|mk|гајда}} (''{{Lang|mk-Latn|gajda}}''), {{Langx|sh|gajda/гајда}}, {{Langx|tr|gayda}} also {{Lang|tr|tulum}} and {{Langx |uk| gayda / ґайда}}.

In Tunisia, it is known by the name "[[Mizwad|mezwed]]". It is used in the Tunisian pop music genre, also called [[mezwed]], that is named after the instrument. 
{{Clear left}}

==== Gallery ====
{{Too many photos|section|date=May 2025}}
[[File:Mezoued.gif|thumb|Tunisian [[Mizwad]]]]
<gallery>
File:Mmexport1647183006419.jpg|Piper in Petrash, Jordan
File:BulgarianKabaGaidaPlayer.jpg|Bulgarian [[Kaba gaida]] player
File:Bag piper, Padre, Currie Hall, Royal Military College of Canada, fall 2011.jpg|The Scottish Great Highland bagpipe played at a Canadian military function.
File:Baghet suonatore.jpg|A musician with a Northern Italian [[Baghèt]] wearing traditional dress
File:A modern model of Baghèt.png|Modern Baghèt (made 2000 by Valter Biella) in G
File:Zampogna.jpg|Central and southern Italian [[zampogna]]
File:Tulumcu.jpg|[[Laz people|Laz]] man from Turkey playing a [[Tulum (bagpipe)|tulum]]
File:Cillian Vallely on Uilleann Pipes.jpg|[[Cillian Vallely]] playing Irish Uilleann pipes
File:Tickell 2004.jpg|[[Kathryn Tickell]] playing [[Northumbrian smallpipes]]
File:Gaida.jpg|Man from Skopje, North Macedonia playing the [[Gaida]]
File:Seivane1.jpg|[[Galician gaita]]
File:Sruti upanga.jpg|[[Sruti upanga]], a Southern Indian bagpipe
File:Duda Bagpipe 001.jpg|Hungarian [[Duda (bagpipe)|duda]]
File:Serbian bagpiper.jpg|Serbian piper
File:DudyWielkopolskie.jpg|Polish pipers
File:Bagad.JPG|[[Bagad]] of Lann Bihoué from the French Navy
File:Ollegallmo.jpg|Swedish [[säckpipa]]
File:Pastoral pipes removable foot joint.JPG|[[Pastoral pipes]] with removable footjoint and bellows
File:Street-piper.jpg|Street piper from Sofia, Bulgaria
File:Torupillimängija.jpg|Estonian [[torupill]] player
File:Lithuanian bagpipes.png|Lithuanian piper
File:Modern huemmelchen.jpg|Modern German [[huemmelchen]]
File:Baltarusių dūdmaišis Lietuvos nacionaliniame muziejuje (LNM).jpg|Belarusian bagpipes in Lithuanian museum
File:Bagad Brest.jpg|A [[bagad]] in [[Brest, France]]
File:Al son de la gaita.jpg|[[Gaita asturiana]]
File:Pibecwd.jpg|[[Welsh bagpipes]] (double-reed type)
File:Gaiteroscantabria.jpg|Cantabrian pipe band
File:Bagpipe player damascus.jpg|Syrian piper in Damascus, Syria
File:Tsambouna.jpg|Various forms of the [[Tsampouna]], found in the Greek islands
File:Селянін грае на дудзе.jpg|Belarusian piper.
File:A żaqq (bagpipe), made from calf pelt, cane, and animal horn.jpg|Maltese [[Żaqq]].
File:Bagpipe player Dam.jpg|Piper playing by the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam]]
File:Cimpoi.png|Romanian [[cimpoi]] player
File:Ľubomír Párička gra na dudach.webm|Ľubomír Párička playing bagpipes, Slovakia
File:Associação Gaita-de-Fole.jpg|Portuguese pipers
File:نی انبان ساخته شده در آبپخش.jpg|Bagpipes made in [[Ab Pakhsh]], Iran
File:شکل قرار گرغتن نی های نی انبان ساخته شده در آبپخش.jpg|Chanter of bagpipes from Ab Pakhsh
File:Sac de gemecs.png|[[Sac de gemecs]], from [[Catalonia]]
File:Xeremies de Mallorca.jpg|[[Xeremia|Xeremies]], from [[Mallorca]]
File:Greek Gaida Player.jpg|Greek [[shepherd]] playing gaida
File:BASA-2072K-1-361-19-Gaida, Bulgaria.JPG|Bulgarian gaida player, a pre-1945 photo. Central State Archive, Sofia
File:A reconstruction of an "askaulos", Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology.jpg|A modern reconstruction of an "askaulos" (bagpipe) in [[Museum of Ancient Greek Technology|Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology]], [[Athens]], Greece
</gallery>

=== Usage in non-traditional music ===
[[File:Enter The Haggis Bagpipe.jpg|thumb|right|Celtic rock band [[Enter the Haggis]] featuring Highland bagpipes]]
Since the 1960s, bagpipes have also made appearances in other forms of music, including rock, metal, jazz, hip-hop, punk, and classical music, for example with [[Paul McCartney]]'s "[[Mull of Kintyre (song)|Mull of Kintyre]]", [[AC/DC]]'s "[[It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)]]",<ref name="liming">{{cite journal |last1=Liming |first1=Sheila |title=Bagpipes: a rock-and-roll history |journal=Atlantic Monthly |date=July 9, 2016 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/07/the-bagpipes-legacy-of-noise/490217/|access-date=13 December 2022}}</ref> and [[Peter Maxwell Davies]]'s composition ''[[An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise]]''. <!--STRONGLY RECOMMEND NO MORE THAN THREE EXAMPLES TO BE PLACED IN THIS PARAGRAPH, PARTICULARLY AS THERE IS A LINK TO A COMPREHENSIVE LIST. IF ADDING ONE, PLEASE THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT WHY IT IS A BETTER EXAMPLE THAN WHAT YOU ARE REMOVING. TA.-->
[[File:20160409 Oberhausen Zirkus Zeitgeist Saltatio Mortis 0139.jpg|thumb|right|Bagpiper from German band Saltatio Mortis.]]

== Publications ==
<!--
Note: only put in this section books or journals covering bagpipes in general. If it is for a specific type of bagpipe (Uilleann, GHB &c) place it in a specific article.-->

=== Periodicals ===
''Periodicals covering specific types of bagpipes are addressed in the article for that bagpipe''
* {{Citation | title = An Píobaire | publisher = Na Píobairí Uilleann | place = Dublin | url = http://pipers.ie/}}.
* {{Citation | title = Chanter | publisher = [[The Bagpipe Society]]}}.
* {{Citation | title = The Piping Times | publisher = The [[College of Piping]] | place = Glasgow}}.
* {{Citation | title = Piping Today | publisher = The National Piping Centre | place = Glasgow}}.
* {{Citation | title = Utriculus | publisher = [[Circolo della Zampogna]] | place = Italy}}.
* {{Citation | title = The Voice | publisher = The Eastern United States Pipe Band Association | place = Newark, [[Delaware|DL]]}}.

=== Books ===
* {{Citation | first = Anthony | last = Baines | date = Nov 1991 | title = Woodwind Instruments and Their History | isbn = 0-486-26885-3 | publisher = Dover Pub | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/woodwindinstrume00bain }}.
* {{Citation | first = Anthony | last = Baines | year = 1995 | title = Bagpipes | isbn = 0-902793-10-1 | publisher = Pitt Rivers Museum, Univ. of Oxford | edition = 3rd | author-mask = 3}}, 147 pp. with plates.
* {{Citation | title = The Book of the Bagpipe | first = Hugh | last = Cheape}}.
* {{Citation | title = The Bagpipe, The History of a Musical Instrument | first = Francis | last = Collinson | year = 1975}}.
* {{Citation | title = The Voice of the Wind: A Linguistic History of Bagpipes | first = Michael Peter | last = Vereno | year = 2021 | publisher = International Bagpipe Organisation | isbn = 978-1838369804 }}.

== See also ==
* [[List of bagpipes]]
* [[List of bagpipers]]
* [[List of pipe makers]]
* [[List of pipe bands]]
* [[Glossary of bagpipe terms]]
* [[Practice chanter]]
* [[Glen (music company)]]
* [[Mashak]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|last=Garaj|first=Bernard|title=Gajdy a gajdošská tradícia na Slovensku. Bagpipe and Bagpipers´ Tradition in Slovakia|year=1995|publisher=ASCO Ústav hudobnej vedy SAV Bratislava}}
*{{cite book|last=Dzimrevski|first=Borivoje|title=Gajdata vo Makedonija: Instrument-instrumentalist-muzika|year=1996|publisher=Institut za folklor Marko Cepenkov|isbn=978-9989642098}}
*Lommel, Arle. "The Hungarian Duda and Contra-Chanter Bagpipes of the Carpathian Basin." ''The Galpin Society Journal'' (2008): 305–321.
*{{cite book|last=Rice|first=Timothy|title=May It Fill Your Soul: Experiencing Bulgarian Music|url=https://archive.org/details/mayitfillyoursou00rice|url-access=registration|year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0226711225}}
*{{cite book|last=Atanasov|first=Vergilij|title=The Bulgarian GAIDA/BAGPIPE|year=2002|publisher=Gaida Studies|location=Massachusetts|isbn=0-9724898-0-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Širola|first=Božidar|title=Sviraljke s udarnim jezičkom|year=1937|publisher=JAZU|location=Zagreb}}
*{{cite book|last=Leibman|first=Robert|title=Traditional Songs and Dances from the Soko Banja Area|publisher=Selo Records|location=LP}}
*{{cite book|last=Levy|first=Mark|title=The Bagpipe in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria|year=1985|publisher=University of California}}
*{{cite thesis|last=Jakovljević|first=Rastko|title=Marginality and Cultural Identities: Locating the Bagpipe Music of Serbia|year=2012|publisher=PhD Thesis, Durham University|url=http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3544/}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Bagpipes}}
{{EB1911 poster|Bag-pipe}}
* [http://www.prydein.com/pipes/ Bagpipe iconography – Paintings and images of the pipes.]
* [http://musiconis.huma-num.fr/fr/results.html?query=bagpipe Musiconis Database of Medieval Musical Iconography: Bagpipe.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091112123617/http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/displayevent.aspx?rID=3365&fID=345 A demonstration of rare instruments including bagpipes] (archived 12 November 2009)
* [http://www.bagpipehistory.info/ ''The Concise History of the Bagpipe'' by Frank J. Timoney]
* [http://www.bagpipesociety.org.uk/ The Bagpipe Society], dedicated to promoting the study, playing, and making of bagpipes and pipes from around the world
* [http://ludowe.instrumenty.edu.pl/en/instruments-/categories/category/343 Bagpipes from polish collections (''Polish folk musical instruments'')]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO8ZRZYB16c&list=PL-vEE7TX3aIfca1edpfKRz3Vt6HURNAMf&index=2 Bagpipes (local polish name "Koza") played by Jan Karpiel-Bułecka] (English subtitles)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170709134521/http://www.baghet.info/ Official site of Baghet (bagpipe from North Italy) players.] (archived 9 July 2017)
* [http://turn.do.am/index/obratnaja_svjaz/0-43# Celtic Music : Scottish Military Bagpipes.]
* [http://www.gaida.gr The presence of the gaida in Greece]

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[[Category:Bagpipes| ]]
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