Small Pipes

[Grump]

Small pipes, kitchen pipes or the smaller and altered version of the great highland pipes seem to be gaining in popularity and establishing a foot hold as of late in the piping community according to the information on the internet. Hardy and McCallum advertise newer versions. I myself am becoming interested in them from the aspect that they seem to make less noise, take less wind to blow them (or can be bellows blown) and they are reportedly compatible with other instruments. There are likely other advantages or disadvantages. I am sure that there are others on the forum that might be interested in them and I'm sure we would like to hear any ideas/advice or from pipers who own them and are willing to share their experiences with the small pipes.

[neloon]

Have you considered electronic pipes which have all the advantages you mention? Here are Alison Kate and her Dad, Calum Iain, from over there on North Uist. There are a number of other such clips on Alison Kate's Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/alison.macc...57409212261266

Alan

[neloon]

In Scotland, "smallpipes" are often referred to as "caul win" (i.e. played by bellows rather than breath) pipes. Here is Brighde Chaimbeul from Skye playing "Dolina MacKay"
https://www.facebook.com/brichaimbeu...75758599447978
Brighde (Bridget) gives recitals all over the world and has collected tunes from places such as Bulgaria.
She started with the GHB - here she is, aged 10, with pipes nearly as big as her!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHY9cYAj_PQ

Alan

[Really a McQueen]

I checked with my cousin who is a piper, and owns smallpipes and shuttle pipes as well GHB's. She suggests the following Facebook groups:
Smallpipes
Scottish Smallpipes for sale or trade
Playing Smallpipes.

[Macman]

I bought a set of Gibson kitchen pipes because I though they would make a good transition point between practice chanter and full pipes when I was learning. I was wrong. I got my full pipes and then hardly ever played them and eventually gave them away.

[OC Richard]

The matter of Scottish Smallpipes is quite complex and a source of confusion for many.

Firstly it's good to know some of the basic facts

1) "Scottish smallpipes" as they're generally made today owe their structure, tone, and title from the Northumbrian Smallpipes and are not a Scottish invention. Rather, they were first created in Northumberland in the 1970s.

These "Scottish Smallpipes" are nearly always bellows-blown.

2) The leading Scottish Highland bagpipe makers throughout the 19th century made Highland bagpipes in either three, or four, different sizes. The smallest size, what was called "miniature Highland bagpipes, or chamber pipes" are the equivalent to what are called "Scottish smallpipes" today.

These were usually mouth-blown.

3) For no reason that I can fathom, starting around 30 years ago, each maker felt compelled to coin their own name for their Scottish Smallpipes. Thus today you can see a dozen Scottish Smallpipes from a dozen different makers, none of which are called "Scottish Smallpipes" by their maker. The goofy newfangled names include "fireside pipes", "studio pipes", "session pipes", "shuttle pipes", "Highland musette", etc etc. It's important to understand that these are not actually different instruments, but merely Scottish Smallpipes by other names.

These various instruments are seen both mouth-blown and bellows-blown.

All three of the above factors make going down the Scottish Smallpipe rabbit hole quite confusing.

For somebody first getting into these things I highly recommend the John Walsh smallpipes in A. (Not in D.)

They're available mouthblown or bellows-blown or as a combination set that can be configured either way.

Personally I play a c1900 set of "Miniature Highland bagpipes, or chamber pipes" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czNB3DheKg8&t=35s

[Grump]

Thank you to those who have contributed to date for this thread. Some valuable information about the small pipes indeed.

[EagleJCS]

My Walsh shuttle pipes don't resemble a set of Great Highland Bagpipes in miniature. The two drone reeds (tenor and bass - there is also a three-drone version with an additional baritone pitch) are contained in a single unit (the 'shuttle') which is horizontal in front of my chest when I'm playing. The shuttle appears to be made out of maple (it's a blond wood with a tight grain). Pitch for each drone reed is controlled by a slide in the barrel of the shuttle. They are mouth-blown and the chanter uses the same fingering as the GHB. The chanter is plastic (like a typical practice chanter). The reeds themselves are a thin plastic, and resemble longer versions of a practice chanter reed (double-reeded with a brass staple).

I'd say volume-wise, they're about half the volume of the GHB's at best. People can actually hold a conversation within 10 feet of me without raising their voices to be heard.

[OC Richard]

Just to clarify, the instrument made throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th by all the leading Highland pipe makers (Henderson, Glen, Robertson, MacDougall, Lawrie to name a few) which they called "miniature Highland bagpipes, or chamber pipes" were not miniature Highland pipes organologically speaking.

Highland bagpipes have a conical-bore chanter, so a true "miniature Highland bagpipe" would have a scaled-down conical-bore chanter, which these instruments did not.

All of the things I discussed in my post above,

1) "miniature Highland bagpipes" made by the Highland pipe makers

2) "Scottish smallpipes" made by the Northumbrian smallpipe makers

3) all of the Scottish smallpipes made by current makers under a galaxy of names (fireside pipes, shuttle pipes, Highland musette, studio pipes, session pipes, etc)

have similar cylindrical-bore chanters and are, organologically, the same instrument regarding their chanter.

It's the chanter design which is the major consideration for the classification of bagpipe species, which makes a Czech bagpipe quite different from a Hungarian bagpipe though the overall configuration and drone designs are similar.

So yes Scottish smallpipes (whenever made and whatever called) are available with a variety of drone styles, generally

1) drones in separate stocks

2) drones in a common stock

3) shuttle drones.

Though different in drone design, and being mouth-blown or bellows-blown, these are all Scottish smallpipes due to their similar chanter design.

[pbutts]

My Internet went wonky when I tried replying last night. Richard’s second post addresses my main point which is the difference in chanters. When I purchased a set of the common stock/Northumbrian style smallpipes in A, I soon discovered they were a very different instrument and not completely suited for GHB practice. To continue Richard’s point about the cylindrical bore chanter, the holes have a slightly different placement and low A is pitched about 440. I suspect if I used the smallpipes in lieu of the practice chanter, bad habits would follow. My other concern along those lines is that the mouth blown bag takes a very light touch. It is fun for slow airs and dance tunes, but in general I stay away from the band’s parade tunes.