From their Scottish roots to the present day, there has always been a deep connection between the music of the bagpipes with the game of golf. Many golf clubs have embraced this connection whether by having a bagpiper play a sunset performance to close out the day or on retainer to play for club functions and fundraisers.
Full Answer
Is it bagpipe or bagpipes?
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". An adaptation of the " Skye Boat Song " for Great Highland bagpipes played by the Clan Stewart Pipe Band.
Why are bagpipes important to the Scottish culture?
Modern Shuttle Pipes The Scottish people have made the bagpipes one of the outstanding parts of their culture. In some many songs, stories, and poems, the Scots have celebrated their pipes, and unlike many other cultures they have kept the pipes alive as part of their musical tradition.
Why do they play bagpipes at funerals?
Why Bagpipes Are Played at Funerals. Music. In the United States, bagpipes are often played at the funerals of police officers, firefighters, soldiers, and other state workers. The instrument has a particularly mournful sound that makes it perfect for "Amazing Grace" and other hymns—but that's not the only reason it's used.
How do bagpipes work?
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. The most common method of supplying air to the bag is through blowing into a blowpipe or blowstick.
What does playing the bagpipes symbolize?
Brought to the United States over one hundred and fifty years ago by the Scottish immigrants, the bagpipe has become a symbol of mourning for fallen heroes, especially firefighters and policemen.
What was the original purpose of bagpipes?
As a musical instrument of war, the first mention of the bagpipes appears to date from 1549 at the Battle of Pinkie, when the pipes replaced trumpets to help inspire the Highlanders into battle.
What is special about bagpipes?
The chanter in the bagpipe is never silent. This means that there is no rest between notes and the volume of the instrument cannot be altered. The use of grace notes means that a variation can be created, rather than through dynamics.
Are bagpipes actually Scottish?
Bagpipes are actually a family of instruments, and most countries from India to Scotland and from Sweden to Libya boast at least one indigenous variety. They date back over 3,000 years, but appear to have been developed from the hornpipe, which goes back even further.
Are the bagpipes Irish or Scottish?
Bagpipes, A Symbol of Scotland But, whoever invented them, the Scots have pretty much made this instrument their own over the years. However, the Irish also lay claim to playing an instrument that is similar to the Scottish version. The national bagpipe of Ireland is as much a tradition as their Scottish counterparts.
When were bagpipes banned in Scotland?
Bagpipes were been banned in Scotland in 1560 after the Reformation. It is often said that they were banned again in 1747 after the Battle of Culloden, although this is debated.
What is the most common bagpipe song?
Amazing Grace: Written in 1779 by the English Clergyman John Newton, this song is now one of the most frequently requested tunes played on the bagpipes. Most commonly heard played on November 11th by a solo piper at Remembrance Day Services and at many funerals and other solemn occasions throughout the year.
What country has the most bagpipes?
We all know that bagpipes are quintessentially Scottish. So it's fitting that Scots are the top manufacturers of the instruments. But far away from the Scottish Highlands, there's a country that's close to Scotland when it comes to bagpipe exports.
What is the Irish name for bagpipes?
uilleann pipesThe Irish bagpipes, or uilleann pipes, are pretty different from what most people think of as bagpipes. The uilleann pipes are much quieter, too, very expressive, and almost always played sitting down.
Why do bagpipes sound out of tune?
There is no harmony as such merely the drone note. The chanter is tuned to match the drone and because it's playing solo it can be tuned in just temperament. This means that the notes are purer against the drone. This makes most of the notes "off" according to equal temperament.
Why were instruments banned in Scotland?
The playing of the Bagpipe was banned in Scotland after the uprising of 1745. They were classified as an instrument of war by the loyalist government. They were kept alive in secret. Anyone caught carrying pipes were punished, the same as any man that bore arms for Bonnie Prince Charlie.
How hard is it to learn to play the bagpipes?
Getting Started on the Bagpipes It's surprisingly easy to start learning the bagpipes! All you need is a practice chanter, a book, and a teacher. The practice chanter is a basic instrument with a single reed. You'll always use a practice chanter for basic practice and learning new tunes, so it's a lasting investment.
Who used bagpipes first?
Bagpipes are thought to have been first used in ancient Egypt. The bagpipe was the instrument of the Roman infantry while the trumpet was used by the cavalry. Bagpipes existed in many forms in many places around the world. In each country the basic instrument was the same, a bag with a chanter and one or more drones.
What country did the bagpipes originate from?
Middle EastBagpipes / Place of originThe Middle East is a geopolitical term that commonly refers to the region spanning Arabia, Asia Minor, East Thrace, Egypt, Iran, the Levant, Mesopotamia, and the Socotra Archipelago. The term came into widespread usage as a replacement of the term Near East beginning in the early 20th century. Wikipedia
When did bagpipes originate?
According to some, the first bagpipe records appeared around 1000 BC via a Hittite carving, although the general consensus leans towards the idea that bagpipes were introduced to Scotland by the Romans.
Did the Romans invent bagpipes?
The Latin army introduced the bag. By the time the Romans left, the instrument flourished in Britain and Gaul (modern-day France). There's even a fascinating oral tradition passed down among Italian bagpipers to this day. Frank J.
Where do the bagpipes come from at Half Moon Bay Golf Links?
The bagpipes heard wafting across the Ocean Course and Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links are actually coming from the on-site Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, a luxurious retreat on the cliffs of northern California's rocky coast. The piper, a tradition since the hotel opened in 2001, plays Wednesday through Sunday (and every other Tuesday) year round. The piper begins his nightly walk at the front of the hotel near the first hole of the Ocean and ninth hole of the Old and continues around the hotel until finishing at the Ocean Lawn adjacent to the finishing hole on the Old. When the gloomy marine layer rolls in, guests are almost magically transported to St. Andrews.
Where does a bagpiper play at sunset?
A bagpiper plays at sunset every night at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alaba ma. Courtesy of Art Maripol
Where to play the bagpipes at night in Jacksonville?
The veranda behind The Lodge is the place to be at dusk every night on Sea Island, located about an hour north of Jacksonville, Fla. People love the drinks being served and the views of the water, of course, but it's the bagpiper who draws the crowd. The bagpipes became a tradition in 2001 when the five-star Lodge opened. Every day, no matter the weather, the bagpiper wanders near the 10th fairway of Sea Island's Plantation Course and the putting green, starting the performance somewhere between 5-7 p.m. depending on the season, and playing for about an hour. The melodic sounds ride the breeze off of the ocean, carrying to players on the nearby range and chipping green.
Why are bagpipes used for dance?
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.
Where are bagpipes played?
The Scottish Great Highland bagpipes are the best known examples in the Anglophone world, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Anatolia, the Caucasus, Northern Africa, Western Asia, and around the Persian Gulf .
What is a bellows pipe?
An innovation, dating from the 16th or 17th century, is the use of a bellows to supply air. In these pipes, sometimes called " 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 or Lowland pipes, Scottish smallpipes, Northumbrian smallpipes, pastoral pipes in Britain; and the musette de cour, the musette bechonnet and the cabrette in France, the Dudy wielkopolskie, koziol bialy and koziol czarny in Poland.
Why do bagpipes have a legato sound?
Primarily because of this inability to stop playing, technical movements are used 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 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.
What is the name of the pipe that stops the end of the player's leg?
A few bagpipes (such as the musette de cour, the uilleann pipes, the Northumbrian smallpipes, the 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.
How many chanters are there in a bagpipe?
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.
Why did the bagpipes fall out of favour?
As Western classical music developed, both in terms of musical sophistication and instrumental technology, bagpipes in many regions fell out of favour due to their limited range and function. This triggered a long, slow decline that continued, in most cases, into the 20th century.
Overview
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Scottish Great Highland bagpipes are the best known examples in the Anglophone world, 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.
Construction
A set of bagpipes minimally consists of an air supply, a bag, a chanter, and usually at least one 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.
The most common method of supplying air to the bag is through blowing into …
History
The evidence for bagpipes prior to the 13th century AD 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 Hittite slab at Euyuk in Anatolia, dated to 1000 BC. Another interpretation of this sculpture suggests that it instead depicts a pan flute played along with a friction drum.
Modern usage
Numerous types of bagpipes today are widely spread across Europe and the Middle East, 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 la…
Publications
Periodicals covering specific types of bagpipes are addressed in the article for that bagpipe
• An Píobaire, Dublin: Na Píobairí Uilleann.
• Chanter, The Bagpipe Society.
• The Piping Times, Glasgow: The College of Piping.
See also
• List of bagpipes
• List of bagpipers
• List of pipe makers
• List of pipe bands
• List of published bagpipe music
External links
• Bagpipe iconography – Paintings and images of the pipes.
• Musiconis Database of Medieval Musical Iconography: Bagpipe.
• A demonstration of rare instruments including bagpipes
• The Concise History of the Bagpipe by Frank J. Timoney