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Question: How do bagpipes work!?
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The most common form of bagpipes is the Great Highland Bagpipes (GHB)!. It consists of a bag, three drones, a blowpipe, and a chanter (rarely also called the "melody pipe")!.

A piper blows through the blowpipe into the bag!. The blowpipe is usually fitted with a "non-return valve" which prevents the air from coming back out the blowpipe when the piper takes a breath!. From the bag, the air passes out through the drones and the chanter, each making a sound!.

The three drones are composed of two (shorter) tenor drones which are one octave lower than the fundamental pitch of the chanter (called "Low A") and one (long) bass drone, which sounds one additional octave lower than the tenors!. The drones each have a reed which sounds a single pitch (like humming a single note), hence why they are called "drones"!

To make sound, the chanter has a "double-reed", two matched pieces of (almost universally) Spanish Cane wrapped around a metal tube called a "staple"!. The note sounded by the chanter is determined by the which of its holes are covered (or not) by the piper's fingers!. Nine common notes are sounded on a GHB chanter, and sometimes a very few additional "in-between" notes are possible with certain chanter/reed combinations!. A chanter reed requires precise positioning into the chanter and the chanter holes usually require precise positioning of tape to sound musical!. To complicate the tuning process, the pitch of the chanter reed will shift as the instrument warms up, requiring the piper to retune frequently until the instrument has been stabilized after 10-15 minutes of playing!.

When a piper takes a breath, the piper's arm applies more pressure to the bag to maintain a steady pressure and even tone from the instrument!. A bagpipe played by an "unsteady blower" will waver in pitch and sound out of tune!. Bagpipes require a lot of stamina to play for any length of time!. Almost all beginners can only play for a few minutes before having to stop!.

Bagpipes are difficult to learn to play well!. Good self-taught pipers are extremely rare and greatly outnumbered by bad self-taught pipers!. To hear a well-played set of Great Highland Bagpipes is truly a wonderful experience!.

Parts of a bagpipe can be seen (and explained) here:
http://www!.bagpipejourney!.com/articles/b!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

With the Scottish bagpipe, one just blows air through a mouthpiece into the air reservoire and simultaneously plays the melodies over the longer "borduna" background tones!. The Irish bagpipe known also as Uilleann Pipes, is a bit different then, one uses only one's arms to fill the air reservoire (bag) and plays the melody with the fingerings, without actually using the lungs/blowing!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

they are filled with hot air just like someone we all know in the white house!.Www@QuestionHome@Com