OT: bagpipe question

Since there seems to be lots of Irish and English and Scottish gents on this forum, can one

of you tell me if the photo below shows an Irish bagpipe or a Scottish one?

 

And I know nothing of bagpipes. My wife and I have a bet. It was on a mini-golf course.<div></div>

It disnay look like any pipes I've ever seen!

 

They could be Scots pipes, apart from the drones looking big enough to service a church organ. I'd hate to have to keep those things blowing, they'd empty the bag faster than you could fill it, which is NOT the purpose of the excercise.

 

Don't know anything about Irish pipes, only ever having seen them on Orange Day parades.<div></div>

I'm no expert, but I think they are most likely to be Scottish.

David,

 

The uniform is supposed to be one of the Scottish Highland Regiments. There are two types of Scottish bagpipe, Highland and Lowland. These would be the Highland pipes, as they have the bag and the bellows. The Lowland pipes, like the Northumbrian pipes, have no bag. The piper has to keep a constant flow of air with the bellows. I think that Irish pipes are more similar in nature to the Scottish Lowland and Northumbrian pipes. BTW, Irish kilts are plain in colour - they don't use a tartan or plaid pattern.

Almost 100 percent of today's bagpipes are Made in Pakistan. 60 Minutes did a story on that a few years ago. All you Irish and Scottish windbags; Talk about outsourcing your heritage!

Oops, to answer your question: It's a Pakistani bagpipe. Not Scottish, Irish, or English!

Definitely he is meant to be Scottish.

I was also about to suggest that the pipes were Pakistani, as there don't appear to be any silver caps on the drones. The piper appears to be a piece of statuary, (forgive me if I'm wrong!) The piper is intended to be a Scot, as evidenced by the Tartan, his sporran looks a bit "ropy". Outsourcing aside, the best pipes are still made in Scotland, IMHO, though it seems to be a dying art there. I owned a set of Hardies in silver and ivory for many years, they were just superb. A crippling condition of my hands forced me to sell them, as I could no longer play, otherwise I would never have parted with them.

Of course, the colors of the kilt pattern are important for identifying what regiment is represented here, but also (as I recall) the plume alongside the bear skin hat denotes regiment or station or whatever. There used to be a website that had all this but....

I agree with a previous poster that this appears to be a statue of

pipes, which could make it from any country, but it attempts to

depict what is commonly referred to as the Great Highland Bagpipes

(GHB), which is a cantankerous instrument which was put on this

earth to annoy both pipers and listeners in equal measure.

<br><br>

Most "Irish" pipe bands today play the GHB as that is what is

generally available. There was a period when the Scottish pipes

were made with three drones, whereas the Irish pipes were made with

two. This is probably what is being referred to as "Scottish" vs

"Irish" pipes, although otherwise they were basically the same

instrument.

<br><br>

While it is true as some have said that the Pakistanis make a lot of

bagpipes, these are generally suitable only for hanging on the wall

- they are not generally playable, even as a "starter" set. No

serious piper would purchase a set of Pakis.

<br><br>

No GHB has a bellows system, you simply blow into the bag and use

the pressure of the bag to control airflow to the drones and

chanter.

<br><br>

William, sorry to hear you don't play anymore. You may be happy to

know that there is a renewed interest in piping, and there are a

number of excellent makers in Scotland, England, and the Americas

hopefully creating the Hendersons and Hardies of the 22nd century!

What's OT about this? A lot of wind is expended on something that few people are bothered about - seems right on point to me. But David - you must tell us who won the bet.

Wow! I thought I'd get a couple of responses, but this was surprising. I won the bet, as it

sounds like this statue (sorry for not mentioning that) is depicting a Scot. He was in a

mini-golf course, and I thought golf = Scot.

The definition of a true gentleman is: A man who can play the bagpipes, but

doesn't.

As a direct descendant of both the Mackayes of Scotland and the McGanns of County Cork, Ireland, I can tell you with complete authority that... uh.. they make two kinds of bagpipes?

The Irish pipers are generally a bit brighter than their Hibernion neighbors as they have found its much easier to drink sitting down.<div></div>

<i>The definition of a true gentleman is: A man who can play the bagpipes, but doesn't.</i> heh. I always thought it's an instrument invented in hell. Like these street organs here in Amsterdam - you get a glaring headache in no time.

Please be informed that the German for bagpipe is duddelsack

Aye, but there nothin' laik the skirl o' pipes o' the battlefield t' scaire the god oot o you!

 

 

The hat plume is indeed a characteristic of a Scottish regiment. He's probably a kind of Black Watch piper - but doubtless is rather inaccurate when you get close.

The German name for Pipes is Dudelsack, (only 2 Ds".)

Extra credit question to which I freely admit I don't know the answer...

 

The Gurkha regiments (British Army, and Indian Army and formerly the British Indian Army) play the bagpipes and have done so for over a century. Presumably this is because they, the Gurkhas, are a highland people. But do they play Scots bagpiples or Irish bagpipes?

The great thing about photography is the lack of potential to slobber all over the blowpipe when it gets shoved against the roof of your mouth as you try to finish the tune...I'm sure glad I switched over, although I haven't yet won any awards with photography as I have with the (Highland) pipes.

 

Barry, The Scot drink plenty too. It's just that they are too cheap to buy the chair so they just stand and invented their pipes that way.

PS. my great grandmother was Ferguson, so I am entitled and qualified to speak so...