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Man of the House.
Questions about the Pipes????
Where did the 'Pipes' in general originate?
The history of the Bagpipes goes way back in history and probably originated in the Mid-East Countries. These people used to play an instrument similar to a bombard or a Practice Chanter if you have seen one of those. The style of playing was to use circular breathing in order to keep a constant tone without breaks. This proved to be a problem in many situations for various reasons. These people then came up with the idea to make a bag out of animal hide and connect a blowpipe and the "chanter" to it. During the exploration of the Europeans in this region they came to know this instrument and adopted their own forms.
The distinctively Irish form of bagpipe, the Union or Uilleann Pipes, is believed to have originated about the beginning of the 18th Century. No exact source of development has been found. The present form, with three drones and three regulators, came into being at the beginning of the 19th Century.
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The Uilleann pipes, Pronounced (ILL UN) are an Irish style bagpipes. Uilleann is an Irish Celtic word which means 'Elbow' or 'angle'.The reason behind this name becomes obvious when they are seen played-They use bellows to pump air as opposed to the bagpipes which need air blown from the mouth,but the differences between them will be discussed later. The Uilleann or sometimes called 'Union Pipes' are the Irish national instrument, which is not that well known, as most people would say the Harp, but the Harp is the national symbol.
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There is much debate into the age of the Uilleann Pipes , but it's generally accepted that the pipes which we know today are about 400 years old.
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What is the difference between the Highland Bagpipes and Uilleann Pipes?
Highland Bagpipes are played standing,
Uilleann pipes are played sitting. Bagpipes are strictly Scottish whereas the Uilleann
Pipes Are Irish. Highland Bagpipes were originally a military instrument , whereas
Uilleann pipes were a social instrument used mostly by the travelling community.The
Highland bagpipes are usually taught according to strict methods with standardised
ornamentation and learned by rote from written music and judged in competitions. By
contrast, Uilleann pipes are free of such standardisation and are played in a wide variety
of styles; individual players create their own versions of tunes and their own use of
ornamentation, which will vary from player to player.
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Uilleann pipers don't normally learn from sheet music but learn by ear within their tradition.This is way that Irish music has always been passed on. You hear a tune that you like and you listen to it over and over until you can play it, or else someone else teaches you the tune.
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Most older Uilleann pipers do not enter competitions, which to some, including myself, can be meaningless at times because it would depend on what style the adjudicator preferred. However, there are intense piping competitions for younger players up to 21 years old.
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An old drawing of a travelling piper, which appears on the Irish £50 note.
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From a technical point, Uilleann pipes are far more advanced, as they have at least twice the range of highland pipes, and Uilleann pipes have regulators.This is the main difference. Regulators lie across the leg and are played with the wrist, whilst the fingers play the melody on the chanter. They are designed to play simple chords to back up the tune being played. Now , whereas both instruments have 3 drones (which each play a constant sound) the Uilleann pipes are far more sweeter sounding in general in my opinion and I'm always right and never bias, plus when played with the 'regs', all combined, it creates a magnificent sound..
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How difficult are they to learn?
A famous Piper, Willie Clancy, once said "It takes 7 years to learn how to play, 7 years playing, and then 7 years to become a master Piper" He also said that a bódran is best played with a Stanley knife, which has been known to cause a rivalry between Pipers and Bódran players in the past.
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How difficult are they to make?
It really is a vocation. Most makers have struggled for years and still do.It takes years and years.I'm talking maybe TWENTY years to master the art of making Pipes.
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How long does it take to make Pipes?
Depending on the maker and the quality of the Pipes which he/she makes, anything from 1 month to 4 months for a full set.
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This is a simple picture of the different types of reeds which are used in the pipes.
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The price of Uilleann Pipes has soared in the past 10 years. When I bought my full set about 8 years ago, they were £1600. Today they'll sell for approx. £5500, but there is up to a ten year waiting list, so the agreement you make with the maker when you put your name on the list is that you might have to pay much much more for them when you get them in ten years. Who knows what they will cost then...
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The only place where Uilleann Pipes can be purchased is through the maker. This is the best way as they are made to order for each person.
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What are Uilleann Pipes made of?
The main material used in Uilleann Pipes is the wood. It is African Blackwood. This is a very hard type of wood, and is also used for other instruments such as the Clarinet. The main other material is metal. The type of metal varies from maker to maker, but its usually coated with either chrome or a brass coating.
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A picture of a modern 'full set' of Irish Uilleann Pipes.
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What else is used in the Pipes?
Well, where do I start? Playing the Pipes is not the only skill that a person must have in order to be an accomplished piper.One must learn to maintain the Pipes and be able to tune them in the most extremes of temp's. It would take too long to go into what each material is used for so I'll just give a list.
A fake ivory is used today, but real ivory was once used - hemp is used - this a type of thread - Bee's wax - the fat from a sheep's belly (known as tallow) - different types of metals - blue tac - cow hide for the bag - guitar strings - Californian cane - bar towels - plumber's tape - dental floss. The list really is endless as different Pipers use all sorts of different materials. 'Whatever works' is the Pipers motto.
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.........We get help from the little people ! ! .........Thanks for your time.
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