Bagpipes? Hmmm.
Drawing is a derivative of Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson.
As you’ll clearly see from the various images of me playing throughout this site, learning the bagpipes has taken me to all sorts of places I’d never have anticipated when my father first asked me if I wanted to learn.
Learning the pipes has been a truly transformative experience for me—one that I hope to provide with many others. So if you love the pipes and are eager to learn, please Get In Touch!
For the time being, I’m not going to get into the extensive and vast history of the bagpipes. For more info of that nature, I’ll provide some links to a few good articles that are already out there.
To sum up … while Highland Pipes are often what people think of when someone mentions “bagpipes,” they are not the only ones out there.
In fact, there are tons of various kinds of bagpipes in the world from all sorts of cultures and regions. Highland pipes simply became the most frequent bagpipes seen and heard because they were eventually incorporated into the British military. Here’s a good list of some of the many pipes one might encounter around the world—more than a hundred.
For more details on the parts of the bagpipe and the main types of pipes that I work with, head on over to the following pages in this section:
- Bagpipe Anatomy
What’s what on the bagpipes, what they do, and whatnot. =)
– - The Highland Bagpipe
The loud one, from Scotland with Love.
– - Smallpipes & Border Pipes
The not-so-loud ones: still from Scotland, and still with love—and bellows.
– - How Much Things Cost
Pipes can be a complicated instrument, and for many folks these complications begin with trying to buy an instrument. Along with bagpipes themselves there’re also numerous accessories and parts to consider (including kilt attire, if one so desires). This section of pages is loaded with info aimed to help the uninitiated with what to look for and how much you might need to spend.
And here are some good articles regarding the history of bagpipes in general, if you’d like to read more into it:
A good article at Dojo University, which is a great resource for pipers of all skill-levels. Good reading here.
Another good article, this one more focused on the Highland Bagpipe.
This is the site of a buddy of mine, Brian McElhinney. He has a nice, brief rundown of the history of the bagpipe.