| GENERAL-- | --UILLEANN VS. HIGHLAND-- | --SETUP-- | --HISTORY |
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| GENERAL-- | --UILLEANN VS. HIGHLAND-- | --SETUP-- | --HISTORY |
|---|
The bagpipe is an ancient instrument that has appeared in many cultures throughout history. It is believed that the bagpipe-style instrument originated in 2 different regions, simultaneously: the eastern style, which had two pipes stemming from a shared stock, and those from India which featured only drones and were used for accompanying other instruments. By the 15th century, the bagpipes were prevalent in Europe and North Africa; however, as modern instruments, such as the violin and the accordion, gained popularity throughout Europe, many forms of the bagpipe disappeared. Only the Celtic cultures have retained the pipes as a common and preferred instrument. This is likely due to the fact that Ireland and Scotland were relatively untouched by the Roman Empire, and that the pipes were commonly made by the player, which allowed farmers, paupers and travelers the ability to take part in Ireland’s musical tradition.
Uilleann vs. Highland
A common misconception is that the uilleann pipes are a form of highland (Scottish) pipes. Since highland pipes inherently maintain a higher profile (loud warpipes used for marching in droves, often seen in parades), they have incorrectly become synonymous with the word bagpipe. In fact, there have been hundreds of forms of bagpipes throughout history. Uilleann Pipes and Scottish pipes simply come from the same family of instrument, but are actually quite different. Scottish pipes, for example, are simpler in structure, louder, and a war-pipe. Uilleann pipes, on the contrary, have a very complex structure, are quite mellow and are strictly a social instrument.
Setup
Uilleann pipes are a very complex and temperamental instrument. There are various setups available, and each can be upgraded to the more complex setups. The most basic set is called a practice set, which consists of only the three essential pieces: the bellows, the bag and the chanter. The practice set, however, isn’t intended for only “practicing.” This is a very common configuration, and even established players, that may have mastered the drones and regulators, often use just these 3 pieces. Starter set or base set would be more appropriate names.
The bellows is strapped under the right arm (assuming the piper is right handed) and used to pump air into the bag. The bag is placed under the left arm and used to control the air flow to the chanter, and other pipes on larger sets.
The chanter is the center of the uilleann pipes; being responsible for the melody and tempo. The chanter uses a double reed, which is a piece of cane that has been split, folded over and bound together. When air passes between the lips of the cane, they vibrate in sync. This double reed is very sensitive and, unlike most other bagpipes, can be over blown. Over blowing is when an increase in air pressure causes the reed to vibrate twice as fast, allowing the chanter to play two full octaves. The most common chanter is the D chanter. Referred to as the concert set. The name “concert set” refers to the characteristics of a D chanter: they are louder, and are more easily incorporated into “sesiuns” since most instruments, like the fiddle and tin whistle, revolve around the key of D.
A half set is a practice set with 3 drone pipes added. The drones are tuned to 3 different D notes (on a concert set) and are fixed with keys that allow the piper to turn them on or off. When used, the drones create a rich harmonic D background that is very suitable for soloists. When playing with a band, such as Paddy Malone with the Chieftains, pipers tend to turn off the drones due to the difficulty of tuning these pipes to fixed-pitch instruments.
The 3/4 and full sets add 2 or 3 regulators, respectively. Each regulator is like a chanter with 4-5 keys. These keys can be pressed by the butt of the pipers hand, to create chords and harmonies. Considering a full set has 7 pipes, 4 of which the piper is directly in control of, the uilleann pipes have developed a reputation of being a very rich, yet difficult instrument. Seamus Ennis said the uilleann pipes take “21 years to master – 7 to learn, 7 to practice and 7 to play.”
History
The bagpipes have been present in Ireland for at least 13 centuries. Irish mythology, that ambiguously dates back to between 1800BC and 400 AD, makes reference to bagpipes. The present bellows-blown form didn’t come about until the 18th century. Then between 1780 and 1830 the drones and regulators were incorporated.
From the late 18th century through the middle of the 19th century, the uilleann pipes were the premiere instrument in Ireland. One musician was capable of producing fully harmonic tunes, jumping from a dynamic slow-air to a lively jig. For this reason, pipers were in high demand for playing at festivals, dances and wakes.
The uilleann pipes reached their height in pre-famine Ireland, but then suffered a great downfall due to famine, immigration and a ban placed by the British government. The instrument was nearly extinct by the early 1900’s, with only 5 pipe makers left in the world.
Their revival began in the early 20th century, with the founding of the Gaelic League, and they continue to grow in popularity due to such masters as Seamus Ennis, Paddy Malone, Leo Rowsome and Willie Clancy. Na Piobairi Uilleann (The Uilleann Pipers), an Irish Pipers Society that now operates internationally, was founded In 1968, and has acted as the greatest proponent of the uilleann pipes, to date. It is estimated that the uilleann pipes are more played today than ever.
An important part of the uilleann pipes’ history is that they are an esoteric instrument. This strengthened any ties between Ireland and its pipes. As many cultures progressed and embraced modern instruments, such as the violin and accordion, The Irish continued to pass along their traditions. Pipes were often handed down from generation to generation (Seamus Ennis, the “Robert Johnson” of uilleann pipes, got his pipes from his father); and many of the traditional songs of Ireland were passed down, by ear, for hundreds of years. Furthermore, the uilleann pipes are extremely social, even by Irish standards. Their tone is very mellow, which makes it ideal for both indoors and outdoors; and the bellows frees the mouth from blowing, allowing a player to enjoy a cigarette and conversation while playing.
Though understated in its importance, another key aspect of the uilleann pipes is their ability to maintain the Gaeltacht song tradition. The Gealtacht song tradition involves a lone voice (human or instrument) playing an emotional slow-air, ornamented with trills and fluctuations in the intonation of the voice/instrument.
Any overview of the uilleann pipes wouldn’t be complete without mentioning “the great debate.” Uilleann is not a universally accepted name for the Irish pipes. For a long time, they were known as the Union Pipes; then, Grattan Flood, put forth the name uilleann (Gaelic for elbow) due to the bellows that are pumped with the arm. His contention was that union was an English corruption of the true Irish name. There is no corroborating facts to support his highly accepted theory. Others argue that Union is the proper name. Some people put forth that union refers to the “union” of instruments, meaning drones, regulators and chanter. Others claim that the name is derived from their use in the artist unions where actors, musicians and writers worked together. Still, some remain entirely neutral and call them the organ pipes. This name comes from the instrument’s chordal abilities and the similarities between regulator pipes and organ pipes.
