SCOTTISH SMALLPIPES

Garvie Bagpipes
Edinburgh

www.borderpipes.co.uk
Nigel Richard

email
garviebagpipes@zetnet.co.uk

The popularity of Scottish smallpipes has grown steadily ever since the revival in Scottish bellows blown pipes which started in the 1970s. Their rounded tone, which is quieter than the Border pipes, has made them ideal for practising at home, particularly where restricting the volume is a consideration. They also harmonise well with other instruments in small groups.

The fingering is the same as for the Highland pipe chanter. Small pipes are made in the key of A, D, C, and Bb. We angle certain tone holes in order to make the tight spacing of the D chanter and the wide spacing of the A chanter more comfortable.

Small pipes don't produce cross fingered accidentals but keys can be supplied for many of these if required. Our aim over the years with the smallpipes has been to maximise the volume of what are essentially fairly quiet instruments, whilst retaining their characteristic sound, and keeping the pressure at a moderate level. Originally the bright sounding D smallpipes were the most popular, but over the last 15 years the A sets have taken over, and now account for 90% of the smallpipes that we make.

The warm rich tone has attracted many pipers to them and, as with the Border pipes, the preferred key of other traditional players of Scottish music has also been a factor.

Fully mounted Scottish smallpipes in A, blackwood with artificial ivory mounts and nickel plated ferrules and drone sleeves, with velvet bag cover. Click on picture to enlarge image.

'Modal' Smallpipe Chanters
Garvie Bagpipes have developed a series of specialist chanters for the Scottish smallpipes which allow the piper to play a number of different modes, like the Dorian and Aeolian, and scales like the harmonic minor without changing from the standard fingering.

A useful arrangement is one set of pipes with a number of interchangeable chanters including one for the standard pipe scale (the Mixolydian mode). The C chanters give the greatest number of different scales though many are possible in other keys depending on the note spacing. Enquires are welcome for any special requirements.