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Bagpipes - for love or money?
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The business of making bagpipes is as diverse as the instruments that you are likely to encounter.
You can find anything from small one-man operations working from home to large automated and computerized
job shops churning out bagpipes under various names and specifications.
Scotland is the most
successful country in the world at exporting its culture. Everywhere around the globe people are interested
in tracing and determining their Scottish heritage. Tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry within
Scotland and the Great Highland Bagpipe is a major marketing force within this industry. Every piper
in every parade, every Celtic Fesitval and Highland Games, and every public and private event around
the world is a walking, talking, musical billboard for Scotland! So great is the bagpipe's impact on
Scottish tourism that the government provides grants and subsidies to Scottish bagpipe makers to ensure
that the supply never dips below demand.
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Interestingly, the market seems to be segmented into three levels.
At the bottom are those
bagpipes that are absolutely unplayable or barely playable. They are made for only the most naive consumer
and are barely representative enough to serve as a decoration. These bagpipes are generally made in
Pakistan however examples may also be found throughout the rest of the world, including Scotland and
North America. They are recognized by inferior woods, inferior design, and inferior craftsmanship.
The middle ground is occupied by those who produce a playable instrument, however they generally
do not sound or perform at a very high level. Drones may lack superior sound qualities and they may
behave badly. These bagpipes may be tempermental and reluctant to behave under certain conditions or
with specific reeds. They may be inefficient through bore sizes and other design specifications. Overall
they are problematic and disappointing.
The high ground is reserved for those few makers that
build quality into their bagpipes in every area. You expect to find all fittings threaded into place.
You expect the wood and craftsmanship to be excellent and you expect the bagpipe to sound and behave
to the highest standards. These makers build bagpipes for discerning pipers. Interestingly it is the
smallest segment within the overall industry and market.
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Andrew Ross turning pipes - J & R Glen Bagpipe Makers - 1976
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So just what does the industry look like from bottom to top? Good question!
Again, the bottom
is pretty easy to identify. Pictures are sometimes posted on the Internet of "craftsmen" turning inferior
wood on inferior machines. There's one excellent picture that appears from time to time on EBAY of the
turner sitting on an earth floor with his feet sticking out in front of him while he works at a lathe.
A pile of finished parts is in the dirt at his feet. There is also a video available by a Scottish
maker using "age old methods" to produce an unplayable bagpipe. These bagpipe are intended for the tourist
industry and are not musical instruments.
The middle ground is a patchwork of cottage industry
turners, workshops, and high-end automated and computerized machine shops. Although you may be buying
a Brand X bagpipe, you really have no way of knowing exactly who made it or how it was made. Often they
are parts that have been contracted out to a worldwide cottage industry of turners through a "bagpipe
broker". These parts are brought together, assembled, and shipped to retailers and consumers as Brand
X bagpipes. Sometimes they are pretty good bagpipes. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes they contain
odd sizing and other specifications. Workmanship may vary from piece to piece. Sometimes skilled craftsmen
are involved and sometimes subsidized labour is merely putting pieces together without knowledge or skill.
Sometimes the end product is barely better than the "pretend" bagpipes spoken of earlier.
Makers
occupying the high ground are making bagpipes for pipers. They are generally smaller production operations
with a degree of sophisticated automated machining, however they relay heavily on the skills of their
craftmen to produce a quality end product. These bagpipes are often made one at a time with the same
person making the entire set. The finished product reflects the very best in materials, craftsmanship,
and musical design. These bagpipes are made for pipers.
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Unless you're on the inside of the industry it's very difficult to understand what it is and how it
works. Unless you're an accomplished piper and experienced with many different bagpipes, its difficult
to distinguish between between a well made bagpipe and a lesser bagpipe. Unless you're an accomplished
and experienced piper, it's difficult to understand what makes one bagpipe superior to another in sound
and performance.
I can't tell you how many "name" players I know that received a set of pipes
and then had them reworked to improve sound and behavior. Very often the bagpipe on his or her shoulder
is "Brand X" in name only! It bears little resemblance to the production model bagpipes that are being
gobbled up by the masses based on slick advertising and promotion. If I were an average consumer today,
I'd be confused, frustrated, and maybe just a bit angry.
So what can you do? A very wise many
once told me to "hurry along slowly."
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Read as much as you possibly can. Ask questions. Listen to the various bagpipes being played. Try
as many different bagpipes as you can lay your hands on. Try different reeds in them. Get others to
play your pipes and provide comment. Do this inside and without distractions. As you gain experience
your "senses and sensibilities" will improve and you will become expert.
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In conclusion, this is an industry where makers did not always respect the consumer. Generally speaking,
following WWII the quality of new bagpipes dropped dramatically. This decline continued for decades.
We are fortunate today that there are several makers manufacturing excellent bagpipes.
This is
also an industry where consumers have not always recognized or rewarded quality. Given what I've witnessed
over the years, I think that a lack of knowledge and respect for the instrument encourages makers to
take quality out. In many respects it was (and still is) a matter of survival. If consumers aren't
supporting the makers at the top then there is little incentive to maintain that high ground other than
for the love of the instrument. I speak with makers often and hold the opinion that the best opportunity
to preserve the quality of our instrument is by educating consumers.
Email or call with any questions
that you might have. I won't tell you what to buy but I will tell you what to look for. Thanks for
reading this and good piping!
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