Bagpipe Glossary

Purpose: Define bagpipe terms and embellishments used across the app and lessons.

Terms

• Chanter: The melody pipe of the Great Highland Bagpipe.
• Drones: Pipes that produce continuous background tones.
• Bag: The air reservoir that supplies steady airflow to the chanter and drones.
• Blowpipe: The tube used to inflate the bag, often fitted with a non-return valve.
• Reed: The vibrating element inside the chanter or drones that produces sound.
• Stock: A wooden or plastic socket fitted into the bag to hold the blowpipe, chanter, or drones.
• Hemp: Waxed thread wrapped around joints to create airtight seals between parts.
• Ferrule: A decorative and protective ring, often metal or imitation ivory, at the end of a pipe section.
• Mount: The decorative turning or ring near the end of a pipe section, typically made of ivory, imitation ivory, or plastic.
• Projecting Mount: A raised decorative mount commonly found on Highland bagpipes.
• Drone Cord: The cord tied around the drones to keep them stable and evenly spaced on the shoulder.
• Bag Cover: A cloth cover placed over the bag for comfort, grip, and decoration.
• Drone Reed: The reed used inside the drones, traditionally cane but often synthetic today.
• Chanter Reed: The reed inside the chanter, usually made of cane and highly sensitive to conditions.
• Drone Tuning Slide: The movable section of the drone used to adjust pitch.
• Cut: A short grace note separating repeated melody notes.
• Strike: A short grace note used to articulate a note onset.
• Birl: A rapid low-A embellishment performed with the little finger.
• Doubling: A two-grace-note embellishment emphasizing a melody note.
• Grip: A three-note embellishment used to separate notes, often on low A or low G.
• Taorluath: A complex embellishment usually played on D, consisting of a grip followed by a note strike.
• Crunluath: An advanced embellishment that builds upon the taorluath with additional grace notes.
• Piobaireachd (Pibroch): The classical music of the Highland bagpipe, featuring theme and variations.
• Ceòl Beag: “Little music,” referring to lighter forms such as marches, strathspeys, reels, jigs, and hornpipes.
• Ceòl Mòr: “Big music,” another term for piobaireachd, the extended classical form.
• Strike-in: The act of starting the bagpipes by bringing the drones and chanter into steady sound together.
• Cut-off: The coordinated stopping of the pipes, usually with the chanter closed and drones silenced cleanly.
• Grace Note: A quick, unmetered note used for articulation and ornamentation, not part of the melody.
• Embellishment: A group of grace notes forming a rhythmic and expressive figure around melody notes.

More terms will be added as the guide expands.