This page contains audio clips of many of the different bagpipe types and some of the different keys their chanter's play in. We are lucky enough to see and hear most of these each year at The Pipers' Gathering. The clips are recorded in stereo, stored as wav or mp3 files and are supported by most browsers.
Also included on this page is music vendor contact information where you can buy CDs that contain the tunes the clips were taken from.
Turn on your speakers and left click on the icon on the right to download and hear the audio sound clip.
Northumbrian Smallpipes
| Northumbrian smallpipes in the key of F made by Ray Sloan and played by Ian Lawther. |
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| From Ian's CD The Empty Trough, this is a 281 KB wav clip taken from the tune Joseph Lawther. |
Irish Uilleann Pipes
| Irish uilleann bagpipe in the key of D made by Peter Maguire and played by Brian McNamara. |
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| From Brian's CD The Piper's Dream, this is a 290 KB wav clip taken from the reel The Torn Jacket |
| Irish uilleann bagpipe in the key of C made by Geoff Wooff and played by Brian McNamara. |
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| From Brian's CD The Piper's Dream, this is a 327 KB wav clip taken from the jig The Newport Lasses. |
| Irish uilleann bagpipe in the key of C made by Koehler/Quinn and played by Benedict Koehler |
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| In memory of Al Purcell, this is Benedict Koehler playing a 348 wav clip of The Dear Irish Boy at the Baltimore tionol in 2000. A longer, 3436 KB - mp3 version is also available. |
| Irish uilleann bagpipe in the key of B made and played by Bruce Childress. |
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| This is a 248 KB wav clip of the tune Snug in a Blanket. |
English Pipes
| English Great pipes in the key of G made and played by Julian Goodacre. |
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| From Julian's CD Pipemaker Calls Yer Tunes, this is a 248 KB wav clip taken from the tune Castle Creavie. |
| Cornish pipes in the key of D made and played by Julian Goodacre. Note: Two chanters, two chanter reeds. Left hand plays the left chanter, right hand plays the right. |
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| From Julian's CD Pipemaker Calls Yer Tunes, this is a 183 KB wav clip taken from the tune The Blue Eyed Stranger. |
| Leicestershire smallpipe in the key of G made and played by Julian Goodacre. |
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| From Julian's CD Pipemaker Calls Yer Tunes, this is a 239 KB wav clip taken from the tune The Quaker's Wife. |
| English Great pipes in the key of low D made and played by Julian Goodacre. |
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| From Julian's CD Pipemaker Calls Yer Tunes, this is a 256 KB wav clip taken from the tune The Rochdale Coconut Dance. |
| Leicestershire smallpipe in the key of G made and played by Julian Goodacre. |
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| From Julian's CD Pipemaker Calls Yer Tunes, this is a 209 KB wav clip taken from the tune The Star Melody. |
Border Pipes
| Border pipes in the key of A made by Hamish Moore and played by Fred Morrison. |
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| From the CD The Sound of the Sun, this is a 232 KB wav clip taken from the tune Caber Feidh. |
| Border pipes in the key of G made and played by Jon Swayne. |
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| From the Moebius CD August, this is a 284 KB wav clip taken from the hornpipe Allemain. |
| Border pipes in the key of A made and played by Nigel Richard. |
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| From the Bag o' Cats CD Out of the Bag, this is a 359 KB wav clip taken from the March of the King of Laois. |
Scottish Smallpipes
| Scottish smallpipes in the key of D made by Mike MacHarg and played by Mike MacNintch. |
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| From Mike's CD The Chanter's Song, this is a 308 KB wav clip taken from the tune The Kerry Polkas. |
Scottish smallpipes in the key of D made by Mike MacHarg and played by Iain MacHarg.
Note: Iain first played the tune then recorded over it so with the same bagpipe pipe. |
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| From Iain's CD Rooted in Tradition, this is a 261 KB wav clip taken from the tune Jenny Nettles. |
| Scottish smallpipes in the key of C made by Hamish Moore and played by Iain MacInnes. |
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| From Ian's CD Tryst, this is a 205 KB mp3 clip taken from the tune Captain Grant. |
| Scottish smallpipes in the key of Bb made by Ray Sloan and played by Ian Lawther. |
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| From Ian's CD The Empty Trough, this is a 259 KB wav clip taken from the tune High Road to Linton. |
| Scottish smallpipes in the key of A made by Michael Dow and played by Mike MacNintch. |
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| From Mike's CD The Chanter's Song, this is a 282 KB wav clip taken from the tune She Moved Through the Fair. |
| Scottish smallpipes with a double chanter, in the key of A made by Colin Ross and played by Ian Lawther. Note: One chanter, two closely spaced parallel bores, two reeds and two sets of finger holes. All played with two hands! |
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| From Ian's CD The Empty Trough, this is a 296 KB wav clip taken from the tune Hector the Hero. |
Great Highland Pipes
| Great Highland pipes in the key of Bb played by Barry Shears. |
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| From Barry's CD A Cape Breton Piper, this is a 255 KB wav clip taken from the tune Rothiemurdhus Rant, a dance style strathspey written in 4/4 time. According to Barry: "The reason the dance style strathspey died out in Scotland is because it was used exclusively for step dancing. When the step dancing disappeared there so did the tune structure. |
| Great Highland pipes in the key of Bb played by Barry Shears. |
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| From Barry's CD A Cape Breton Piper, this is a 239 KB wav clip taken from the Galic poem Rann do Rob Mac-an-t-saoir, Piobair Mbic'ic Ailein. A loose translation of the title would be: In praise of Robert MacIntyre, piper to MacDonald of Clanranald |
French Pipes
| French Pipes in the key of G. Chanter made by Mike McHarg, drones by Brian McCandless and played by Jon Kmetz. |
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| From the demo CD French Toast, this is a 218 KB wav clip taken from the tune Lo Crusado. |
Hurdy Gurdy
| Hurdy Gurdy made by Matt Szostak of Camden, Maine and played by Michele McCann. Note: A hurdy gurdy is a stringed instrument with both harmony and drone strings and it is closely associated with bagpipes. There are pictures of Michele playing one of these creatures on the GALLERY page. |
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| From the demo CD French Toast, this is a 220 KB wav clip taken from the tune Sanceroisse. |
Eryri Pipes
| Eryri pipes in the key of D played by Paddy from Hamish McDoodle & KickingKelticKaosKrew |
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| From Hamish McDoodle's CD Electric Goatland, This is a 259 KB wav clip taken from the tune Bagpipes Make My Balls Itch. Their web site is located at: http://www.goatindustries.co.uk/ |
Vendors
Looking to purchase the CDs listed above? Please check with the following fine music vendors: