The bagpipes shown on the following pages are different versions of the same instrument as they keep the same general main parts and inner bores. The instrument is usually in A-minor and the pitch is A=440 Hz at 68 °F (if you need further informations about pitch and temperature please click here). The two drones are tuned to the octave: the bass drone two octaves under the chanter tonic and the tenor drone an octave above the bass. The volume of the instrument is quite high and this characteristic makes bagpipes particularly good for outdoor use. Tunes can be played easily while exerting relatively low pressure on the bag. The double reed of the chanter and the single reed of the drones are made exclusively in the “Arundo donax” reed. The bag is made of cows skin, hand sewn together. The instruments are made without using any synthetic materials. The external designs are only some of the possible designs inspired from ancient iconography and various traditional instruments which are still in use today all over Europe. These instruments are made completely by hand which allows for any particular design requirements and can be made either from studying ancient iconography or from custom design.
