Our English Pipes are mouth or bellows-blown, with a conically-bored chanter with a single or double drone. The chanter is played with similar fingering to the ‘A’ & ‘G’ border pipes with a flattened seventh. The ‘G’ chanter has an additional thumb hole which gives more opportunities for cross-fingering, as well as access to further notes in the upper octave through over-blowing. 

The design is based on early representations of bagpipes, with ‘trumpet’ style ends to the chanter and drones, which produce a different tone and volume to the Border Pipes. The single drone version is particularly easy to play and maintain, and well suited to players already accustomed to mouth-blown instruments.

Gallery

Drones

The English pipes are available with either a single base drone, or a base and tenor drone, in common or split stocks. Options include a switch key or individual stop keys.

Bellows

Bellows are available hand-stitched with purfling inlay or in a simpler nailed pattern in a variety of woods and sizes.

Bags

Bags are in stitched leather, dry suede side out for grip, and featuring an elegant swan-neck for stability and comfort, air tight with a lubricant inside to maintain subtleness. Bags are available in a choice of styles and sizes to suit the player. Colours black, brown and light-brown chosen to compliment the colour of the woods.

Reeds

The chanter reed is a brass staple with plastic blades which gives it good tone and volume while ensuring stability and reliability in a range of climatic conditions. The drone reeds similarly are brass bodied with a single plastic tongue. Cane reeds are available although we don’t believe they have any advantage over the more stable plastic.

Woods

The choice of woods affects the tone and character of the sound, and this is a matter of personal choice for the individual player. The set pictured above is in Yew (acid fumed). We make them in a wide variety of woods, including African woods; Blackwood, Mgurure, Mopane, Fruitwoods; Pear, Apple, Laburnum, Plum, Yew etc. 

Style

We make pipes in a range of styles – some of which can be seen on the gallery pages – but are always happy to make instruments to our customer’s unique requirements.