Set of bellows-blown Lowland bagpipes

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Set of Lowland bagpipes, bellows-blown, of cocus wood mounted with ivory. Made by W. Duke, 19th century. The drones, two tenors and a bass are mounted in a common stock.

The Lowland pipes, or Border bagpipe, was a distinctive instrument by the 18th century. It has a chanter and three drones - two tenors and a bass - and sounded and tuned as the Great Highland bagpipe but would generally not have produced such a strident and carrying sound.

A distinguishing characteristic was the mounting of the three drones in a common stock, and the use of bellows strapped under the arm to provide a supply of air. Such a bagpipe would sometimes be described as a 'cauld wind pipe', in contrast to the mouth-blown bagpipe in which the player's breath was hot and lurid. The lowland pipes were the instrument favoured by the Town or Burgh Piper of Lowland Scotland.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-579-680-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: The Bagpipe Collection
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  H.1995.800 (1)
• Date: 19th century (date of manufacture)
  
• Material: Cocus wood and ivory
  Lowland bagpipes
  
• Dimensions:
• What: Lowland bagpipes
  
• Subject:
• Who: The Museum of Piping, Glasgow (place of display)
  W. Duke (manufacturer)
  
• Where:
• Event:
• Description: Set of Lowland bagpipes made of cocus wood and mounted with ivory.
  
• References:
  • Baines, Anthony,. Bagpipes. Occasional Paper on Technology 9, Oxford University Press, 1973. 
  • Campbell, Jeannie,. Highland Bagpipe Makers. Magnus Orr Publishing, 2001.
• Translations:
• Related Records: