Cracked and repaired Highland bagpipe chanter

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Highland bagpipe chanter of a tropical hardwood, possibly cocus wood, 19th century. The sole is missing. The chanter is covered with a dark varnish which is conspicuously worn off round the fingerholes.

A crack runs between five of the fingerholes and the wall of the chanter has been tightly bound in five places and the bindings countersunk and varnished.

Until recently, about the mid-20th century, pipers would retain damaged and cracked bagpipe chanters and would repair them intricately to keep them playing. They might not be able to afford a replacement and bagpipes were not being mass-produced as they are today. Now we would try to replace a broken chanter immediately and would consider that its quality and acoustic properties had been impaired.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-579-873-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: The Bagpipe Collection
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  K.2002.1821
• Date: 19th century (date of manufacture)
  
• Material: Tropical hardwood, varnish and binding
  Highland bagpipe chanter
  
• Dimensions: 362 mm L; 33 mm Dia; interior of mouth 22 mm Dia
  
• What: Highland bagpipe chanter
  
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• Description: Highland bagpipe chanter of tropical hardwood, possibly cocus wood, covered with a dark varnish and cracked and bound between finger holes.
  
• References:
  • Baines, Anthony,. Bagpipes. Occasional Paper on Technology 9, Oxford University Press, 1973. 
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