Some bagpipe websites... for starters

This is by no means a complete list of bagpipe-related websites. Needless to say, the comments about the websites are mine.

• “Alternative” Bagpipes  1/16/10
• Audio (only)
• Computer related Updated: 1/16/10
• Games listings
• Miscellaneous Updated: 10/10/09
• Publications Updated: 8/30/08
• Reference
• Sheet music Updated: 8/23/07

“Alternative” Bagpipes

• “Francis Wood ‘Disposable Bagpipes.’ ” (YouTube.) Time: 03:30.  1/16/10
• “How to make a CPVC Membrane Pipe.” (YouTube.) Time: 06:41.  1/16/10
• “Membrane Pipe.” (YouTube.) Time: 01:09. Also: “Membrane Pipe—‘Down by the Sally Gardens.’ ” (YouTube.) Time: 00:18.  1/16/10
• “Rubber Glove Bagpipe.” (YouTube.) Time: 01:09.  1/16/10

Audio (only)

• No links!

Computer related

• Bagpipe Music Writer Gold (by Robert MacNeil Musicworks)
  For bagpipe scores. About $100.
• Bagpipe Player (by Doug Wickstrom)
  This is the freebie version of Bagpipe Music Writer. This website also has a utility for converting bagpipe software file formats (ABC, Electric Pipes, Piob Mhor, BMW DOS, BMW Gold).
       (Yes, Bagpipe Music Writer Gold and Bagpipe Player are basically the same program. Yes, there are legal issues between the creator and the programmer of Bagpipe Music Writer. MacNeil is the creator; Wickstrom is the programmer. No, I don’t know the full story except that the copyright for Bagpipe Music Writer Gold is attributed to Doug Wickstrom and Robert MacNeil, while the copyright for Bagpipe Player is attributed to Doug Wickstrom.)
• DrumNote (by Solutions in Software Inc.)
  For drum scores. About $130.
• CelticPipes (by ChorusLogic Ltd.)
  For bagpipe, chanter, whistle, flute, bodhran, and side drum.. About $80.
• Electric Pipes (by The Baked Bean Company)
  For bagpipe scores. This program is modular, the base module costing $30.
• PiobMaster and DrumScriobh
  DrumScriobh, for drum scores, and PiobMaster, for bagpipe scores, each cost about $75.
• “3QuarterSet—Virtual Uilleann Pipes Drones and Regulators for the iPhone or iPod Touch.” (YouTube.) Time: 03:32.  1/16/10

Games listings

• Canadian Bagpipe Links (Stewart Nimmo’s website)
• EUSPBA calender (Go to the home page and click around)
• Highland Games Index
• Coucil of Scottish Clans and Associations, Fesitvals & Games
• US Scots

Miscellaneous

• “Bagpipes and a bikini” and “Small pipes and no bikini”
  Some background: A friend pointed out the initial video. I thought it was pointless: plot, visuals, music. I attended Pipers’ Gathering 2007 and one of the teachers, who shall remain nameless because I’ve yet to get her permission to post her name, mentioned she was so incensed by the video, she filmed a response. The plot works given the initial video, the visuals are so-so, the music is excellent. “So there!” Indeed!
• “Bagpipe Hero.” (Humor; YouTube.) Time: 01:10.   7/18/09
• “Human Bagpipes”
• Inflatable Highlander Adult Costume  10/10/09
• MSR Tempo Calculator
  “A guide to setting the tempos of march, strathspey and reel music for pipe bands. Guide tempo calculations are based upon data from over 200 grade 1 recorded performances.”
• Northumbrian Smallpipes Simulator
  “Learn how they work and how to tune the drones.”
• Smallpiper
  Smallpipes lessons (and music, with dots!) from Vicki Swan.
• Try Not to Look Up. (Humor; video. Size: 5.0 MB. File type: WMV. Date received: 4/2/09.)  4/2/09
• Utilikilts
  “Utility kilts” that are functional, useful, good looking, and a lot less expensive and easier to clean than conventional kilts. However, they’re probably not acceptable dress for solo piping competition! For an interesting and funny Utilikilt experiment (think Hawthorne Effect), visit The Great Kilt Experiment at the William Smith Alternative High School in Aurora, Colorado.

Publications

• Ceol Sean
  Bagpipe music books on CD. Little regarding bagpiping is reasonably priced—except these CDs. Priced from about $13 to $25 (only one is that high), these CDs are informative (as much as music books are), easy to use, and well worth the price.
• EUSPBA (Eastern United States Pipe Band Association)
• pipes|drums formerly Piper & Drummer Magazine
• PipeBandArticles.com
• Piping Times

Reference

• Andrew Lenz’s Bagpipe Journey
  Simply excellent.
• Bagpipe FAQ
  That’s FAQ as in “Frequently Asked Questions.” This is the FAQ for the newsgroup rec.music.makers.bagpipe.
• Bagpipe newsgroup (rec.music.makers.bagpipe)
  It’s been a long time since I’ve “lurked” this newsgroup; the flame-to-information ratio makes slogging through new postings hardly worth the effort. Occasionally you can find music or a link to music. Occasionally there’s a relevant discussion about bagpipe repair or bagpipe selection, with valuable information. Other topics, too.
• Bagpipe Web Directory
  Fabulous-layout, access, and content-and vast. Some links are outdated.
• Glossary of bagpipe parts
  Good glossary from CE Kron & Company.
• City of Regina Pipe Band (CRPB), Saskatchewan, Canada
  Check the whole website
• The College of Piping
  Among other things on the website, Piping Times.
• Index of Fiddle, Bagpipe, Flute, Dulcimer, Banjo, etc. Tunes
  If you don’t want to buy a bound index of bagpipe tunes, and LonePiper isn’t informative enough, you might want to download this index. (I mostly use bound indices.)
• The Piobaireachd Society
• Pipe Scores on the Net
  Lots o’ links. Some stuff out of date, but plenty of wheat among the chaff.
• The Universe of Bagpipes
  The Great Highland Bagpipes (GHB) are not the only bagpipes around!
• Words to Popular Pipe Tunes
  Quite the reference.
• WWW Bagpipe Index
  “Somewhat irregularly maintained by Ewan Macpherson.” Worth visiting, though.

Sheet Music

• Bagpipe Tunes
  2.6 MB of tunes in BWW format, many duplicates. McPage might be better to start with.
• Canadian Bagpipe Links
  Personal home page. Lots of info, links, music (BMW, JPG, and midi), and a fantastic collection of bagpipe humor that are not necessarily viola or banjo jokes.
• Celtic Fringe
  “Tune of the day” in BMW and other information and tunes.
• McPage
  Download the ZIPped file containing approximately 1,700 BMW files.
• McGillvray Piping
  "Pipe Tunes on Demand