Some bagpipe websites... for starters

During a Sunday band practice in October 2003, a bunch of us traded websites for bagpipe music and related information. Other pipers outside the band have asked me for links as well. Here’s what I have, mostly for bagpiping. (For drumming, check Bagpipe Web Directory—Drumming links related to GHB.)

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 Updated: 4/18/10
• Sheet music Updated: 2/11/10

“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 “Events Calendar”)
• Coucil of Scottish Clans and Associations, Fesitvals & Games
• US Scots (Go to the home page and click on “Scottish Highlands Games & Events”)

Miscellaneous

• “Bagpipe Hero.” (Humor; YouTube.) Time: 01:10.
• “Human Bagpipes”
• Inflatable Highlander Adult Costume
• 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.)
• 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 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.
• Ewan's Hot Piping Stuff  4/18/10
  Info about acoustics and tuning.
• The Piobaireachd Society
• Raypiob  4/18/10
  Personal home page. Click “Tuition/Solutions” for basic info about reeds, bagpipe and reed maintenance, sound and pitch, dance tempos, piobaireachd, and canntaireachd.
• The Universe of Bagpipes
  The Great Highland Bagpipes (GHB) are not the only bagpipes around!
• Words to Popular Pipe Tunes
  Quite the reference.

Sheet Music

• 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.
• John Layton's BWW Bagpipe Collection
  2.6 MB of tunes in BWW format, many duplicates. McPage might be better to start with.
• McPage
  Download the ZIPped file containing approximately 1,700 BMW files.
• McGillvray Piping
  "Pipe Tunes on Demand"
• ViperPiper's Bagpipe Tunes  2/10/10
  "ViperPipers Tune Forum & Bagpipe Music Database." Over the years, this site has seemed to be on again/off again. It's now on again.