The Northumbrian smallpipes (also called the Northumbrian pipes) are bagpipes that use a bellows to blow air. They are from Northeastern England and have been an important part of the local music culture for more than 250 years. The family of the Duke of Northumberland has had an official piper for over 250 years. The Northumbrian Pipers' Society was created in 1928 to help people learn to play the instrument and its music. At times during the last century, there were so few players that some feared the tradition might end. However, today there are many players and makers of the instrument, and the Society has helped bring the tradition back to life. Recently, the Mayor of Gateshead and the Lord Mayor of Newcastle have both started a tradition of appointing official Northumbrian pipers.

In a study of bagpipes at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford University, Anthony Baines, an expert in musical instruments, wrote: "It may be the most refined of the bagpipes, focusing only on traditional bagpipe music—melody with a drone—but improving this music to a high level."

The instrument has one chanter (usually with keys) and four drones. The chanter has a cylindrical shape and several metal keys, most often seven. Some chanters can cover a range of over two octaves and require seventeen or more keys, all operated by either the right hand thumb or left little finger. The instrument does not use overblowing to reach this range, so the keys and the length of the chanter are needed to produce two octaves.

The Northumbrian smallpipes' chanter has a completely closed end, and the way the fingers are used (each note is played by lifting only one finger or opening one key) makes the music sound short and separated, called staccato. Because the pipes have narrow bores (about 4.3 millimeters for the chanter), the sound is much quieter than most other bagpipes.

A detailed description of how to build Northumbrian smallpipes, written by William Alfred Cocks and Jim F. Bryan, was published in 1967 by the Northumbrian Pipers' Society. This book helped encourage a revival of making the instrument. It is now out of print. Another description, by Mike Nelson, is currently available. Nelson’s designs also include "School Pipes," which are G-sets with plastic parts made for use in schools in Northumberland. These two accounts differ in their goals: Cocks and Bryan based their work on descriptions of existing sets, especially those by Robert Reid, while Nelson’s work describes his own design.

Early development

The earliest known description of this instrument in Britain is found in the Talbot manuscript from around 1695. This early source describes bagpipes, including one called a bellows-blown "Bagpipe, Scotch," with three drones. Its chanter had no keys and could play one octave, from G to g. Each note was made by uncovering a single hole, similar to the modern instrument. This instrument likely had a closed-ended chanter, as the lowest note was played by uncovering the lowest finger hole. There was no bell note, which would be played with all holes covered. Talbot did not describe the inside shape of the chanter, suggesting it was difficult to measure. The three drones matched the lowest note, G, of the chanter, with another drone a fourth below (D) and another an octave lower (G). Some believe these instruments were based on German three-drone bagpipes that used the mouth to blow. By the early 18th century, these instruments were common in Northumberland. Many tunes in the William Dixon manuscript are suitable for these simple sets. A painting in Alnwick Castle shows Joseph Turnbull, the Duchess of Northumberland's piper, playing one of these instruments. In 1857, Thomas Doubleday wrote to the Duke of Northumberland about the "ancient music of Northumberland," explaining that the Northumbrian pipe is played using a method called "close fingering." This method requires lifting only one finger at a time, limiting the instrument to one octave. Despite its small size, the instrument can play many tunes clearly and in tune, producing bright, ringing tones. This description remains accurate for the unkeyed instrument, its music, and its proper playing style.

Chanter

Although keyless chanters were widely used during much of the 18th century, the first known example of a keyed chanter appears in an illustration and fingering diagram in John Peacock's book, A Favorite Collection of Tunes with Variations Adapted for the Northumberland Small Pipes, Violin, or Flute. This book was first published by William Wright of Newcastle around the year 1800.

The earliest keyed chanters were likely made by John Dunn. The instrument shown in Peacock’s book had four keys: one for F sharp, one for E, one for D (below the octave G-g range of the unkeyed instrument), and one for A (above it). Two early pipe tunes written for this instrument were "Lamshaw's Fancy" and "Shields Fair." Lamshaw died in 1806 but was known to play the "improved smallpipes." Only one of these tunes is named after him; the other likely honors the Tynemouth and North Shields Fair, which began in 1804. Lamshaw performed at the fair as the Duke’s piper.

Later, Robert Reid and his son James improved the design by adding more keys. In practice, beginning players often find that a seven-key chanter, with a range from D to B, is enough to play most traditional piping music. A seven-key chanter made by Robert Reid is shown below, with four views:

• From the front, the fingerholes for G, A, B, C, D, E, and F sharp.
• From the player’s left, the keys for low E and high A, operated by the left little finger.
• From the back, the thumbhole for high G and two keys for low F sharp and D sharp, operated by the right thumb.
• From the right, the keys for low D, C sharp, and high B, operated by the right thumb.

Chanters with more keys allow players to perform tunes with a wider range or more chromatic notes, making it easier to play music originally written for the fiddle.

The chanter has a double reed, similar to the reed of an oboe. This design creates a unique sound filled with high-pitched tones. Because the inside of the chanter is round-shaped, the odd-numbered harmonics are especially strong.

Traditionally, chanters were tuned between F and F sharp, with older instruments often closer to modern F sharp. Some modern makers prefer to build chanters at a pitch called F+, where the note G sounds slightly higher than F natural. However, this G is still written as G in musical notation. Today, chanters are available in a range from D to G, with F+ being the most common for solo or group performances. G is the most popular tuning for playing with other instruments. Some pipers now use chanters tuned to F#, which have a brighter tone than F+ chanters but are not overly sharp.

Drones

Northumbrian pipes typically have four drones, placed side by side in a single wooden piece. These drones can be adjusted, and three are usually tuned to the main note, the fifth note, and the same note one octave higher. The fourth drone is often turned off. Like the chanter, drones have a narrow, round shape inside. However, their reeds have only one blade, either cut from a single cane tube or attached to a metal body using a strip of cane. Some modern makers have tested using plastic or carbon fiber blades in metal bodies.

Each drone has a tuning slide for small adjustments and one or two "bead holes" that raise the pitch by a tone or two. This allows the piper to play in different musical keys while still using the main note, fifth note, and octave note combination. Sets with five or six drones were made in the 19th century for easier retuning, but these are rare and usually custom-made.

Only three drones are played at a time, such as G, D, and g if the main note is G. Some sets include switches controlled by the thumb, letting the player change keys without stopping. Occasionally, other tunings have been used, such as G, c, g for tunes in C major or D, A, d, a for some tunes in D major.

Repertoire

The earliest bagpipe music from Northumberland, or anywhere in the British Isles, is found in a manuscript from the 1730s written by William Dixon. Some of these tunes can be played on Border pipes or modern Scottish smallpipes, but about half of them have a single octave range and sound best on the simple, keyless Northumbrian pipe chanter. These tunes are mostly extended variation sets based on dance tunes with different rhythms, such as reels, jigs, compound triple-time tunes (now called slip jigs), and triple-time hornpipes.

At the start of the 19th century, the first collection of music specifically for Northumbrian smallpipes was published. It was called John Peacock's Favorite Collection. Peacock was the last of the Newcastle Waits (musical watchmen) and likely the first smallpiper to use a keyed chanter. The collection includes both simple dance tunes and extended variation sets. The variation sets, like Cut and Dry Dolly, are designed for the single-octave, keyless chanter, while the dance tunes are often adapted from fiddle music, including Scottish tunes such as Money Musk. A student of Peacock, Robert Bewick (son of engraver Thomas Bewick), left five notebooks of pipetunes dated between 1832 and 1843. These notebooks show the early development of the keyed chanter and the repertoire of smallpipes during this time. Around the same period, Lionel Winship’s manuscript from 1833, now available as a facsimile on FARNE, includes copies of Peacock’s tunes as well as Scottish, Irish, and ballroom dance tunes. Both sources include tunes in E minor, showing that the D-sharp key was available by this date.

In 1882, The Northumbrian Minstrelsy was published. It aimed to preserve Northeastern folk songs and pipe music from areas like Durham City to just north of the Scottish border. The book has two sections: the first includes lyrics (with some music) of historical songs, while the second provides music for many Northumbrian smallpipe tunes, with few lyrics. The book used earlier sources, such as Joseph Ritson’s Bishopric Garland, John Bell’s Rhymes of Northern Bards, and Joseph Crawhall II’s Tunes for the Northumbrian Small Pipes.

As keyed chanters became more common, it became easier to adapt fiddle music for smallpipes. Common-time hornpipes, like those played by fiddler James Hill, became more important in the repertoire. The High Level is an example. Many dance tunes with styles similar to fiddle music were also written specifically for smallpipes, such as The Barrington Hornpipe by Thomas Todd, composed in the late 19th century. Borrowing from other traditions continued, as seen in the work of Billy Pigg and Jack Armstrong (The Duke of Northumberland’s Piper), who adapted Scottish and Irish tunes for smallpipes and composed new pieces for the instrument.

Although many pipers today focus on dance tunes and slow airs, extended variation sets remain an important part of the repertoire. Tom Clough’s manuscripts include many of these, some of which are variations of tunes from Peacock’s collection. Clough also composed original variation sets, such as Nae Guid Luck Aboot the Hoose, which uses the extended range of a keyed chanter.

Alistair Anderson, best known for playing the English concertina, also plays Northumbrian smallpipes and has written many tunes for the instrument. His compositions for groups of instruments use a wider range of harmonies than traditional smallpipes music. He has collaborated with musicians like jazz trombonist Annie Whitehead and composed the Shivering Stone suite, performed with the Lindsay String Quartet.

Kathryn Tickell, who studied with Anderson as a young musician, has written many virtuoso pieces for smallpipes and worked with diverse artists, including The Chieftains, The Boys of the Lough, the Penguin Café Orchestra, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard, and Sting. She also had a modern classical piece, Kettletoft Inn, written for her by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. In 2008, she composed a suite for the BBC Promenade Concerts, performed by the London Sinfonietta, Muzsikas, and Folkestra. More recently, she has collaborated with pianist Joanna MacGregor and the Nash Ensemble, performing new compositions based on traditional Northumbrian tunes by Howard Skempton, Peter Maxwell Davies, and Michael Finnissy.

Playing style

The traditional way to play the instrument involves playing each note in a short, separated manner called staccato. Each note is created by lifting one finger or pressing one key. The goal is to make each note as long as possible while keeping it clearly separate from the next note. This is often described as "notes should come out like peas." The chanter is closed between notes, causing a brief silence, and each note begins and ends with a short, audible "pop" sound.

For decoration, short grace notes are often played before a main melody note. Some players use open fingers instead of a staccato technique for these grace notes, allowing for expressive sounds. Billy Pigg used this method to create emotional effects. However, a complex open-fingered gracing style called "choyting" is generally not preferred. Tom Clough avoided open-fingered ornamentation entirely, calling it a "grievous error." Many pipers use a close-fingered style, such as Chris Ormston and Adrian Schofield. Even players like Kathryn Tickell, who use open fingering for expression, base their playing on the close-fingered technique.

Recordings

There are many recordings of the smallpipes available today, including music that has been stored for historical purposes, sold commercially, and shared without commercial intent. New releases of important 20th-century smallpipe recordings include:

• Topic TSCD487 The Northumbrian Smallpipes – features three recordings by Tom Clough.
• LERCD4006 Billy Pigg, the Border Minstrel

Northumbrian pipers

This list is not complete—some pipemakers who do not advertise or who make instruments as needed are not included.

• Kim Bull
• Richard & Anita Evans
• Andy May
• Dave Shaw
• Ray Sloan
• Paul Tabbush
• Philip Gruar
• Mike Nelson