The Scottish smallpipe is a type of bagpipe that uses a bellows to blow air, developed again by Colin Ross and others based on an older design. Examples of similar bellows-blown instruments from the past still exist, along with mouth-blown Montgomery smallpipes from 1757, which are kept in the National Museum of Scotland. Some instruments are made as exact copies of historical models, but most modern smallpipes are larger and produce a deeper sound. Improvements in the design of the reeds, which are important parts of the instrument, were mainly inspired by the Northumbrian smallpipes.

Although small pipes have been around since the 15th century, the modern version of the instrument is the youngest type of bagpipe that is widely popular. It has only existed in its current form since the early 1980s.

Characteristics

Scottish smallpipes differ from Northumbrian smallpipes because they have an open-ended chanter and usually do not have keys. This makes the chanter’s sound continuous instead of short and separated, and limits its range to nine notes, unlike the Northumbrian smallpipes, which can play an octave and a sixth.

The chanter of the Scottish smallpipe is cylindrical in shape and is most often tuned to A. Other common tunings include D, C, B flat, and G. Because the chanter is cylindrical, it produces a note an octave lower than a conical chanter of the same size, like those found on Border pipes. The Scottish smallpipe uses the same basic scale as the Highland and Border bagpipes, called the Mixolydian scale. In this scale, the seventh note is slightly lower than in the A major scale, so the low and high G notes on an A chanter are natural, not sharp.

Scottish smallpipes are usually tuned to match the fingering system of Highland bagpipes, where some finger holes are covered to play notes. However, they can also be tuned to a system where only one finger is lifted to play each note, similar to the Northumbrian smallpipes. The difference is that the tonic tonehole on the Scottish smallpipe remains uncovered unless playing the low leading note.

Scottish smallpipes are typically blown with bellows, like Northumbrian smallpipes and Border pipes. Bellows-blown pipes are popular because they stay in tune more easily and allow players to sing or speak while playing. Mouth-blown smallpipes are also used, though less commonly.

The chanter is usually unkeyed, but sometimes keys are added for extra notes. These include high B, G sharp, F natural, and C natural. A second thumb hole may be added to play C natural. While it is possible to add more keys, most instruments have no more than three. Most music written for the Scottish smallpipe uses only the nine notes of its unkeyed range.

The drones, usually three in number, are attached to a shared stock and are tuned in one of two patterns. For an A chanter, the tenor drone matches the low A of the chanter, and the bass drone is an octave lower. A dominant drone may also be added, either a baritone (a fifth above the bass) or an alto (a fifth above the tenor). When playing in D (the fourth note of an A chanter), the dominant drone can be turned off or retuned to match the D note. Most makers prefer baritone drones, though some use only the bass and tenor. Some instruments have drones that work with both A and D chanters, such as the "ADAD" style, which includes bass, baritone, tenor, and alto drones.

Drones can be adjusted using tuning slides or beads, allowing them to be retuned to higher pitches. This makes it possible to play in different keys, such as A Mixolydian, D major, B minor, or G by tuning down a tone. Longer tuning slides can also change the drone pitch to match chanters in different keys, such as converting A and D drones to G and C.

History

The Scottish smallpipes were among the earliest recorded bagpipes in Scotland, along with the Border pipes. They were widely used in the Lowland regions, even as far north as Aberdeen. Evidence shows they existed as early as the 15th century, when they were played for dancing and entertainment in royal courts and castles. Later, they became popular among town musicians and minstrels until the early 19th century, when the decline of town pipers caused them to disappear from records. The smallpipes used bellows to blow air, which made them suitable for long playing sessions. These bellows-blown smallpipes are believed to have come to Scotland from England and Europe. Examples of them appear in many drawings, carvings, and paintings from the 15th century in Scotland and from the 12th century in Europe. Some information about the history of Scottish smallpipes is discussed in Collinson’s book on bagpipes. More accurate details can be found in Hugh Cheape’s book, Bagpipes: A National Collection.

Because the continuous tradition of playing smallpipes and Border pipes was broken, there is no single, clear style of playing them. However, surviving music manuscripts, especially those by Dixon, Peacock, and Riddell, suggest their style included variations, runs, and arpeggios. This is different from Highland music, which often uses stylized grace notes.

Today, smallpipes are very popular among Highland pipers, who often use them or Border pipes as a second instrument. These instruments are better suited for indoor playing and are used according to the Highland tradition. While they have replaced the less suitable Highland practice chanter for quiet rehearsals, they are also widely used in group music sessions to play both Highland and Lowland (Border) music.

The Scottish smallpipes were the first widely available instrument that allowed Highland pipers to join musical groups with fiddlers, flautists, and other musicians, as well as to accompany singers. Notable players of the smallpipes include Hamish Moore, Iain MacInnes, Allan MacDonald, Gary West, Fred Morrison, Fin Moore, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Michael Roddy, Callum Armstrong, Ross Ainslie, Gordon Mooney, EJ Jones, Ailis Sutherland, Glenn Coolen, Barry Shears, and the late Martyn Bennett.