From Anzac Day services and military events to multicultural festivals, the bagpipes are deeply rooted in Australia's cultural life.

A regional Queensland pipe band is finding the balance between honouring its musical heritage and embracing new, non-traditional music — what we could coin as 'bagpop' — to broaden its appeal and recruit a new generation of pipers.

James Kelso is the pipe major with Central Queensland Pipes and Drums, based in Rockhampton.

It is his job to select and arrange music for the band, train new players and make sure everyone is in tune when it is time to step off.

"You do have to play to the audience. It's no use playing stuff they're not familiar with all the time," Mr Kelso said.

"But we are trying to introduce some some more modern music to get people interested."

Playing funky stuff

James Kelso chooses and arranges music, trains new players, and gets the band ready for performances. ( ABC Capricornia: Jodie van de Wetering )

Band member Raewyn Crossman agreed there was a middle ground to be found between traditional pipe tunes and fresh new ideas.

"We asked our youngest lady what we have to do to attract more young people, and she said play a bit more funky stuff, and so we are," she said.

"With James as our wonderful new pipe major, he has the ability to arrange some modern tunes for us, for the pipes.

"James has a few ideas of things we can do to let young people know we're not old and boring and staid. We're in fact a lot of fun."

Bagpipes and zen

Ms Crossman discovered her love of bagpipes as a Highland dancer.

"I actually get a buzz out of my piping. If you're in the middle of a band that's well tuned and playing a good hearty tune, it's an absolute buzz," she said.

James Kelso (R) adjusts the tuning on a piper's drone before a public performance. ( ABC Capricornia: Jodie van de Wetering )

The bagpipes trigger strong emotional reactions in some listeners, and Ms Crossman said there was a theory about a potential cause that went goes beyond the cultural associations.

"You'll see we have three drones extending from the bag. One of them is very tall and the other two are short," she said.

"That tall one, I've heard it referred to as the zen sound. It has an almost mournful note to it and adds the third dimension to bagpipes, and I think it's that zen sound that evokes the emotions."

Piping a tune down through the family

Mr Kelso's family introduced him to the bagpipes early, in keeping with his Scottish heritage.

"I was given a chanter, which is what you learn on, as soon as I was big enough to hold it," he said.

As well as playing, Mr Kelso also writes original music and arranges tunes for the group.

"It's in the blood. Some people just have tunes pop into their head. I've had that in the middle of the night," he said.

James Kelso (L) leads some of the Central Queensland Pipes and Drums pipers through a new tune on their chanters. ( ABC Capricornia: Jodie van de Wetering )

Bagpipes have a nine-note range, and are always played in B flat.

Mr Kelso said like any other instrument, they needed tuning before playing, and when playing as a group it was important everyone's pipes were tuned the same.

"It can be quite offensive if they're not tuned," he laughed.

There are four steps to tuning the bagpipes: the chanter, which the piper plays with the fingers, and the three drones, which stick up from the top of the bag, each needing individual attention.

"It should be done before playing together — set one pitch, and then everyone is tuned to that same pitch," Mr Kelso said.

He said improperly tuned instruments could be one source of the bagpipes' reputation for less than beautiful music.