T Torupill - Estonian bagpipe

Sound examples

Airtight and maintenance- free bag

The chanter plays d'-e'-f#'-g'-a'-b'-c''-d''-e'', the drones are d (tenor, retunable to e) and G (bass).

Blowpipe is supplyed with water block.

Long lasting reeds stay well in tune.

Tuning & playing

Every type of bagpipe is different and needs different handling. Instructions are necessary. Estonian bagpipe is quite sensitive. It’s not difficult to get it work, but you need to know some important moments. There are all main possibilities to tune your bagpipe in manual.

Scottish pipes need very much pressure for playing. Our bagpipes need much less pressure. I recommend you start tuning and playing this way:

1) At first close all drones and try to play only canter

2) Use minimal pressure to get normal equable tune (get a right fingering)

3) Then open the drone G

4) When drone or drones are open start playing with light abrupt pressure on the bag

5) Use my examples to tune drone and canter. At first tune only drone G

(be careful with reeds when you are tuning, reeds are quite gentle. It is very easy to break reed by removing or butting back canter or drones. Don’t keep drones and canter separately

from the bag ).

6) Try to get normal tune between canter and drone G

7) If you get normal tune you can open next drone (D), .and tune it.

8) And then open drone g and tune it

9)If reeds stop playing is pressure to hard

These are my introductions. I hope you get some help from them. It wills bee my pleasure if you can start playing our bagpipe. If you still have some problems, write me back and if you haven’t let me just know how you are doing.

Yours

Andrus Tual

Bagpipe maker

meister@torupillitalu.ee







Your e-mail Your name Question