Great Highland Bagpipes
Overview
Tuning Steps
Sweetened Tunings
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Great Highland Bagpipes
Overview
Tuning Great Highland Bagpipes, Uilleann Pipes, Northumbrian Smallpipes & Binioù
There are two main instruments in the bagpipe domain: the Scottish Great Highland bagpipes and the Irish Uilleann pipes. They are radically different instruments, both in their physical attributes and the way they are tuned.
Standard Great Highland bagpipe tuning consists of a bass drone and two tenor drones all tuned to the note A, and a chanter tuned to a scale with a flattened seventh degree, which is unique to Highland bagpipes. Concert A pitch for Highland bagpipes is much higher than other instruments and varies between 475 and 485 Hz.
Uilleann pipes are tuned to a pure just intonation scale in the key of D, with a bass, baritone and tenor drone all tuned to D, as well as a set of assignable regulators and a chanter tuned to a justly-intoned D scale. Concert A pitch for Uilleann pipes is usually 440 Hz.
When groups of bagpipes are played together, as is traditional in pipe band circles, Peterson’s preset Sweetened bagpipe tuning settings are essential. Peterson counts many Grade 1 pipe bands among its users, including the Strathclyde Police, Inveraray & District, the Bagad Cap Caval Pipe Band and the City of Chicago Pipe Band, so you’ll be in good company!
How To Tune Your Great Highland Bagpipes
Drones
- Begin by dialing in the concert pitch of the tuner to the bass drone of the master piper. This will set the tone for the entire band.
- Strike up the pipes on your instrument.
- Observe your Peterson tuner display while tuning the bass drone separately. The strobe display will rotate clockwise if the drone is sharp and counterclockwise if it’s flat. If the bass drone is flat, the drone must be shortened in length. If the bass drone is sharp, it must be lengthened. Adjust this using the tuning slide near the base of each drone until the strobe image display is immobile.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the tenor drones.
Chanter
- Dial in the GHB Sweetened Tuning preset on your Peterson Tuner.
- Play each note on the chanter and observe the tuner display.
- The strobe display will rotate clockwise if the chanter note is sharp and counterclockwise if it’s flat. If a note is sharp, use tape on the upper side of the corresponding hole in the chanter to flatten it. Up to ¼ of the hole can be covered before volume and tone will suffer noticeably. If the chanter note is flat, it is is better to readjust the drones to match it, as there is no way to sharpen individual chanter notes without structurally changing the hole shape by cutting. Continue adjusting until the strobe display is immobile.
How To Tune Your Uilleann Pipes
Drones
- Confirm that the tuner’s concert pitch is set to 440.0 Hz.
- Switch on the tenor drone.
- Observe your Peterson tuner display while tuning the tenor drone separately. The strobe display will rotate clockwise if the drone is sharp and counterclockwise if it’s flat. If the bass drone is flat, the drone must be shortened in length. If the bass drone is sharp, it must be lengthened. Adjust this using the tuning slide near the base of each drone until the strobe image display is immobile.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the baritone and bass drones.
Chanter & Regulators
- Dial in the UIL Sweetened Tuning preset on your Peterson Tuner.
- Play each note on the chanter and regulator while observing the tuner display.
- The strobe display will rotate clockwise if the chanter note is sharp and counterclockwise if it’s flat. If a note is sharp, use the tape on the upper side of the corresponding hole in the chanter to flatten it, or move the reed to adjust a regulator. Up to ¼ of a chanter hole can be covered before volume and tone will suffer noticeably. Continue adjusting until the strobe display is immobile.
Sweetened Tunings
Unlike other tuners which offer no alternative to generic Equal Temperament, Peterson Tuners contain many choices of “Sweetness“, in other words, several degrees of harmony or consonance in a tuning preset. The Sweetener feature is exclusive to Peterson Tuners and there is one for almost any musical instrument.
Sweeteners For Bagpipes
NSP
Northumbrian Smallpipes in F+ tuning with Just intervals.
GHB
Traditional Great Highland bagpipe tuning.
UIL
Uilleann Pipes Tuning.
Products With Bagpipes Sweeteners
StroboClip HDC
$79.99
The Peterson StroboClip HD™ (SC-HD) has the same tenth-of-a-cent accuracy as all Peterson Strobe Tuners. This versatile tuner comes complete with a bright high-definition screen, over 50 Sweetened™ tunings, alternate temperaments for a vast array of string and wind instruments, and soft rubber-lined jaws to protect your instrument's finish while offering a firm grip for maximum signal tracking.
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StroboPLUS HDC
$179.99
The StroboPLUS HDC encompasses decades of tuning authority and technology to deliver the ultimate strobe tuner/metronome combo!
The StroboPLUS HDC’s 0.1 cent tuning accuracy will tune any instrument with the utmost precision. Featuring a high-definition, multi-color display with variable color LED backlight, the StroboPLUS HDC display can be seen easily across the stage, bench, studio or classroom. Over 200 exclusive Sweetened Tunings® and Guided Tunings on-board accommodate a variety of instruments, temperaments, and musical genres.
The highly configurable metronome features precise 0.1 BPM adjustability in eighth notes, quarter notes, dotted quarter notes or half notes, a tempo range of 10-280 BPM, over 100 subdivisions, accent patterns, and polyrhythms. The StroboPLUS HDC can also be used to play thousands of bars of tempo maps, programmable from the Peterson Connect Web App. A single tempo map can play an entire score of meter changes, accent patterns, subdivisions, bar colors, silent bars and gradually curved tempo changes like accelerandos and ritardandos. The StroboPLUS HDC is the perfect tuning, ear training and rhythm tool all in one package!
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StroboClip HD
$59.99
The Peterson StroboClip HD™ (SC-HD) has the same tenth-of-a-cent accuracy as all Peterson Strobe Tuners. This versatile tuner comes complete with a bright high-definition screen, over 50 Sweetened™ tunings, alternate temperaments for a vast array of string and wind instruments, and soft rubber-lined jaws to protect your instrument's finish while offering a firm grip for maximum signal tracking.
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StroboPLUS HD
$149.99
The Peterson StroboPlus HD (SP-1) is THE premier desktop digital tuner on the market! Equally as comfortable on a tech’s workbench as it is in a player’s guitar case, this tuner, with all of its features, is no exception to Peterson’s reputation for being THE most accurate in the industry — don’t let its demure palm size fool you! Players of both acoustic and electric instruments can rest assured— a built-in electret condenser microphone and ¼” input jack provide excellent connectivity. Gone are the days of having to carry extra batteries and tripping over power cables during a performance! This tuner is rechargeable via computer bus or outlet power, and its large, circular screen is easily viewed in both the darkest and brightest environmental conditions. Features such as Auto Off, easy menu navigation, tripod mounting capability, over 90 of our Sweetened Tunings, tone generation ability via built in speaker, and a headphone output jack round out the package. Finally, future-proof updating and parameter editing is made possible by the tuner’s unobtrusive side-mounted USB jack. And for those feeling exceptionally adventurous, this tuner can be upgraded to also feature our super flexible Body Beat metronome option, along with both audible AND tactile mode operation. Hear the beat or feel it…the power is in your hands. This tuner is fit for the most discerning of players and technicians for sure!
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iStroboSoft™ (iOS)
$9.99
iStroboSoft™ offers the unmatched accuracy of a mechanical strobe tuner for the highest degree of precision available in a software tuning application. Plug in your electrics or use the built-in mic for acoustic instruments to quickly and easily tune with 1/10th cent accuracy.
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Things to check to get the most out of your instrument’s tuning
1. In a Pipe Band situation, delegate the tuning to a non-playing member if possible.
2. It’s normal for moisture and vibration to cause reeds to fluctuate and affect pitch, so checking the tuning frequently is essential.
The GHB and UIL Sweeteners for World-Class Bagpipe Tuning
The GHB Sweetener contains the traditional Highland bagpipe scale, where some notes can vary from “normal” equal temperament by over 30 cents (almost a quarter-tone!). The UIL Sweetener uses the correct cent offsets for just intonation with a D root, an equally tempered set of pipes would be unlistenable.
Great Highland bagpipe and the Uilleann Pipe Sweeteners (the presets are called GHB and UIL) aren’t just an optional extra, they are the ONLY way to tune these instruments with a tuner. Using an ordinary tuner will not work. Enhance and simplify your tuning technique by letting a Peterson Strobe Tuner featuring specialty Sweetened Tuning settings do the hard work for you.
Peterson StroboPlus HD Tuner Pipe Band Package Demo
Tuning Bagpipes with a Peterson StroboTuner
Tuning the bagpipes
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