When I’m not playing the uilleann pipes, I enjoy playing other types of bagpipes as well. I actually don’t play the Great Highland Bagpipes, although I very much enjoy listening to them; I feel that there are already many excellent pipers out there carrying on the proud traditions of Scottish piping. My own interests lie in some of the lesser-known bagpiping traditions of Europe, particularly those of Italy and Spain.
Zampogna
Bagpipes are an important instrument in southern Italian folk music, particularly the zampogna a chiave, the type I play. These pipes are played in the regions of Lazio, Molise, Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria. They’re different from many types of bagpipes in that they have two chanters (melody pipes); one hand usually plays a melody while the other hand plays a simple accompaniment. They are often played with the ciaramella, a small, loud double reed instrument related to the oboe. I’m fortunate to have a zampogna made by the excellent pipemaker Marco Tomassi in Montecassino, about an hour south of Rome. Use the player below to hear an example of the zampogna used to play a tarantella/song from Stigliano, in Basilicata. (For more examples of the southern Italian music I play, visit the “Sounds” page on my other site)
Gaita Gallega
While most people think of Flamenco guitar when they think of Spanish music, the folk music of northern Spain, particularly Galicia and Asturia, is dominated by bagpipes and percussion. The gaita gallega, or Galician bagpipes, have a delightful bright sound and are usually played solo or in pairs, often with drums of various sizes and the pandeireta (Galician tambourine). My pipes were made by the Seivane family at Obradoiro Seivane in Cambre, Galicia, where they have made fine gaitas for over 100 years. Use the player below to hear an example of a traditional alborada played on the gaita gallega.
