The Highland Bagpipe & Percussion Home Page

Dating back to before 100AD and its use in the Roman Infantry, the bagpipe has a vast and varied history. The bagpipe consists of a chanter, blow pipe, air bag, and drone pipes, (the third drone pipe added in the early 1700's). Because the air flow is constant, articulation and dynamic range is limited. Pipers found ways to make their literature interesting by adding gracings to the melodic line. More information can be found at the following websites:

Links to bagpipe websites

Bagpiper.com
Pipers Corner
Montie's List of Pipe Band Web Pages
Pipers Page
Links to Bagpipes & Drums
David Daye's Bagpipe Page
Bagpipe Picture Encyclopedia

Pipe band percussion is as unique as the instrument it accompanies. The percussion section consists of three components: the snare or side drum, the bass drums, and the rhythym or flourishing tenor drum. The section is responsible for starting the pipe band tunes, keeping time, and embellishing the bagpipe melody. The pipe band percussion section is very different from the standard drum corps. The style of play, position of the drums, and the notation of the music are all unique to the pipe band percussion section. For more information, visit the websites below.

You may also check out a paper that I wrote on the subject of pipe band percussion. The paper has a lot of great information and history of the percussion section.