What is with that background "Drone" that bagpipes make?

I like bagpipes. When I was in college there was this guy who would go out to the soccer field at night and walk around playing his bagpipes. It was kind of cool, very haunting, but it was at reasonable distance.

It comes from the compressed air being forced out of the instrument.

And I agree, bagpipes are best heard at a distance. I actually prefer Uilleann pipes (played using a bellows, as opposed to blowing into a pipe), but Uilleann pipe players are hard to come by in the States.

And @Arp, this is what’s up with the drone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drone_(music) This damn link isn’t working.

I love all kinds of music but seriously (and my mother was Scottish) the bagpipes are the worlds fucking shittest instrument, the triangle is pretty shit but it’s easy to play and doesn’t sound like a bag of cats dying, the bagpipes on the other hand are notoriously difficult to play and even when you have mastered them they still sound shit.

I love the pipes. I read once that when the British and Scots started to join forces and fight others (especially in Asia and Africa) instead of each other, the British commanders often put pipers near the front. That sound alone used to cause massive disruption and desertions ahead of the offensive forces.

@CyanoticWasp exactly what I was saying, the sound of them make people run away in fear. That’s the definition of a shit instrument in my book.

I love bagpipes. They draw me to them no matter where I am, as long as I am within hearing distance, just like a dog whistle. That’s how I reacted the very first time I heard them, when I was about six or seven, and they affect me the same way now. The drone is an intrinsic part of it.

There is something analogous in many other kinds of music—a continuing bass or a steady thrum-thrum or a repetitive pattern.

Just like the question a little while ago about cheesecake, some people like what others dislike. What does not make sense is to take the position “If I don’t like it, that means it is bad.”

I can’t stand cheesecake, but I love bagpipes. ^_^

I love bagpipes. They remind me of Easter Sundays when I used to go to the sunrise service with my grandmother at dawn, in the outdoor “chapel” which was gorgeous… and every year this one guy would put on the full regalia and walk from just down the street, through the church grounds, and up the steps to the outdoor worship area while playing the bagpipes. Awesome way to start an Easter service.

I like that drone. It sounds like the hum planet Earth makes (you can only hear it in deafly silent places, like the middle of the desert) But I find it comforting.

The sounds of lawn mowers and leaf blowers and ambient television noise almost make me violent though

In one of the Star Trek movies, the characters played Amazing Grace on bagpipes for Spock’s funeral; I thought it was really beautiful sounding. I’ve also heard the instrument in person, in the woods, and it sounded beautiful there, too.

Its just a way to play two notes at once and get more sound.

@ru5150 , I didn’t realize there were notes involved (I’m not a musician).

But since there’s 2 notes, I bet that one of the notes is just one tiny bit lower than the other to make that kind of noise. I could be wrong. You probably know.

The bagpipes consist of a chanter (the melody pipe) 2 tenor drones and a bass drone.

Each “pipe” contains a reed traditionally made of cane but more often than not nowadays the drone reeds are made of synthetic materials- so 4 reeds in all.

The drones are tuned to the low a on the chanter. Tuning is achieved by changing the length of the drone by means of sliding the top section of each drone up or down.

This low is is a bit off of concert pitch of a which is 440Hz generally between 470 and 480Hz. The tenor drones are tuned an octave below the low a and the bass drone an octave below the tenor drones.

The chanter doesn’t follow a regular chromatic scale either each note is slightly off from a scale you would normally hear. This is to have a harmonic of each note in tune with the drones to achieve that sound you all love so much.

The overall sound is achieved by keeping the air pressure on all 4 (temperamental) reeds at a constant level my means of blowing into the the air reservoir (bag) then maintaining pressure with your arm between breaths. A task which requires a lot of practise to achieve as you have to also play the melody at the same time. This is where they get their reputation of difficulty from.

The whole overall sound of a well tuned and well played bagpipe up close is an experience not to be missed and I have personally seen people moved to tears from it.

Hope this answers your question

I love the fact that questions on fluther come back to life now and then when someone new answers them. Great answer (GA), @stumanoo, and welcome.