This page is going to be filled with commentary, opinion, music, tips and all things bagpipe. Understanding our instrument goes well beyond throwing on a kilt and heading out into the general public. So, with that introduction, let’s dive in …

What the >bleep< is Piobaireachd?

Piobaireachd (pronounced “pea-brock”) is the classical music of the great highland bagpipe. It is also less commonly referred to as Ceol Mor, meaning the Great Music. This is an entirely different genre from the category of music known as Ceol Beag (or Little Music) - ceol beag includes marches, slow airs and the various idioms of dance music (jigs, reels, strathspeys and hornpipes). Piping snobs (not looking at Doc, are we?) refer to the piobaireachd as “the brose and butter”, and the Ceol Beag as “bluidy fireworks”. The vast majority of us, though, appreciate the nuances of both.

Piobaireachd tunes themselves are often several hundred years old, dating back as far as the 1400s. We can distinguish piobaireachd from the other forms of Celtic music as it is the only style traditionally played by a solo piper on the great highland bagpipe.

We believe that all serious pipers should learn to play at least one piobaireachd. The simplest are Glengarry’s Lament, Macintosh’s Banner and Massacre at Glencoe. Several St. John’s Pipers are working on these three tunes purely for their own benefit, but the discipline of piobaireachd involves memory, execution and musical expression, all aspects of which give pipers greater understanding and skill for the light music.

Piobaireachd tunes tend to be much longer than light music tunes and feature a theme called the Ground or Urlar and several variations on it. These variations take the basic melody established in the ground and present it in a variety of rhythmic contexts with a number of different technical embellishments. Common variations include the use of the taorluath, crunluath and sometimes the awe-inspiring crunluath-a-mach movements — some of the most challenging and advanced elements of all piping. A Piobaireachd is typically designed on a pentatonic scale, which has been shown to echo through the valleys of Scotland. It is therefore designed to be heard at great distances as well as up close and personal.

Because of the strong historical connection, piobaireachd tunes are often associated with particular individuals, clans or well-known events. Some notable tune titles include: Too Long in this Condition, The Piper’s Warning to his Master, The Lament for the Children, Beloved Scotland and The Little Spree. More recent compositions include Beloved Scotland, a piobaireachd which also has a band tune associated with it. Listening to the masters play these (gotta love YouTube) will allow you to appreciate the full repertoire of the bagpipe as an instrument with enormous expression and emotional reserves in the hands of an expert. And that should inspire you to play better and more accurately.

Many pipers consider Piobaireachd to be both the highest form of bagpipe music, and also the most satisfying and challenging to play. The world’s prestigious piping competitions such as the Gold Medals at Inverness and Oban are won by pipers who compete by playing high-level Piobaireachd tunes in addition to the usual marches, reels and strathspeys. 

Finally, the Piobaireachd allows the piper to truly touch the audience’s soul. Nobody who hears a well-executed Piobaireachd can say they aren’t affected - you either love the sound or you loathe it. Such is the nature of the instrument we play.