Thanks to two wonderful friends Gavin and Kate I have been introduced to the world of pipes and piping and will never look at or listen to a piper or a pipe band in the same way ever again.
I’ve watched the two of them develop from clumsy novices to performing in last year’s Edinburgh Tatto.

My awareness of what I once just thought of as ‘bagpipes’ has expanded into, thanks to Wikipedia, a list over over a hundred!

There’s the Askomandoura, Baghèt, Biniou, Bock, Bodega, Boha, Border pipes, Bousine, Brian Boru bagpipes, Cabrette, Caramusa, Chabrette, Chabrette poitevine, Cimpoi, Cornemuse du Centre, Cornish bagpipes, Dankiyo, Demam, Doedelzak, Duda, Dudas, Dudelsack, Dudmaisis, Dudy, Dudy or kozol, English bagpipes, Gaida, Gaita alistana, Gaita asturiana, Gaita cabreiresa, Gaita de boto, Gaita de saco, Gaita sanabresa, Gaita-de-fole Coimbrã, Gaita-de-foles mirandesa, Gajdy or gajde, Galician gaita, Great Highland Bagpipe, Great Irish Warpipes, Guda, Gudastviri, Habban, Huemmelchen, Hungarian duda, Istarski mih, Jirba, Kaba gaida, Karkm, Koziol bialy, Koziol czarny, Kozol, Lancashire bagpipes, Lincolnshire bagpipes, Loure, Magyar duda, Marktsackpfeife, Mashak, Mizwad, Muchosa, Musette bechonnet, Musette bressane, Musette de cour, Müsa, Ney anban, Northumbrian smallpipes, Odrecillo, Parkapzuk, Pastoral pipes, Pilai, Pipasso, Piva, Puvama, Qrajna, Romanian bagpipes, Sac de gemecs, Samponha, Schweizer Sackpfeife, Scottish smallpipes, Shapar, Shyuvr, Sierszenki, Sourdeline, Sruti upanga, Surdelina, Säckpipa, Säkkipilli, Tadghtita, Titti, Torupill, Tsampouna, Tulum, Uilleann pipes, Veuze, Volynka, Vèze, Walpipe, Welsh pipes, Xeremia, Yorkshire bagpipes, Zampogna, Zaqq, Zetland pipes, Zukra, Zummarah-bi-soan and Zunnifis, just to name a few!

I am a little bit tempted to learn one of these instruments myself. If I do then the real challenge might just be which one to choose!

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘It’s All ‘Bout the Pipes, ‘Bout the Pipes, No Strings’, 1/200s f/3.5 ISO1000 165mm