Sorry to invade this forum, especially as I’ve never picked up a set of pipes in my life, but a friend in Spain just sent me this information about a bagpipe midi controller that sounded promising:
http://www.arrakis.es/~jpresedo/midig/mgengl.html
Thought it might conceivably be more use to you lot than to a humble harmonica player!
Cheers
Steve
It only has 6 holes…does that mean it uses GHB fingering?
So it seems. It appears to be an electronic Gaita–a sort of Spanish GHB.
Rick
It would certainly be more use to some users of this forum than uilleann pipes ever will be 
Uilliam
There you go again with your unstopable optimism.
Looks like someone made a digital sample of a Uilleann chanter:
http://www.arrakis.es/~jpresedo/midig/Sei_un_saco3.mp3
Since it’s MIDI, any compatable controller could mimic those sounds.
Sounds like one of those cheapo portable keyboards with built-in rhythm unit for kids.
djm
That really sounds bad. If anyone had thought of getting one, that sound file change that.
I was pretty sure this topic had come up before:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=18480&highlight=bagpipe+midi+controller&sid=0e8dfc12114b2e6b7c0fed0fd63bba8e
djm
…With reference to the chanter in question, my Spanish friend Agustín wrote the following to me after reading the thread so far (goodness knows what he must think of uilleann pipers… 
):
“…I think in the photo you can clearly see seven holes, and there is one more in the back for the thumb…”
Hope that clarifies things!
Cheers
Steve
Soooo Steve…
Tried any electronic harmonicas lately? 
Sorry, I looked again, but only see 6. There is a spot at the bottom which may be another hole, but it is off center…or perhaps my eyes are off center…not sure which
-gary
I was merely passing on something that I thought might have been of interest. It looked and sounded (contrary to what one or two have said) OK to me, bearing in mind internet connections, sound cards, computer speakers etc. But who am I. I’ll confine myself to harmonicas in future, if you promise to stick to your pipes, Rick, me old mucker!
Cheers!
Steve
What samples are you listening to?
Royce
Royce, I believe thie is what they’re listening to:
http://www.arrakis.es/~jpresedo/midig/Sei_un_saco3.mp3
I thought it was the sound track from some crazy cartoon.
Yeah, I listened to that one too, thought it was the best of the lot, though with those Spanish/Galician/Breton/etc. pipes they’re actually supposed to sound like that. The samples in A weren’t too bad.
But then again, we’re all judging really crappy RealAudio files. And I have no idea what that thumping and shooping was in the background, either a distorted acoustic drum or some failed digital recreating played backwards.
The limitation in emulation is in large part due to the need for a more sophisticated sample playback machine, which includes a lot more samples, each note, both octaves patched to a specific sample of that note, as well as some pop/vibrato emulation. The Boyd midi bagpipe actually turned out a pretty realistic GHB system in the end some years ago, but it required the sampler to luff or partially choke this or that attack on gracenotes, and to eliminate attacks in other ways, note dependent, to maintain a convincing sense of legato, instead of just triggering each sample, attack and all.
He had an uilleann system up but it only existed in prototype. Played pretty well I think.
Royce
Quite a few years ago, Bill Gilchrist demonstrated something like what you are descibing to me at the Mac Fair. I remembering being somewhat amused by the tone, but I thought it a cool way to keep the fingers agile in places a practice chanter would’nt work, ie: airplane, office, bathroom…this being due to a volume control knob. I forget what its company name was…but I suppose that it doesn’t matter now.
Probably a Degers pipe, which is one octave only GHB system, and has MIDI output along with some onboard sounds that are not too bad. The Boyd MIDI bagpipe had optical sensing for the fingers and whatnot, and you needed a rack of MIDI playback gear–not a little one-stick wonder device at all.
Royce
I guess that technology still needs more development…for me, there’s still no substitute for the ‘hive of bees’ feeling beneath the fingers. 
The Deger is great especially at sessions or gigs.
The GHB sound very good and through some effects you can sound like a whole Pipe band. The Small pipe sound is less convincing but still a useful change of tone.
Any Key can be selected up to E above GHB Bb down to the E below in semitone steps.
Also the pitch can be continuously slid up and down to tune to none concert instruments.
You can have a natural seventh, one note over the octave, and cross-fingered chromatic notes, all selected individually in any combination.
Midi out lets you sound like whatever you want and if you’ve got the stomach for it you can record your playing on a Sequencer and see all your mistakes.
It has an adjustable metronome and takes a PP3 type 9v battery (I use rechargeables).
TTFN
John S