CP June 2010: iPad Scottish Bagpipes Apps

Tech
1

I’ve recently completed three Scottish piping apps for the iPad, in partnership with Keir Murdo at ePipes in Glasgow, Scotland:

“Bagpipes” - Highland Pipes
“Border Pipes” - Scottish Border Pipes
“Small Pipes” - Scottish Smallpipes

Keir developed his samples recording world renowned piper Fred Morrison.

For more information on ePipes virtual piping applications and hardware controllers, please visit:

http://www.epipes.co.uk

Here’s a demo video of all three apps running on the iPad (I’m not a Scottish piper, but demonstrates the sounds of the app):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBBTZQcUkeY

High definition version of same video:

http://vimeo.com/12533243

Here’s a short video of the first test of the app in the hands of a Scottish piper. This was shot 30 seconds after I had handed him the iPad for the first time (video/audio shot with my iPhone in the back room of The Ould Sod Pub in San Diego):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vAesj08VnU

For more information, please visit:

http://www.tradlessons.com/Bagpipes.html

Apps are currently in review with Apple, will be available late June 2010.


Cheers and thanks,


Michael

2

Notes for experienced Highland players and piping students (please consider before purchase):

These apps, while great fun and responsive, are not a complete replacement for a practice chanter or dedicated electronic chanter and sound module.

Differences between a dedicated electronic chanter and the apps:

  1. The apps include the prototypical 9 chanter notes, but do not include the cross-fingered C and F naturals.

  2. The apps must be played with the tips of the fingers, not flat-fingered. The iPad multi-touch system is optimized for fingertip touches. Playing the app flat-fingered will have unpredictable results.

  3. While the apps are quite responsive, the switching speed between fingerings is limited by the rate of the iPad OS multitouch reporting and OpenAL audio sample switching rate. As a result, some rapid ornaments may not be possible.

3

A couple of demo video of the Highland “Bagpipes” app, this time with the iPad plugged into a Roland Cube Street amp with chorus and reverb effects. You can play along with music on the iPad, in this case, Drum Corps snare patterns to create a one-man Pipes and Drums Corps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2fT4nSqXyY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkPxXF9nb_E

(I’m an Uilleann piper, I have apologize to all the real Highland pipers…) :slight_smile:

All three apps are now available on the iTunes App Store!

4

Unsolicited review from user dhask at the bobdunsire.com forums:

Well I downloaded it for £2.99 and it is ridiculously easy to get the hang of and somehow playing while looking at the fingers flat is a good teaching and made me realise a lot.

I am a very late starter now at 60 (began 5 years ago) having been a side drummer since I was 10 and still busy playing jazz. Having worked on the green book and managed Burns Nights, New Years, Remembrance Day parades, drunken wakes, birthdays etc even my first wedding this year playing the New Zealand Maori love song “PoKariKariAna” and a harvest festival in the allotments here playing “We Plough the Fields and Scatter the Good Seed on the |and”… exclusively solo - too scary in a band unless I plug the chanter. But do I get repeat bookings.

To me the sweetness of the tone and the fact I can see what I am doing makes me quite like this app. I took it down the pub and played “My Home” and the whole place was WOW!!! I can see a great funeral gig here - quiet laments in the corner… could change the whole game…

Scottish TV (STV) coverage:
http://scotland.stv.tv/highland-games/pipes-drums/183843-ipipes-take-scottish-bagpipes-into-digital-age/