Most popular Continental (non-Isles) bagpipes in N. America?

Bagpipes (Non-Uilleann)
1

I was looking at the APNA blog site, as well as the general flow of traffic on the Dunsire Bagpipe Forums, and it seems clear that, after the GHB and perhaps the UP, the Scottish smallpipes are the most popular in North America, perhaps distantly followed by the Northumbrian SP.

However, setting aside the pipes of the Anglophone world, which bagpipes would be most popular in North America? If I had to guess, I’d guess either the Galician (Spanish) gaita gallega or the Swedish sackpipa. The former just seems to pop up a lot on forums, and the latter seems to get a lot of English-language coverage, quite a few makers, and mention of there perhaps being more sackpipa players in the US (especially in Seattle and Minnesota?) than in Sweden.

Are those two the most popular Continental pipes in the New World? Or am I perhaps overlooking some huge pockets of heritage players of Italian, French, or Balkan pipes? If I am right, any feel as to whether the gaita or the sackpipa has a greater following, and what the reasons for such are?

2

Besides the (in order of numbers I have seen in person) GHB, SSP, NSP, and uilleann pipes, I have met one Spanish gaita player.

BTW, people still ask me what I am playing. :astonished:

3

there were pockets of zampognari (Italian & Sicilian) pipe players, mainly in the big NE coridor ‘gateway’ cities, (Philly Boston NY) that immigrated during the late 1800, early 1900;s. Obviously wherever there were sufficently large numbers of immigrants, the possibilities of havgin a transplanted thriving trad folk culture increased.
In Philly the story is that the last zampognaro was active until late 1950’s early 1960;s, in south jersey, Gibbsboro, another guy was playing until about mid-late 60’s. But as the original transplants died off so did the piping tradition. I would say there are maybe, possibly perhaps,(and this is just a generous estimate)(and you can correct me at anytime ciarameddaru :smiley: ) 20(+/-) people in the USA that really know their way around a zamp. guessing again, double that number for people who have a zamp; either from a sale, or from an ancestor.
It’d be quite nice to say that there;s a continuous thriving population of cabrette/Cdc players in Quebec, or Sackpipa players in the northlands, Gaita players in southern california & Cuba etc, (is this the case anyone?) :confused:
but I’d lay my money on the scenario- that the original players immigrated over during the last century, mostly died out, perhaps gave up ‘passing it on’ as their audience’s kids assimilated, and the ‘non-island’ (what about Breton? does that count as ‘island’?) players we have today in NA are largely a part of the bagpipe rennaisance of the latter 20th c.
Then again there are maybe an imbalance of NA bulgarian gaida players, because theyres so many good cheap pipes on ebay.
Then again, there’s a heavyer concentration of Breton pipes around my city, mostly because of a (now cancelled) radio programme that had a monthly Breton Music feature.

4

Funny you should mention. The APNA blog has a good article about the barely-survived but reviving remnants of gaita players in Cuba; great article.

But as you note overall, it does seem most North American players are folks who took an interest in the modern folk revival, rather than heritage players. Though I am under the impression that, despite the lack of direct instrumental tradition, that Scandinavian instruments like the sackpipa, nyckelharpa, etc. are indeed strong in pockets of Minnesota and in Seattle where there’s some “roots-seeking” leading Scandi-Americans to those instruments.

I do have a vague impression that there are a lot (relatively) of gaita players in the US, though maybe that’s similar to the Slavic gajda situation you note, where people own/play them simply because they’re affordable and obtainable, and maybe because the open fingering is a plus for some.

I’m up in Quebec City for a month right now actually, so I’ll dig around and see if I can find any cornemuse players, albeit revivalists. Had a good time today practicing sackpipa tunes down by the ruined church of St Foy, so I’ll do what I can while here to add a little piping to the city.

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While you’re in Quebec keep an ear peeled for biniou koz. Or wait, and let one peel it for you. There’s a pretty vibrant Breton music & dance scene there.

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Around here in SoCal it would have to be the Spanish Gaita by a landslide.

There are a lot of “closet players”, including a few Highland pipers.

There’s an Asturian band, formed by an Asturian guy who moved here. They have around ten pipers in that band, mostly kids who are taking lessons from that guy (sorry I don’t know his name).

The local Galician club has a couple guys who play too.

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The question at hand is kind of like, “what’s the most popular venereal disease?”

The only non-island pipes I’ve ever seen played live are Spanish and Breton (binue, or however it’s spelled). Each type, just once.

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I’m the greater SF bay area I’d say it was the gaita. There are at least 10 that come to mind without thinking too hard.

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Yeah, just from online postings is seems gaita is relatively popular in the US. Not totally sure of the reason for that. Of those, apparently mostly Californians, who run across a lot of gaiteros: are a lot of them folks of Latin origin, random Anglos with an interest in Iberian piping, or random Anglos who just wanted to take up an odd pipe and play whatever on it? I’m under the dim impression that there are at least a few tinwhistlers who took it up because they can use open fingering, so an easier transition. That’s honestly part of the reason I took up sackpipa myself, since open fingering is massively more intuitive for me after all the 'whistling.

While pondering this, I realised that I used to see pipers a lot more in the 1990s, since I went to more World and Celtic music festivals, mainly on the West Coast. I’ve been moving a lot since then, and for a while was going to either more punk/indie shows, pure Irish sessions, or Old Time/Bluegrass festivals. Given the apparent uptick in piping I’d imagine I’d be seeing a lot more piping if I went to my old haunts. Folklife Festival in Seattle usually had a smattering of gaiteros, and there would usually be a couple players of French pipes jamming with the hurdy-gurdy players (also big in Seattle since the main NAm hurdy luthiers are based there).

Again with vague impressions, but it seems there’s a major nexus of smallpipes, border-pipes, NSP, etc. in New England. Is that scene pretty fixed on those Isles pipes, or do they get much mix of outside stuff?

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Oh, I forgot! I saw a set of pastoral pipes at the SE tionol in Chapel Hill, NC.

IIRC, it was bellows blown and had the foot joint that made the bell note the flatted 7th like the GHB and it would play “pinched notes” or notes in the upper octave.

It had a beautiful sound.

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I only glanced over this subject as I’ve never lived in the US.
FYI, it is spelled biniou http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biniou

I’m interested in any account about biniou players in the US : are they american or not ? is this their first instrument ? what do they play in addition ? do they play biniou a lot ? when ? and so on…

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I play BiniouKozh. I learned about the Biniou/Bombarde duo from a local radio show (almost 20 yrs ago) that had a Breton-music-hour once monthly. I found one 6 years ago, (shark in am) made by Camac, ok, but a student/tourist instrument.

I play in a zampogna/ciaramella duo, the ciaramellist had a bombarde, and we both play GHB. Ive done one performance with only bombarde & biniou; and one performance incorporated into a zampogna & ciaramella show.

We got the music part from online, part from transcribing recordings, and part from the big Polig Montjaret book. My biniou gets the most workout when I do a ‘bagpipes-of-the-world’ show; or when I know other Breton-oriented pipers are around; which means it mostly collects dust.

The drone top cracked, and has since been expertly replaced by Michael MacHarg. Philippe Quillay, on a visit in 2007, gave me an excellent chanter reed. Jorj Bothua contributed my drone reed. MacHarg in Vermont makes biniou, but only in the key of G. I do not know how many of these instruments have been made, but MacHArg has been making them for quite some time.

There is another piper in my state, whose parents were Breton. He has a good biniou, (Le Doyen?) but he’s mainly interested in the Uilleann pipe. There is yet another Biniou player in my state, who has a MacHarg biniou, and this makes up part of his pipe collection also.
I know of two other Biniou, both that were part of Tom Standevens collection, that have been passed on to his students, one of whom was the host of that radio programme i mentioned.

So, in Pennsylvania, there are 5 instruments. As far as I know, there is no outlet to play them on a regular basis, and give it more serious attention.