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Today’s post comes from our newest BagpipeLessons.com Studio contributor Dr. Simon McKerrell — piper, composer, and professor. For more about Dr. McKerrell, scroll down to read his piping bio. Dr. McKerrell teaches at Newcastle University and wrote a detailed paper called "Some notes on the bagpipes" for his students. He's graciously shared it exclusively with us here at the Studio. It answers many questions pipers have about their instrument and it's history. Questions answered include: Where and when did the pipes originate? When did we get the third drone? Were pipes really banned? How was modern piping shaped by the Scottish military regiments?  And many more... Read Part One here. Some notes on the bagpipes, a guide for Newcastle University Students (October, 2011) Part Two Folklore The Folklore of the pipes in Scotland is a rich one; stories surrounding the tradition are numerous and relate to individual pipers, tunes, social structures and the supernatural. For ...