The bagpipe world is much bigger than Scotland and Ireland — and most of it translates to the Highland pipes. Galician, Asturian, and Breton tunes use rhythms we already know — jigs, 6/8 marches, reels — with fresh phrase structures and syncopation. I have played most of these on stage and on record, so they are proven to work.
When a tune has a note we do not have, fudge it. The Asturian jig on my Bagpipe Revolution album contains a high B that the Highland chanter cannot play. I swapped it for a high G, and you do not even notice until you go looking for it.
Listen wide to play better. Carlos Núñez, Tejedor, Lunasa, Gordon Duncan's Thunderstruck, and the Breton Bagad bands are all a search away. Breton pipers grow up on fast tunes and develop a remarkably light, quick style — proof that different listening builds different hands.
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Pipe Tunes from Around the World: Galician, Asturian, Breton Tunes and More
53m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
00:26Brittany and plan: Galicia, Today's Asturias, tunes from🔒
00:52Galician Carlos First piping: hearing Nunez🔒
04:29in The pitch the and gaita debate C pipe🔒
05:50Celtic over genetics connections: music🔒
06:37Tejedor from An Asturian jig🔒
10:48parts jig: and syncopation the Inside 16-bar🔒
15:21the chanter B for the high Fudging Highland🔒
17:59played march a Carlos Galicia: 6/8 Back to with🔒
28:24slow Aires reel de Galician a Pontevedra:🔒
33:13Breton slow from Lunasa A air🔒
36:02Gilles 1978 original and Bigot Le The arrangements harmony by🔒
42:01tune: finale The Dro An🔒
48:31Thunderstruck Duncan's listening: Gordon More🔒
49:54the Bagad style bands and Breton🔒
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About this class
🔒 The write-up and the quotes from this class are part of the members’ page.
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