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2.6.2 Bagpipes

This section discusses notation common bagpipes.

Bagpipe definitions  
Bagpipe example  
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Bagpipe definitions

LilyPond contains special definitions for Scottish, Highland Bagpipe music; to use them, add 

\include "bagpipe.ly"

to the top of your input file. This lets you add the special grace notes common to bagpipe music with short commands. For example, you could write \taor instead of 

\grace { \small G32[ d G e] }

‘bagpipe.ly’ also contains pitch definitions for the bagpipe notes in the appropriate octaves, so you do not need to worry about \relative or \transpose. 

\include "bagpipe.ly"
{ \grg G4 \grg a \grg b \grg c \grg d \grg e \grg f \grA g A }

[image of music]

Bagpipe music nominally uses the key of D Major (even though that isn’t really true). However, since that is the only key that can be used, the key signature is normally not written out. To set this up correctly, always start your music with \hideKeySignature. If you for some reason want to show the key signature, you can use \showKeySignature instead.

Some modern music use cross-fingering on c and f to flatten those notes. This can be indicated by c-flat or f-flat. Similarly, the piobaireachd high g can be written g-flat when it occurs in light music.

See also

Snippets: Winds.

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Bagpipe example

This is what the well known tune Amazing Grace looks like in bagpipe notation. 

\include "bagpipe.ly"
\layout {
  indent = 0.0\cm
  \context { \Score \remove Bar_number_engraver }
}

\header {
  title = "Amazing Grace"
  meter = "Hymn"
  arranger = "Trad. arr."
}

{
  \hideKeySignature
  \time 3/4
  \grg \partial 4 a8. d16
  \slurd d2 \grg f8[ e32 d16.]
  \grg f2 \grg f8 e
  \thrwd d2 \grg b4
  \grG a2 \grg a8. d16
  \slurd d2 \grg f8[ e32 d16.]
  \grg f2 \grg e8. f16
  \dblA A2 \grg A4
  \grg A2 f8. A16
  \grg A2 \hdblf f8[ e32 d16.]
  \grg f2 \grg f8 e
  \thrwd d2 \grg b4
  \grG a2 \grg a8. d16
  \slurd d2 \grg f8[ e32 d16.]
  \grg f2 e4
  \thrwd d2.
  \slurd d2
  \bar "|."
}

[image of music]

See also

Snippets: Winds.

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