The is a type of

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

. The word means '

' in the

Breton language Breton (, , ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic languages, Celtic language group spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albei ...

. There are two bagpipes called in

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

: the traditional or ( means 'old' in Breton; means 'small') and the or ( means 'big'), which was brought into Brittany from Scotland in the late 19th century. The oldest native bagpipe in Brittany is the , from which the is thought to be derived. The is essentially the same as the Scottish

great Highland bagpipe The great Highland bagpipe ( 'the great pipe') is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland, and the Scottish analogue to the great Irish warpipes. It has acquired widespread recognition through its usage in the British Armed Forces, British mili ...

; sets are manufactured by Breton makers or imported from Scotland or elsewhere. The has a one octave scale, and is very high-pitched with a soprano sound; it is tuned to play one octave higher than the bombard which it accompanies. More traditional forms have a single drone, while modern instruments sometimes have two. In the old days the leather used for the bag was usually from a dog's skin, but this is nowadays replaced by synthetic materials or other leathers which are easier to procure, like cow or sheep. Traditionally it is played in duet with the , a double-reed instrument which sounds an octave below the chanter, for

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

folk dancing. The is typically used as part of a band, although it is sometimes also paired with a .

Films

*''Of Pipers and Wrens'' (1997). Produced and directed by Gei Zantzinger, in collaboration with Dastum. Lois V. Kuter, ethnomusicological consultant. Devault, Pennsylvania: Constant Spring Productions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biniou kozh Breton musical instruments Bagpipes

Films

Further reading

References