A substantial article I wrote for the Spring 2007 issue of Chanter, the journal of The Bagpipe Society. The bag is central and basic to a bagpipe- it is the unique feature which makes a bagpipe a bagpipe. Yet there does not appear to be much written about the topic.
The more that I think about bagpipe bags the more I realise that there is more to think about. The bag is central and basic to a bagpipe- it is the unique feature which makes a bagpipe a bagpipe. Yet there does not appear to be much written about the topic- or am I looking in the wrong place?
The most basic bag for a bagpipe is a complete animal skin. Today most makers cut bags out of sheets of prepared leather and form them into bags. I favour hand stitching for all my bags. It is rather laborious and it works well for me. Some makers machine stitch their bags and rely more on gluing the leather. I believe others rely on glue alone. Some highland bags are riveted together. Each pipe maker will have developed his own techniques, ideas, and wheezes. If it works, it works.
What are the different functions, requirements and features of a bagpipe bag that make it work well? It has to act as an air reserve, it should look good and be comfortable and practical to use. And for mouth blown pipes it should contain and control the humidity.
This article is based mainly on my own experience or from talking to other pipe makers and pipers. A recent article in Piping Today (1) has also been very informative. I have not dared look on the Internet.
The first and foremost function for a bag is to hold air. A bagpipe presents all sorts of challenges to design and make to play reliably and in tune. The basic function of the bag - holding air - is so simple that there really is no excuse for playing with a bag that leaks. It is easy to test if it is performing this function. Remove the drones and chanter and cork up all the stocks. First check that the non-return valve does not leak any air. If it does leak you can put your finger over the end and rectify this later. Now blow the bag full and squeeze it. It should remain tight full for at least 20 to 30 seconds. A small amount of leakage is permissible. But if you can feel the bag shrinking under your arm as you squeeze it then it is definitely time to season the bag- in fact it was probably time to do this six months beforehand.
I think a bag should look good. Both the material and shape should be pleasing. The fashion in England for mouth blown pipes today seems to be to play without a bag cover, leather currently being considered ‘natural’. Most makers of mouth blown pipes leave the suede side of the leather on the outside. The friction from the suede provides a grip with the player’s arm, which means the bag doesn’t shift position when it is being played.
For bellows blown smallpipes and border pipes it has been traditional to make the bag with the suede on the inside and to cover the bag with velvet or baize. The traditional seasoning is oil based and small amounts of this may sweat through the leather. The cover provides protection from this oil and also provides friction under the players arm. However many bellows pipes today are now made with the suede on the outside and do not require oil based seasoning and thus it is purely a manner of aesthetics to fit a bag cover.
A pipe bag should be comfortable. It should hold the chanter, drones and blowpipe in a comfortable position when you are playing the pipes. There is a simple way to test this on any set of pipes. You just let go of your chanter and blowpipe when you are playing with a full bag of air. Does the chanter twist or move off in another direction? Does the blowpipe move from exactly where you want it to be so you have to ‘search’ for it with your mouth by moving your head? It is awkward playing a pipe if you have to grip the blowpipe between your teeth in case it flips out to the side if you let it go.
For my English pipes I favour bulbous bags with a ‘swan neck’ as this holds the chanter at a convenient height for the piper’s hands. For my Scottish bagpipes I use the traditional sausage shaped bag that fits under the piper’s arm and is held fairly horizontal. An ideal bag that will suit all shapes and sizes of pipers is not really possible. A maker has to design a shape that suits most pipers. The positioning of the stocks is also very important. There are some variables that can be altered. If the piper is very small or tall one can alter the length of the blowpipe and this can make a great difference. The chanter position is important- just twisting it around in its stock can make it easier to finger. It is also possible to retie the blowpipe stock so it pulls the blowpipe more in one direction. This can be a bit of a tricky operation and probably best left to a maker.
A swan necked bag provides the piper different possibilities for playing positions. Some pipers are ‘huggers’, but the majority are ‘squeezers’. Many early illustrations, including Bruegel and Durer, depict the piper with a swan necked shaped bag, embracing the pipes in front of them. It does look rather endearing! Personally I have never found this a comfortable position- I seem to be a natural born hugger, but some of my customers favour it. If hugging feels comfortable and you can maintain the essential steady pressure playing then it is not a problem.
When we consider the effect that the bag may have on the tuning of a bagpipe we enter a dark and unsettling area which has so many variables that even seasoned pipemakers are usually loath to express their views. I imagine it is only on the bleakest of nights they dare to contemplate even some of the infinite variables of bag design. My first insight into the resonant qualities of a pipe bag came when I listened with a stethoscope. The difference in reverberation on different areas of the bag is very striking. You should try this some time.
Being a great believer in pragma rather than dogma, I decided to conduct a simple practical experiment. This was inspired as a result of listening to the sound quality of my Danish bagpipes. I modelled the bag for these pipes on a print from 1595, which shows a pipe bag with a large, rather ungainly swelling above the chanter stock. My Danish pipe chanter has very resonant quality to it and I wondered how much this was enhanced by the shape of this bag. I made a test bag in this shape and fitted it with my standard bag split stock so I could test it with the full range of my chanters- both conical and cylindrical. I tested all of them and it does appear there are slight audible tone differences with some chanters. However with one cylindrical chanter, my Leicestershire smallpipe chanter in A, it has an alarming affect on the tuning of one note. Normally the sixth note in the scale is F sharp. When played in this test bag it plays an F natural. It is not a slight difference- it is almost a perfect semitone. I have demonstrated this to various great and good pipemakers (including our President) and much amazement has been expressed. This has been followed by silence. There are an infinite number of variables of bag shapes and I believe the possibilities of doing any useful research in this field are just too daunting for one lifetime.
It appears that the actual material that the bag is made of does affect the quality of the sound. This has become apparent from the experience of highland pipers. About 15 years ago the Canmore pipe bag was launched. This was made of Gore-Tex- a synthetic material that is airtight, but has the ability to breathe out moisture. It was enthusiastically taken up by many highland pipers, especially by pipe bands where there may be 20 pipers playing together- with 80 cane reeds that ideally all should be perfectly in tune. The main practical complaint I had heard about these bags is that they did not have the ‘feel’ of leather and were hard to control ‘striking in’ and ‘striking out’ at the beginnings and ends of playing. However a couple of years ago some of the top worldwide competing bands reverted to using leather bags claiming that this improved the sound quality of the pipes. To quote Roddy MacLeod, director of the Nation Piping Centre, “The only benefit of using skin bags now is the sound. For me, sheepskin bags help to produce a more resonant sound and that is hard to sacrifice in favour of the benefits of the synthetic bags, particularly when you have been playing for a long time and have come to expect a certain sound from your pipes”.(1)
On mouth blown pipes the bag acts as a trap and reservoir for spit and condensation. And it makes use of leather’s ability to ‘breathe’ by letting the moisture evaporate out through the pores in the leather. This is in conjunction with seasoning which makes the leather airtight by sealing the pores in the leather, but allows the moisture to permeate out through the pores. In our colder damper northern climates, when cane reeds are being used, it is essential that this moisture can eventually escape from the bag. A cane reed can easily absorb too much moisture and become sodden and this affects its tuning and tone and will shorten its useful life. An impermeable bag, for example plastic or rubber, is not suitable in our climate for mouth blown pipes. In Scotland highland pipers prefer sheepskin bags as these breathe out moisture very freely. The colder the climate they are raised in the better. Sheep skins from Iceland are much favoured. It has been claimed that the best sheep skin to use is from a four year old animal- but sheep these days are not usually kept that long. (1) Cow skin is also used- being tougher and longer lasting, but does not breathe quite so freely. I believe elk hide is used in Canada. Different animal skins and the manner in which they have been treated and tanned will affect their qualities. The use of plastic reeds has reduced much of this problem as they are not so effected by moisture, but it is essential in our climate that it can eventually sweat out through the bag. Cane reeds also give tuning problems if they get too dry, so in much warmer and drier climates pipers often use impermeable bags. Some piping traditions in desert areas favour oil based seasoning on the leather. This effectively makes it impermeable to air and water. In Australia kangaroo skin leather is sometimes used. (1) Kangaroos, like dogs, do not perspire through their skin.
Ideally I would use goatskin, which is very thin and strong. However goats are small and so are their skins and this makes them very expensive to use- there is a lot of waste leather as I can usually only make one bag per skin. I have always used cow skin which is strong and very long lasting and is easily available in a range of colours. It works well- I seldom have been asked to replace a bag on any of my pipes and many of my customers have been playing their pipes for well over 15 years.
There are a variety of moisture traps now available for the highland pipes. The most basic is a simple sump at the bottom of the blowpipe stock to catch the piper’s spit, which can be emptied after playing. But now there are also available elaborate systems for use in conjunction with synthetic bags. These feature a canister containing silica gel or cat litter within the bag that feeds into individual flexible pipes to the bottom of each stock. Moisture is absorbed within this canister which can be removed through an airtight zipper in the bag and then dried in a microwave oven.
Seasoning is a preparation used in leather pipe bags to keep the bag airtight by filling the pores. Seasoning for mouth blown pipe bags should in addition be able to absorb moisture and let it breath out through the leather. It is advisable that it also has antibacterial qualities. A bagpipe bag is an ideal place for all sorts of bacteria and fungal growths to breed within it, being regularly fed with warm, wet, breaths from the piper. This can stiffen and eventually rot the leather and might even be detrimental to the pipers health. Proprietary seasoning these days should contain a fungicide and biocide to combat any bacterial activity. Ideally it should also contain something to nourish the leather- saddle soap being a commonly used ingredient. If you are squeamish or a hypochondriac mouth blown bagpiper I implore you not read anything written in the medical journal- The Lancelet (2). Just don’t read it.
When I ask a customer the question “When did you last season your pipes?” it frequently induces an embarrassed response. I observe a certain downward glance, a shuffle of the feet, an apologetic cough. This is often followed by “ Oh I did have some of that stuff somewhere” or “ I have been meaning to get some seasoning from you.”
When did you, dear reader, last season your pipes? It is surprising how long one can ‘get away with it’, but ultimately it is not beneficial to your bag and possibly not to your health.
It is not possible to state how often you should season your bag. This is dependent on the type of leather, the amount of playing you do and whether you are a “wet” or “dry” blower. For most pipers this will probably mean seasoning every 5 to 10 months. You should consult your maker and see what seasoning he recommends. (3)
Before the advent of proprietary seasonings highland pipers used horrendous concoctions to season their bags. Each piper had a favourite recipe involving ingredients such as honey, treacle, flour, golden syrup, egg white, or whisky. Each piper swore by their own recipe, but it appears that none of them were beneficial to the leather. Bags were prone to stiffening or rotting and had to be replaced far more frequently. Right from the start of my pipemaking I have always used and supplied a hot highland seasoning that was developed by a pipemaker- the late Jim Tweedie of Inveran House. It was wonderful stuff- a secret formula with a pleasing lemon grass scent. When cool it had the consistency of set jelly. It was brewed up in the Victorian style laboratories of Craig & Rose- the paint makers who make the paint for the Forth Rail Bridge. The formula was a secret, but over the years I tactfully asked questions and gathered that it contained size, glycerine, saddle soap, baking soda, a fungicide and a biocide. I supplied it to my customers in half pint pots- a little went a very long way and many of you may still have some. About 6 years ago without giving any warning Craig & Rose ceased to manufacture it. As luck would have it I had just ordered a gallon so I was able to carry on seasoning all my new pipes with it. I no longer supplied it to customers, but suggested that they used Hardies Airtight.
For many years Hardies Airtight has been the standard seasoning for most highland pipers. It smells horrid and is supplied in tins that eventually rust. And it does the job. Last year, as I came to the bottom of my gallon of Craig & Rose seasoning, I contacted Hardies to buy some of their tins. This was not easy- after a host of messages on their answer phone I eventually reached the manager. With hindsight I now realise I should have spotted that he appeared slightly deranged. He claimed he had been away in India where he had obtained an order for 1500 Highland pipes! He also claimed to have orders for 200 Scottish Smallpipes, but the one they had made so far didn’t work too well and he wondered whether I would like to give them a hand to sort out their problems. I declined his offer.
However, fool that I was, I trusted him and ordered half a gallon of seasoning and sent a cheque for £47 which was paid into their account. I later calculated that it must have arrived at Hardies exactly seven days before they went bankrupt. I never received my tins of seasoning. But the season changed and good fortune has now shone on me. Another maker has kept Jim Tweedies secret recipe and has begun manufacturing it as Sound Seasoning, so I am back using and supplying this excellent stuff. (3)
Things are less complex with bellows blown pipes as the bellows supply dry air to the bag. Thus there are no problems with moisture or any hygiene issues. Leather bags can be seasoned with oil and wax or made from impervious materials.
When I started making bellows pipes I used vinyl bags, but I found the seam was tricky to seal and ultimately they were hardly quicker to make than leather bags. In the 1920’s some of the half long pipes that were made had bags of Gannet- a cotton and rubber material. One maker used to sew bags of calico and then coat them with latex. Now I make hand sewn leather bags for all my bellows blown pipes and use an olive oil and beeswax seasoning. The wax fills up the pores and the oil nourishes the leather and keeps it supple. On my own pipes I would guess I only need to re- season them after at least 6 or 8 years. I expect these bags would last well over 25 years. I also use this seasoning in my bellows.
It is an easy seasoning to make- I heat up olive oil with flaked beeswax in a jar in the microwave so that it has a consistency of vaseline when it has cooled to room temperature. Part of the appeal of this seasoning is that it is perfectly edible. If I was caste away on a desert island I could survive by chewing my bag for weeks. Some makers favour using seasoning containing neatsfoot oil in their bags. This oil is made from boiled cows hooves and works well, though I would not be so keen to chew it on a desert island. Or anywhere. Whatever oil you use it is vital that it does not harden, congeal or go rancid over time. This oil and wax seasoning has an unexpected function in that it also acts as a dust trap- I once had to remove the leather from a set of bellows and was amazed how much dust had accumulated within it and become incorporated with the seasoning.
Other makers may recommend an entirely different approach to seasoning their bags so do not use this seasoning without consulting your maker.
I have far less experience with bags made of complete animal skins. But I do own three pipes that use animal skins that have been treated in contrasting ways. My Bulgarian gaida has a goat skin with the fur on the inside. It holds air very well, but feels a bit stiff and crackly. I envy pipers who have softer gaida bags. A friend with a soft gaida bag complained that it leaked like a sieve. I treated the outside with a mixture of liquid paraffin and lanolin and now it holds air well, but I suspect it will not breathe out moisture. I have suggested he always removes the drones, chanter and blowpipe when he is not playing to allow the bag to dry out. Time will tell.
My Hungarian duda has a goat skin with the hair on the outside. I fear that its previous owner stored it in an airtight box when the bag was still wet. This has resulted in a slight mould and stiffening of the bag. And the goat sheds its hair everywhere! My Tunisian mezued is made from a goat skin, without hair, and is treated with oil. The leather is wonderfully supple and I can imagine this bag lasting for years. My brother’s Asturian gaita has a bag made from kid (goat) skin. An interesting feature of these pipes is that it has a strong cloth bag cover made in the distinctive gaita shape. The calf skin is therefore never fully inflated to its full natural shape, and thus it retains the appearance of a gaita bag.
Some of you may have considered obtaining a complete animal skin from source. There must be many different ways to induce an animal to part with its skin. For those who are looking for any tips I include this graphic description from the mid 1930’s of making wine skins in Lucania, southern Italy.
“In one corner of the square, which barely escaped falling within the long shadow caste by the monument ………… a lame man, dressed in black, with a wizened, solemn, almost priestly face, as thin as that of a polecat, was blowing like a pair of bellows into the body of a dead goat. I stopped to look at him. The goat had been killed shortly before, right out in the square and laid out on a board supported by two wooden trestle trestles. The lame man had made only one incision in the skin, on a hind leg just above the foot. Here he had set his lips and was blowing with all his might and main while he pulled the skin away from the flesh. To see him attached in this way to the animal, whose form was gradually inflated, while he seemed silently to grow thinner and thinner as he emptied himself of his breath recalled some strange sort of metamorphosis whereby a man is changed into a beast. When the goat was swollen up like a balloon, the lame man held the leg tightly in one hand, removed his mouth from the foot and wiped it with his sleeve, then quickly peeled the skin off as if it were a glove until the goat was left stripped and naked on its board, like a saint, looking up at the sky.”
From Christ Stopped at Eboli, by Carlo Levi.
This article is in no way exhaustive and inevitably there may be inaccuracies or omissions- some may be glaring. Different makers have different approaches and if what they do works well then there is no problem. I hope this stimulates more comment, suggestions, corrections, and controversy within these pages - but would prefer no litigation. And I hope that it has opened pipers eyes to the fact that there is more in a bagpipe bag than meets the eye!
Julian Goodacre Feb 2007
with thanks to John Goodacre for his valuable input.
FOOTNOTES.
(1) Piping Today Issue 16. 2005 ‘What went into the bag’.
(2) Especially The Lancet Vol 1 1978 , No 8078. June 24, 1978. ‘Cryptococcus in Bagpipes’.
(3)These are my instructions for using the seasoning that I supply for mouth blown bagpipes.
INSTRUCTIONS
It is not possible to state how often you should season your bag. This is dependent on the type of leather, the amount of playing you do and whether you are a “wet” or “dry blower. For most pipers this will probably mean seasoning every 5-10 months.
The seasoning that I recommend is SOUND SEASONING.
The brief instructions for the seasoning that are printed on the bottle are for Highland pipes. For the pipes I make I suggest you follow my instruction.
Open the bottle and place in a saucepan of water and simmer until the seasoning is liquid.
Remove the drones and chanter and put them well out of the way, where they cannot roll off the table and reeds get damaged. It is prudent to stop up the stocks with old corks to stop any seasoning dripping out over the outside of the bag. (Sherry corks often fit- you can use masking tape around them if they are too small). Make a rolled tube of paper to line the blowpipe stock to prevent the seasoning getting on the inside of the stock. Wait until the seasoning has cooled to about blood temperature, but has not begun to set again, and pour in a small amount down the blowpipe stock. About half an egg cup full should be fine. Now rub the bag so that the entire inside surfaces are lightly coated. Keep rubbing the inside surfaces against each other and “work” the seasoning into the seam and leather- especially the area beneath the blowpipe. This is the area where the seasoning tends to wash off if you are a wet blower.
Leave the bag for a couple of hours for the seasoning to set.
If traces of seasoning are left on the inside of the stocks you can clean them with rolls of newspaper or damp tissue. Before reassembling you could coat the inside of the stocks with a very very thin layer of Vaseline to prevent the hemp sticking. Do not start playing for several hours.
Normally when seasoning a bag you only would need to apply one coat. However if you think it requires more seasoning repeat the process after over 8 hours. Applying two light coats of seasoning is always more satisfactory than applying one heavy coating. This can lead to clots forming inside the bag which can sometimes blow onto the reeds. These can be a nuisance, but do not damage the reeds and can easily be removed. If you feel that you have poured too much seasoning in hold it up to let the surplus drain out through the chanter stock.
BAGPIPE BAGS- FORM & FUNCTION- a footnote
In February 2007 I wrote an article for Chanter on bagpipe bags in which I quoted a graphic description how to remove an animal skin from the animal to make a wine skin. This account was written by Carlo Levi in the mid 1930’s. At the time of writing my article I had no idea that by the end of 2007 I would actually be witness to the killing of a sheep and the subsequent removal of its skin, almost exactly as Carlo Levi had described.
This is his description that I had quoted
“In one corner of the square, which barely escaped falling within the long shadow caste by the monument………… a lame man, dressed in black, with a wizened, solemn, almost priestly face, as thin as that of a polecat, was blowing like a pair of bellows into the body of a dead goat. I stopped to look at him. The goat had been killed shortly before, right out in the square and laid out on a board supported by two wooden trestle trestles. The lame man had made only one incision in the skin, on a hind leg just above the foot. Here he had set his lips and was blowing with all his might and main while he pulled the skin away from the flesh. To see him attached in this way to the animal, whose form was gradually inflated, while he seemed silently to grow thinner and thinner as he emptied himself of his breath recalled some strange sort of metamorphosis whereby a man is changed into a beast. When the goat was swollen up like a balloon, the lame man held the leg tightly in one hand, removed his mouth from the foot and wiped it with his sleeve, then quickly peeled the skin off as if it were a glove until the goat was left stripped and naked on its board, like a saint, looking up at the sky.”
From Christ Stopped at Eboli, by Carlo Levi.
In December 2007, in an attempt to avoid Christmas, I visited my old friend Lhoucine in Morocco. I was completely unaware that the dates I had chosen to visit him coincided with the biggest festival in the Muslim calender- Id el Kabir- the feast of sacrifice. This is a family festival to celebrate when Abraham spared his son Isaac and sacrificed a ram in his place.
And so it was on the morning of December 23rd that the family went up onto the roof and their rams neck was positioned facing Mecca and its throat was cut. After it had bled to death, Lhoucines son Fahrid made a small incision in the hind leg and began to blow vigorously into it to inflate the skin off the flesh. It is important to do this whilst the animal is still very warm warm and it involved quite a bit of manual manipulation to free every bit of the skin from the flesh. It was fascinating- the whole process was very similar to the way Carlo Levi had described. After they had removed the skin, Lhoucines wife Yamna began to cure it with water and alum. I do not know what she will do with it- certainly it will not be used as a wine skin or a pipe bag.
I stayed with the family for the next three days and every meal involved mutton, mutton and more mutton. This was a bit of a challenge for me as I am now almost totally a vegetarian.
I am uncertain of what practical interest this may be to to members of The Bagpipe Society, but I add it as a footnote to my article.
Julian Goodacre