Uilleann
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The Irish or Uilleann (pronounced illin) bagpipe is one of the most developed bagpipes in existence.
An older name for this instrument was the Union pipes; the earliest uses of this in print date from the late 18th century. Why they were called Union pipes isn't known; theories include the union of sounds the various pipes obtain, or the Act of Union of 1803 (which post-dates the earliest usage), or to the pipes being used all through the Union itself. "Uilleann" means "elbow" in Irish Gaelic; it was first connected with the pipes in reference to a line in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, which mentions a "woolen" bagpipe. An antiquarian speculated that this was actually in reference to an "elbow" bagpipe, thus the uilleann pipe. This notion was picked up by a member of the Gaelic League, W.H. Grattan Flood, who at the beginning of the 20th century declared uilleann pipes to be the correct name, and Union pipes a corruption of it into English. This theory is no longer considered valid by modern researchers, none of whom consider Flood a reliable source of information.
Uilleann pipes are pitched in different keys, with the most prevalent being D. The lowest note available on the chanter is what the reference note, "pitched in D" or a "D set". Pipes pitched in D are also referred to as "concert pitch". "Concert pitch" uilleann pipes were developed by the Taylor brothers of Philadelphia, needed to have more volume to be heard in concert halls in America. Prior to their innovation only the quieter "flat sets" were available. Sets pitched in lower keys are referred to as "flat sets", C sharp, C, B and B flat.
This bellows-blown pipe plays a two octave diatonic scale in D major; it also has a C natural, allowing tunes to be played in G, described by the great Séamus Ennis as the Mixolydian mode. With the addition of extra keys to the chanter, other modes can also be used, although these are less common. The most commonly added keys are a second octave C natural and an F natural key.
The Uilleann pipes also have three drones, set in a common stock, all tuned to three different octaves of D, and up to three regulators which are effectively a kind of chanter with keys, designed to be played by the wrist. Accomplished players can use these to provide a limited but powerfully impressive chordal accompaniment.
Often Uilleann pipes are found without any drones or regulators; these sets are called somewhat misleadingly "practice sets". In fact, many pipers use these sets for their entire piping careers. Another common choice is to have only the drones, without regulators. This is known as a half-set.
A final occasional variant, the three-quarter set, omits the bass regulator, which is less commonly used.
For more information about the uilleann pipes, consult Na Píobairí Uilleann (http://www.pipers.ie) in Dublin, Ireland. fr:Uilleann pipe ja:イリアン・パイプス