The American Pipers Guild, founded in 1991, is an organization formed to promote the making and playing of bamboo pipes.

• History

• Materials

• Construction

August 1, 2010

On Sunday, August 1st pipers will be presenting all the music for the morning service at 10:30 am at First Parish Church, 7 Harrington Road, in Lexington, Massachusetts (right on the Battle Green). Music by Johnson, Lechner, Lebègue, Zipoli as well as by more contemporary composers Betty Fernley and Hans Peter Graf will be played. Graf’s chant grégorien, written specifically for bamboo pipes, is a wonderful modern arrangement of an old chant.

International Pipers Course
Athis-Mons, France July 24-31, 2011

Will be held at St Charles' College, approximately 15 kms south of Paris, in a lovely park setting.

Pipers from many different countries will gather to make new pipes of many different sizes. Workshops will be given with such music as American, Asian, British, French, Dutch, German, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Swiss, and from all time periods.

Also offered : music with strings, percussion, dance, conducting, « body percussions », and singing.
An original composition will   performed by the entire group.

Official languages are English, French and German.

Fees:  For the pipers: 600 €, including board, lodging and tuition.

Making materials are extra.
      
If you would like more information, please contact:

In United States:
Charlotte Poletti - (518) 873-2262
bamboopipe@AOL.com

In France:
Nicole Bougeant: 0033 680 327 774
nbougeant@sfr.fr

Annie Ducloux:   0033 609 314 515
annie.ducloux@gmail.com

Adirondacks Pipe-Making

New on the horizon is pipemaking in the Adirondacks. Classes will be given this summer and early fall at the Congregational Church in Keene Valley, NY, in the Lake Placid area. Participants will be able to make soprano, alto , tenor, and bass pipes and have the opportunity to hear them played in the exceptional acoustics of this lovely New England church. For more information please contact: Charlotte Poletti at bamboopipe@AOL.com or call (518) 873-2262.

For more information please see pipersguild.org

Where Did Pipes Originate?

A British music teacher, Margaret James, started making these in the 1920's, based on an old goatherd's pipe. During the last century their popularity gradually spread to different countries - Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland - where groups and guilds, similar to medieval guilds, were formed to make and play pipes.

Now there are big international courses involving all those countries every few years where the camaraderie is remarkable.

What are Bamboo Pipes?

Bamboo pipes are simple musical instruments with cork used for the embouchure, resembling recorders but with a sweeter sound. They are not sold but must be made by the players themselves, under the guidance of a master teacher. They come in sopranino, soprano, alto , tenor, bass, quart bass and great bass sizes, alternating between G and D as the fundamental tone. Their range is an octave and a third to an octave and a sixth, depending on the type of instrument. They are carefully tuned so they can be played with a variety of other instruments.

Why Make One?

There is something unique about creating one's own sound, as part of a high-quality musical instrument, and subsequently playing with others who have done the same. One learns more about acoustics and the production of sound than from buying a ready-made instrument. In addition, it brings you into contact with a special international movement of pipe makers and players.

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Last update on 04/02/09

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