The continued tradition of bagpipes in Northumberland is inseparable from its position as a border county, and this partly explains why they are rarely referred to as 'English' pipes. The latter term has come to mean an entirely different family of mainly reconstructed and revived instruments.
Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows blown bagpipes. Pipes using bellows occur in many parts of Europe, and in many forms in Britain. What makes the Northumbrian smallpipes unique is the parallel bore of the chanter, (which they share with the revived Scottish smallpipes) combined with a stopped end to the chanter. They first appeared in this form about 300 years ago (see history for more details), and are still available in this configuration, as so-called simple sets.
A simple set consists of bellows, bag with three drones, tuned G, d, g, and a plain (unkeyed) chanter capable of playing one octave, G to g (8 notes).
Some have one tuning bead so that the G drone can be retuned to A. Many tunes are accessible to such an instrument, although some teachers do not recommend starting on them. With miniature bag and bellows they can be played by small children (4 is the youngest I have heard).
Northumbrian smallpipes are a Bb instrument (a transposing instrument) in their commonest form. That is to say, the player lifts a finger to sound the the note he calls 'G', but the sound that is produced is approximately an 'F', one tone lower. ( The reason for this is historical, and involves the subject of 'baroque pitch', a discussion of which is not appropriate here.) Sets like this, which are generally recommended for beginners, and those likely to play with other pipers, are referred to as 'F' sets. Sets are also available in 'concert pitch' - that is, the sound of the above note is 'G' - and these are very useful for those wishing to play with other instruments, and in sessions (known as 'G' sets). A third form is when the G in the music sounds as 'D' ('D' sets) - these are very useful for accompanying singing. Not all pipemakers will make all types.
The commonest form of NSP, and that on which most beginners start, is the 7-keyed 'F' set.
This comes with bellows, a bag with 4 drones (D,G,d,g), and a 7-keyed chanter. The drones may have tuning beads, commonly one on each drone, so that they can be retuned to E,A,e,a. Only 2 or 3 drones are used at a time, but this extends the range of possible keys from 2 (G and D) to 4 (D, E minor, G, A minor). The chanter has a range of almost 2 octaves (not chromatic) and it is possible to play a wide range of material on it.
The keys are D,E, F#,c#,d#,a' and b'. 2 are operated with the LH little finger(pinkie) (E and a), the rest with the RH thumb - but only one at a time.
The most complicated sets seen today have 5 drones with a switch for easy key changing, and up to 21 keyed chanters. A 17-keyed chanter gives 2 chromatic octaves, B to b',
and the greatest range at present goes from G, to c'.
Recently, it has been discovered that it is possible to use a mixture of complicated fingering and bag control to produce higher notes on the chanter. It is not easy to do, and the advantages are not yet clear. It does introduce the possibility of high descant and variation parts, and facilitates the introduction of tunes with a wide range. However it is thought by some authorities to be inappropriate for the instrument, and its use in competition could lead to disqualification.
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