Bao Minh talks with the street performer in Edinburgh (Photo credit by Bao Minh)

Bao Minh and his three friends, who are studying in London, arrived in Scotland on an extremely windy but beautiful day and decided to meander down the Royal Mile in the capital city of Edinburgh.

Their laughter mingled with the haunting sound of bagpipes being played by a nearby street performer. The music seemed to be telling a story that was drawing them toward the heart of Scotland's musical heritage.

The highland bagpipe, according to the street performer, who started playing at the age of six, is an integral part of Scottish culture and history and is famous for a distinctive, powerful sound that symbolizes the culture of the Scottish Highlands. 

The artist said proudly, “It’s Scotland's hallowed instrument. It’s ancient – a traditional instrument for many centuries.”

Following the street performer’s suggestion, the group followed the Royal Mile to Kilberry Bagpipes, the only workshop in Scotland’s capital that still makes bagpipes by hand.

Dave Wardell, a bagpipe maker at Kilberry Bagpipes, talked to the visitors about bagpipes and described how the instrument is made.

“I’ve got nerve damage in my left arm which is probably due to making bagpipes. You're working constantly with your hands. You’re on your feet all day. That wood’s very, very hard. You’re sharpening chisels and gouges. It’s a very, very dense grain that gives a better tonal quality. It’s also very, very long-lasting, a very hard wood,” Dave recalled.

After boring and shaping the pipes, they’re fitted with mounts and ferrules before adding the finishing touches and setting up the components.

To make a standard set of bagpipes craftsmen need to have a steady hand, use sharp grinding and polishing tools, and be meticulous and careful about every detail. 

Dave Wardell (Photo: kilberrybagpipes.com)

Bagpipes were first mentioned in Scottish history 600 years ago, their origin remains unclear. Variants can be found around the world – Ireland, Turkey, and northwestern France. But according to historians, the highland bagpipe is the best-known variant and it has had a significant influence on the military music of Britain and other Commonwealth countries.

Despite its enduring cultural significance, the handmade highland bagpipe is vanishing. Unlike Kilberry, most other producers now use machinery to make bagpipes on a larger scale at a smaller cost. Machine-made bagpipes cost as little as 100 USD, whereas a set of Kilberry bagpipes costs around 1,500 USD.

Dave said that, for him and the other artisans at Kilberry, preserving something that is gradually disappearing is extremely challenging and arduous. But he and the other workers continue to make bagpipes by hand to preserve this unique cultural icon of Scotland.

According to Dave, “It’s important to keep the traditional way going. The traditional way of making bagpipes will continue. It's now taught in the schools in Scotland, and while it's very important to me, it's the kids who really love it.”

Nowadays, bagpipes are mainly used in ceremonial settings and by prestigious competitive piping bands, one of which Dave used to play in.  

“You’re supposed to enjoy the instrument. I took it to a different level. I mean, at one point I was probably practicing 3, 4 hours every night, every day of the week, obviously striving to be the best I could,” said Dave, adding, “At the age of 15, I was playing in Grade One bands and competing solo and all that sort of stuff, yeah. But there comes a time you have to pull back a bit from it. It’s just a bit too intense at times.”

So instead of playing the pipes, Dave now focuses his passion into making them and promoting them to the visitors who come into the shop.

Glencorse Pipe Band, a mini Scottish pipes and drums penicuik, Edinburgh (Photo: glencorsepipeband.co.uk)

After hearing the street piper perform a haunting tune and learning how bagpipes are made at Kilberry Bagpipes, a member of Minh’s group felt an irresistible urge to play the bagpipes himself.

The street artist warned him that playing the bagpipes requires great breath control, passion, and dedication because the instrument is quite complex and it's very difficult to play it in tune.

“You need a lot of skill to make the instrument sound tuneful. It's a very temperamental, dynamic instrument. You also need many years of training in order to play music on the bagpipes. It's a very difficult instrument,” said the street performer.

As Minh and his friends left Edinburgh, the haunting sound of the pipes lingered in their minds. They promised each other to return some day and stay long enough to get to know the bagpipes better.