Customer Reviews

The Highland Bagpipe and Its Music

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One of the best comprehensive examinations of the Highland pipes out there! Historical information is clear and unusually accurate, avoiding romance. Covers the development of the GHB and its attendant uses and traditions from its earliest appearances through the present day; truly an impressive work. Cannon's scholarship is unassailable.

This is a comprehensive work that covers the history of the GHB, dance tune as well as military traditions, pibroch, and construction. This is a wonderful resource for pipers and anybody with an interst in the pipes; it is a thorough discussion of the GHB's history and music. And my fellow piping students will appreciate its discussion about practice chanters and tutoring methods throughout the ages. Incidentally, there is a fair amount of information on other pipes.

A fundamental and absolutely recommendable study on its subject, based on a vast bibliography, by a famous scholar and editor of classic bagpipe music. However, Mr. Cannon's book having been written over two decades ago a more thorough update than the revised edition would be welcome. Readers more specially interested in the historical topics will find further essential publications, including Mr. Cannon's excellent edition of Joseph MacDonald's early bagpipe treatise and Hugh Cheape's recent book on the history of Scottish bagpipes (H. Cheape, Bagpipes, A National Collection of a National Instrument, Edinburgh, NMS, 2008).

An excellent book, well researched, clearly written. It remains by far the best single book that I have read about highland pipe, start here.