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The World of Bagpipes : British Isles
Union (Uilleann) Pipes Compact Union Pipes

It is likely that he Uilleann or Union Pipes evolved from the earlier Pastoral Pipes the main difference being that the foot joint giving the lower leading note is absent, the bell note becoming the keynote of the chanter. As they are played in a seated position this gives the facility of stopping the lower end of the chanter on the knee and staccato can be used by shutting down the chanter in between melody notes. Like the small and several other forms the Union Pipe is a transposing instrument and the keynote of the chanter is always classed as being D although in practice it can range from A to eb. Until around 1880 when the wide bore concert sets were introduced the pitch was generally lower than d1 and these instruments are termed flat sets, the narrow tapered bores giving a soft, sweet tone. The legend is that the Taylor brothers on moving from Ireland to the USA found them too quiet for the large concert halls redesigning them with wider conical bores and raising the pitch to d1 or sharper increasing their volume and carrying power. These are classed as concert pitch sets. Originally the Union Pipe like it's ancestor the Pastoral or New Bagpipe had two drones, Bass D and Tenor d and a single regulator (Tenor) with four or five keys (f #, g, a, b and c) and in one case eight keys (C - c). It developed into a more complex instrument with the addition of extra drones - treble d, g and further regulators - Baritone with four keys (d, f#, g, a), Bass (G, A, B, c), a Double Bass (D, E, F# ) and occasionally more. The chanter has a compass of two octaves with the second register being obtained through increased bag pressure and can be fitted with up to seven keys for semitones including one for a high e. A valve can also be fitted to the bottom end of the chanter to make stopping on the knee easier. It is difficult to say which country the Union Pipe specifically comes from as it was made in England and Scotland as well as Ireland although it is in this latter that it reached it's most sophisticated form and the concert sets were initially designed and made in America.	Union Pipes : Full Set in D with 4 regulators
Above: Union Pipes - Full Set in C with 4 regulators
Union Pipes : Taylor style Full Set in D with 4 regulators		Union Pipes : The Components

Below : Fully keyed Concert pitch Uilleann pipe chanter (block mounted keywork)



Robert Reid maker of Northumbrian Small Pipes and Border Pipes also made several sets of Union Pipe including one very fine presentation set made in 1830 for "Robert Millar" a Music Master from Dundee who was a celebrated performer on several types of bagpipe (see "Great Highland"). The instrument consists of a fully keyed single narrow bored chanter, six drones in two sets of three (tuned to the intervals of bass, tenor and the fifth giving either - D, d, a or G, g, d.) that can be switched on and off to suit the key being played in and Tenor and Baritone Regulators. The whole instrument being executed to the highest possible standard of workmanship in ebony with mountings of ivory and sterling silver. This set was in a sorry state when purchased by a Scottish Museum with bag and bellows leather falling apart and drones wrongly assembled - the instrument came to my workshop and was restored to full playing order using most of the original reeds. One of the largest sets that I have examined was of composite construction by Egan, Colgan and at least one other maker. Pitched in Bb it consisted of a fully keyed chanter, three drones (the treble being of later addition) and four regulators. It had a number of unusual features - the bass regulator went into the main stock with an internal crook and the double bass regulator was fitted "outboard" with the main section made from metal. The modern standard full set is a Chanter with at least one key (for high c), three drones (D, d and d) and three regulators - Tenor, Baritone and Bass. In the past more complex sets have been popular some examples being those by the Taylor Brothers where a Double Bass Regulator was often fitted increasing the compass of the instrument to three octaves. The keywork on these was of wide plate keys which were easier to play if not quite as ascetic as the older teardrop type. To help keep the regulators in perfect tune several sets were made with the Tenor and Baritone Regulators having four bores each so that the notes could be dealt with individually. Chanters were double bored with a full set of tone holes for each to give greater carrying power, keywork being arranged on the front and rear so that they opened onto both bores at once.
Union Pipes by Egan & Colgan (See Gallery)		Union Pipes by R. Reid (See Gallery)

The Union Pipe is of course an expensive instrument to purchase outright and hence it is possible to spread this cost by purchasing it in stages. These are initially as either a practice or half set, the former being a bag with bellows and chanter with a key for the c, the latter having three drones in a common stock complete with on/off switch. This stock comes complete with the necessary holes for future attachment of up to four regulators which may be added as circumstances permit to bring it up to a full set. I also produce a lower priced instrument based on those by J. E. Brennan who worked with the Taylor Brothers using folded slab style keys and plainer turning. These are exactly the same internally as their more elaborate counterparts but due to the simpler and quicker manufacture carry a lower price tag. They are also very compact.		Taylor (Brennan) Style Budget Sets
Below : Fully keyed Concert pitch Uilleann pipe chanter (Taylor style keywork)


Compact Union Pipe (Shuttle and Barrel styles)
Malcolm MacGregor, a musical instrument maker and noted performer on various types of bagpipe, including a keyed chanter for the Great Highland pipes made several compact designs of Union Pipe in the early 1800's. The chanter was of the normal single bore type and fully keyed but the drones and the regulators were all bored in a single piece of wood. At least two types were made, one with the drones tuning out of the end of the unit (barrel style) and the other with the drones being controlled via shuttles like the Musette du Cour. The bass drone is made from a series of three bores connected in series to give the necessary length. The regulators are the tenor and baritone. This arrangement gives an extremely compact and neat set of pipes that is very robust and useful for playing where space is limited. This instrument is available in the forms above and also with the bass regulator incorporated in the shuttle as well as further drones. Union Barrel Drone (beside conventional drones)			Union Shuttle Drone

The "Gallery" and "Museum" sections of this site contains photographs and descriptions of several unusual and grand sets of Union Pipes for which copies can be commissioned.
Materials : Box or exotic hardwoods with brass / nickel silver ferrules and mounts of bone, horn or imitation figured ivory. Go to "Price List"