The World of Bagpipes : Reconstructions

Luttrell Psalter Bagpipe

It shows a chanter which is steeply conical in outline and a long trumpet like drone held in an upright position this latter having large projecting mountings on the sliding joints. The illustration is however not quite as straightforward as it appears to be and is a composite of several instruments shown throughout the book. This is where a great many writers go astray in that they take an illustration from a secondary source and not the primary source and because of this the picture is now taken to be a "classic" bagpipe whereas in reality it is made up of several. It is however a common arrangement of single chanter and bass drone like many other illustrations and is a visually splendid instrument.

The chanter stock is in the form of a carved head and typical for the period the instrument is mouth blown. The reconstruction that I offer is based on a g1 (six finger) chanter with the drone having an open flared top giving a set of pipes that is nice and loud, easy to play and maintain. 

The compass of the chanter is a useful octave and a half - f1 to g1 (d11) and has it's stock carved in the form of a king's head as standard.

go to "Instruments of the Luttrell Psalter" for more details.

English hardwood with mounts of horn and carved chanter stock in the form of a kings head.

The Kings Crown and the Chanter and Drone bells are finished with a gold wax.