France: Biniou Koz
A diminutive bagpipe playing an octave higher than other pipes from Brittainy and normally played in combination with the Bombarde - a loud folk shawm.
The Bombarde plays the main melody with the Biniou Koz echoing this and having short solo parts while the bombarde player has a rest. Like the Bombarde the Chanter of the Biniou Koz does not have a thumb hole for the top note, however a full scale is obtainable plus leading note.
Generally the most common pitches are either b11 or c111 with six finger note being the keynote and the normal form is chanter with a single bass drone two octaves below the chanter keynote. The instrument is also available in the slightly lower pitches of g11 or a11 with additional drones to make it more suitable for other instrumental settings, these being tuned to the fourth or fifth below the normal drone or an octave below, this latter being termed as a double bass drone which can either lie across the shoulder or across the pipers chest. The double bass drone can be of compact form with a triple bore in the lower joint or of full length for spectacular effect.
Materials:
Box or exotic hardwood with mounts of bone, ivory, horn and inlaid pewter.