across a piece of cane or reed, near the
open end, and splitting back from this towards a joint or knot, thus
raising a tongue or flap. The beating-reed is then fixed in a socket of the
drone, which fits into the stock. The sound is produced by the stream of
air forced from the bag into the drone-pipe by the pressure of the
performer's arm, causing the tongue of reed to vibrate over the aperture,
thus setting the whole column of air in vibration. The drone-pipe, like all
cylindrical tubes with reed mouthpieces, has the acoustic properties of the
closed pipe and produces the note of a pipe twice its length. The drones
are tuned by means of sliding-joints.

[v.03 p.0203] The blow-pipe and the chaunter occupy positions at opposite
extremities of the bag, which rests under the arm of the performer while
the drones point over his shoulder. These are the main features in the
construction of the bag-pipe, whose numerous varieties fall into two
classes according to the method of inflating the bag: (1) by means of the
blow-pipe described above; (2) by means of a small bellows connected by a
valved feed-pipe with the bag and worked by the other arm or elbow to which
it is attached by a ribbon or strap.

Class I. comprises: (a) the Highland bag-pipe; (b) the old Irish bag-pipe;
(c) the cornemuse; (d) the bignou or biniou (Breton bag-pipe); (e) the
Calabrian bag-pipe; (f) the ascaulus of the Greeks and Romans; (g) the
tibia utricularis; (h) the chorus. To Class II. belong: (a) the musette;
(b) the Northumbrian or border bag-pipe; (c) the Lowland bag-pipe; (d) the
union pipes of Ireland; (e) the surdelina of Naples.

1. _The Highland Bag-pipe._--The construction of the Highland pipes is
practically that given above. The chaunter consists of a conical wooden
tube terminating in a bell and measuring from 14 to 16 in. including the
reed. There are seven holes in front and one at the back for the thumb of
the left hand, which fingers the upper holes while the right thumb merely
supports the instrument. The holes are stopped by the under part of the
joints of the fingers. There is in addition a double hole near the bell,
which is never covered, and merely serves to regulate the pitch. As the
double reed is not manipulated by the lips of the performer, only nine
notes are obtained from the chaunter, as shown:--[2][3]

[Illustration]

The notes do not form any known diatonic scale, for in addition to the C
and F being too sharp, the n