Opinion: All musical instruments naturally evolve, so why do we suppress pipes and snares?

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About 40 years ago, a now-prominent pipe-major, judge, and part-time bagpipe maker was working to create a drone that would complement the bass and one tenor drone of a set of Highland pipes.

Pitched higher than the tenor, he called it an “alto” drone. It might also have been a “baritone” drone if it was pitched between the bass and tenor. It doesn’t matter. He reasonably argued that a second tenor drone was redundant and limited the potential of a three-drone bagpipe. Why have a two-note chord when a three-note combination could produce a richer and fuller sound without changing the basic three-drone setup?

For whatever reason, he shelved the project. We’ve considered it ever since and wonder if the concept still has merit.

Musical instruments evolve. The piano was the “pianoforte” or “fortepiano” when Bartolomeo Cristofori invented it in 1700, and it has gone through myriad variations over the last 325 years. The guitar evolves daily, with luthiers and large companies experimenting with countless ideas. Gibson and Fender probably have an R&D department. You name the instrument, and preservationist societies notwithstanding, it’s guaranteed to have changed.

The “Great Highland Bagpipe” and its music stopped evolving when societies standardized things to make judging contests easier for amateurs. Old depictions of Highland pipers show various iterations of the instrument, which at some point had another drone added to the standard two.

Traditionalists will say that pipe bands must always use the same instruments. But one look at a pipe band, and you’ll see a midsection with drums of many shapes, tones, and sizes, all intended to enhance the overall sound.

No great artist achieved greatness by copying another artist. Indeed, art evolves and derives. The greatest artists are the risk-takers.

If the modern mid-section can do it, why can’t the pipes and snare drums also strive for more tonal variety and creativity? Imagine how boring other types of music would be if they all played the same pitch on precisely the same instruments. The snare sound of, say, Charlie Watts was distinct, as was Ringo Starr’s, Alex Van Halen’s, or every drummer out there. You recognize what band it is by the snare alone.

Instead, solo pipers, pipe band pipe sections, and snare lines strive to be some sort of standard ideal of sound – you know, the one that the generally risk-averse judges agree is the “best.” They dare not deviate from what’s winning for fear that intransigent judges won’t like it because it’s different, and in the competitive piping and drumming game, different with rare exceptions means baaaaad.

Nothing in any rules we’re aware of state precisely what a pipe band snare, tenor or bass drum is, not to mention what defines a “Highland bagpipe.” There’s more detail about what contestants must wear than what they must play. There are certainly norms and traditions for snares and pipes, but strictly speaking, contestants are free to try new instruments or versions of existing ones – as mid-sections do routinely.

We noticed a video of a solo snare drummer competing in an EUSPBA-sanctioned event with a rope-tension drum a few months ago. It was a pleasant sound, at least to our ear, and got us thinking. We’d imagine the judge was at sixes and sevens about what to do, but with any luck, he was open-minded and assessed accordingly, not summarily dismissing “different.” The competitor was not DQed because no rule prohibits playing a rope-tensioned drum.

It would be a great shame and horribly short-sighted if a rule were created that defines a “pipe band snare drum.” First, it would be impossible to define it precisely. More importantly, it would artificially stifle the art.

No great artist achieved greatness by copying another artist. Indeed, art evolves and derives. The greatest artists are the risk-takers. They’re the ones who go down in history as changemakers. Others might make history for lots of prizes won, and that’s terrific – more power to them. But the ones who truly make a lasting difference are those who do things differently.

We can continue to preserve our past with events that strictly regulate our traditional instruments and music. But how much more interesting would it be if we let go of the self-imposed strictures we place on the sound and design of our instruments?

We could join the real and natural world of evolving music.

What do you think? We welcome your thoughts via our Comments feature below.