What is piobaireachd?

If you've been piping for a while, you’ve probably heard the word 'piobaireachd' (pronounced 'pee-brock') mentioned here and there – sometimes with an eye roll and derisive tone, I'm sure.

But what is it, really? Just slow, boring scores a bunch of old guys like to force competition players to learn because of 'tradition'?

Absolutely not.

Piobaireachd can be very hard to describe in any quick or easy way because it is an entirely different paradigm than bagpipe 'light music' – which is another name for every other kind of tune you've played, like marches, strathspeys, reels, jigs, airs, and hornpipes.

At its core, it's a style of bagpipe music, with a set structure of repetitive movements – not unlike a symphony you might hear an orchestra play – that increase in tempo and difficulty, before returning to the calm beginning movement to finish.

However, it's so, so much more than that. You see, it's ancient – it existed before 'Western' music had any influence on the bagpipe music of Gaelic cultures.

Think Bach, Mozart, Beethoven – all those 'old, classical' composers? The first piobaireachds pre-date them by centuries (even though there are new piobaireachds composed all the time, even today)!

Like most older styles of art, it can be a bit different to the forms and structures that we're used to in modern music – so it takes a little longer to get acquainted with.

That's why we've created an entire, four-year program to introduce you to it!

Initially, we think that piobaireachd was probably less about music as it was about storytelling, socializing, and just plain entertainment. In many cases, it likely evolved from traditional songs of Gaelic culture.

Because these were largely passed on through oral tradition, many are lost to us today, and were probably not originally played on the bagpipes.  

And so, for all of these reasons, it's just plain different to light music. The vast majority of these light music tunes were composed post-Culloden (see opposite), with plenty of Western music influence.

Also, later light-music tunes had a heavy military influence – their strong beats, fast tempos, and quick fingerwork were necessary to fulfil a specific purpose on the march.  

So, as we dive into piobaireachd, it's important to establish that it’s completely different from what you’ve done before. Approach it with an open mind, an eager attitude, and be patient.

It's normal not to 'like' piobaireachd to start with – but like fine wine, single malt whiskey, and fine cheeses, this acquired taste is well worth the investment.  

A very brief history...

Although you'll likely read many books and stories that may seem to claim to give the 'definitive' history of piobaireachd, the truth is that no one really knows for sure where it came from.

However, the generally accepted history now tells the story that in the early 1600s (and probably earlier), the MacCrimmon family from Skye possessed the world’s best pipers, and as time moved forward, they passed their knowledge of piobaireachd down – through family and their famed piping school in the highlands – in an unbroken line, all the way until the mid 1700s.

If you've ever watched the popular TV show Outlander – and if you're a bagpiper, I'm guessing you have (or if not, you're missing out!) – you'll be familiar with the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, which saw many of the highland clans unite to attempt to secure Bonnie Prince Charlie the British crown.

History wasn't kind to the Jacobites, however, or the Scots for that matter – after the last Jacobite rebellion was put down at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Gaelic culture was heavily weeded out of Scotland, to put it very kindly, in a period of Scottish history known as the 'Highland Clearances'.

This isn’t to say that all of the Gaels were wiped out, but the pressure to conform to the new English way of life both socially and economically was quite literally impossible to withstand for most, and so, over time, the population of definitively Gaelic people drastically diminished.  

Although it’s been disproved that the pipes were officially banned after the ‘45 (the colloquial name for the Jacobite uprising), it’s doubtless that being a piper was heavily frowned upon during the clearances period.

It's worth noting here that some sources contradict this idyllic representation of the MacCrimmons' legacy, with post-Culloden bagpiping circles carrying on their traditions in an unbroken line – but that's a story for another time, and perhaps even a different course in the future!

We do know that the post-Culloden squelching of bagpiping culture continued across the Commonwealth for generations.

As you can imagine, that had a disastrous effect on the widespread continuation of the tradition, history, and culture of bagpiping in Scotland and beyond.

Today, we play a form of piobaireachd that has evolved through the efforts of groups of enthusiasts (like the Highland Society of London and the “Piobaireachd Society”) who have worked for centuries to preserve the art form and traditions that we know today.

Miraculously, piobaireachd survived all those wars, occupations, cultural clearances, and immensely heavy odds, all the way to the present day – where it's now accessible to you, a piper who is continuing the legacy of all those ancient highlanders, today.  

Indeed, if you learn piobaireachd in the present (from me or any of our fantastic, world-class instructors here at the Dojo, or elsewhere), you will be able to draw a direct line from yourself to the great teachers and performers of history – some more than 500 years in the past!

Are you ready to become a part of the living, (literally) breathing history of piobaireachd?

I'm excited to show you the way!

Ready to begin on your journey into the wonderful world of piobaireachd – the ancient art of bagpiping?