BAGPIPES FROM A PIPER

Bagpipes


Welcome to www.bagpipes.sk I am Juraj Dufek, a piper and bagpipe maker from Bojnice, a small town in central Slovakia. On these pages I would like to introduce the Slovak bagpipes and other related instruments, that I make, and sell.

Slovak bagpipe (called gajdy [guy-dee] in Slovak) in general is a folk music instrument. It consists of one chanter and one bass drone. The tones, or sounds in both of them are produced by the flow of the air forced out of the bag, passing through the reeds. These are of a single type, similar to that of the clarinet, both in the chanter and drone.

gajdos We have several distinct types of bagpipes in Slovakia, differing in construction, look, pitch, range and scales. You can find an overview of those I make in the side menu.

The largest portion of the site is focused on the detailed description of the single parts the pipes are composed of, their function and making. It also contains drawings, measures and some instructions for those who would like to make their own pipes themselves.

Besides practical things, you can find here pictures of old pipes, essays on old almost forgotten scales and piping styles, as well as songs and tunes in notes and in sound.

Zelam Vam prijemne gajdovanie!
I wish You a pleasant piping!
Juraj Dufek