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The chanter is the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody
Melody

In music, a melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity....
. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder. On more elaborate bagpipes, such as the Northumbrian bagpipes
Northumbrian smallpipes

The Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown bagpipes from the North East England of England. It consists of one chanter and usually four drones....
 or the Uilleann pipes
Uilleann pipes

The uilleann pipes , originally known as the Union pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. The uilleann pipes bag is inflated by means of a small set of bellows strapped around the waist and the right arm....
, it also may have a number of keys, to increase the instrument's range and/or the number of keys (in the modal sense) it can play in.






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Chanter 05pnw 034
The chanter is the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody
Melody

In music, a melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity....
. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder. On more elaborate bagpipes, such as the Northumbrian bagpipes
Northumbrian smallpipes

The Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown bagpipes from the North East England of England. It consists of one chanter and usually four drones....
 or the Uilleann pipes
Uilleann pipes

The uilleann pipes , originally known as the Union pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. The uilleann pipes bag is inflated by means of a small set of bellows strapped around the waist and the right arm....
, it also may have a number of keys, to increase the instrument's range and/or the number of keys (in the modal sense) it can play in. Like the rest of the bagpipe, they are often decorated with a variety of substances, including metal (silver/nickel/gold/brass), bone, ivory, or plastic mountings.

Chanters come in two main divisions, parallel and non-parallel bored (although there is no clear dividing line between the two). This refers to the shape of the internal bore of the chanter. On the Great Highland Bagpipe
Great Highland Bagpipe

The Great Highland Bagpipe is probably the best-known variety of bagpipe. Abbreviated GHB, and commonly referred to simply as "the pipes", they have historically taken numerous forms in Scotland....
, the internal bore is conical: it is this that gives the chanter its exceptional volume. The Northumbrian pipes, on the other hand, have a parallel bore, giving them a much sweeter and quieter tone.

The practice chanter
Practice chanter

The bagpipe practice chanter is a double reed woodwind instrument in appearance somewhat like that of a recorder. Although it can be played as an instrument in its own right, its main function is as an adjunct to the bagpipe....
 is used as a practice instrument for the Great Highland Bagpipe
Great Highland Bagpipe

The Great Highland Bagpipe is probably the best-known variety of bagpipe. Abbreviated GHB, and commonly referred to simply as "the pipes", they have historically taken numerous forms in Scotland....
. It is somewhat similar in appearance, though slightly smaller than the bagpipe chanter, and has a top piece so it can be blown directly from the mouth. It is also used as a first instrument so that learners do not initially have to master the mechanics of controlling the bag. It is typically made of a hard wood or plastic, plastic being the more common choice nowadays, mainly due to the cheaper price.

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