Gaita-de-fole

The Portuguese bagpipe belongs to the family of bagpipes found in western and central Europe including the United Kingdom. Like the famous Scottish instrument the gaita-de-fole uses two different types of reeds: a single reed (clarinet type) and a double reed (oboe type). The single reed is placed in the long tube (drone) with a cylindrical bore that plays only one bass note. The melody pipe (chanter) has a conical bore and is equipped with the double reed. These reeds are traditionally made from cane (Arundo donax) but can also be fashioned from elder wood, bamboo or plastic. The bag is normally a whole skin of a goat or sheep.

In Portugal there are a few different versions of the bagpipe. In the most remote regions of Trás-os-Montes these instruments were handmade by local players, most of them shepherds. Because of this, they are not standardized. The tunings also vary but most of the time are modal, slightly minor at the bottom and almost major at the top. The same modes are found in the oral tradition of the region. In the coastal areas from Minho province to Lisbon, the bagpipes tend to be either imports from Galicia or locally made, tuned in a diatonic manner.

I’ve made a smaller bagpipe with one melody pipe and a short drone made out of bamboo tubes equipped with single reeds that sounds like a snake charmer instrument. I play the piece jota with this bagpipe.