Parts of a Bagpipe – Bag, Chanter, Drones and Blowpipe

All 13 parts on the diagram

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Bag and air supply 4

Bag The player's arm squeezes it to keep air flowing to the pipes.
Blowpipe The player blows through it to fill the bag.
Stocks Short wooden tubes tied into the bag. Each pipe pushes into one.
Valve A flap that lets air into the bag but not back out.

Chanter and drones 7

Chanter The melody pipe. The tune is fingered on it.
Bass drone The longest pipe. It holds one low note under the tune.
Tenor drones Two shorter pipes. Both hold the same steady note.
Cords They tie the three drones together and hold them in position.
Finger holes Covered and uncovered by the fingers to play the tune.
Sole The disc at the bottom end of the chanter.
Tuning slide The top joint slides on it. Moving it tunes the drone.

Reeds 2

Chanter reed A double reed, hidden inside the stock when the pipe is in.
Drone reeds A single reed: a tube with a tongue cut in it.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it for this part. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Great Highland bagpipe (a bag, a blowpipe, a chanter, two tenor drones, one bass drone; the chanter reed and drone reeds, all inside the stocks), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Highland_bagpipe ; Bagpipes (bag, chanter, drone and its sliding joint, stocks, blowpipe or blowstick and its non-return valve, single and double reeds), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes ; Practice chanter (sole, finger holes), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Practice_chanter . (2) Roderick D. Cannon, The Highland Bagpipe and its Music (1988), searched in full text at https://archive.org/details/highlandbagpipei0000cann (the five stocks tied into the bag, blowpipe and its flap valve, mouthpiece, chanter with finger holes, the sole, tenor and bass drones, tuning slides, chanter reed, drone reeds). (3) William Donaldson, Pipers: a guide to the players and music of the Highland bagpipe (2005), searched in full text at https://archive.org/details/pipers00will (blowpipe with a non-return valve, bass and tenor drones, stocks, bag cover, the cords that loop the drones together, tuning slides, drone reeds with a tongue, the double-bladed chanter reed). (4) Francis Collinson, The Bagpipe: the history of a musical instrument (1975), searched in full text at https://archive.org/details/bagpine0000unse (blowpipe or blowstick and its non-return valve, tenor drones, bass drone, tuning slides, chanter reed, drone reed). (5) W. L. Manson, The Highland Bagpipe (1901), searched in full text at https://archive.org/details/highlandbagpipe00mansgoog (bag, the five stocks, blow-pipe and its valve, chanter, finger holes, chanter reed, drone reed, tuning slide, cords). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's set, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A bagpipe is a bag of air with five pipes: a blowpipe to fill it, a chanter for the tune and three drones. Start with the whole set, then look at the reeds hidden inside.

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Three views, outside to inside

Numbers 1 to 7 are the whole bagpipe: bag, blowpipe, chanter, bass drone, tenor drones, stocks and cords. Numbers 8 to 10 are the finger holes and sole of the chanter and the tuning slide of a drone. Numbers 11 to 13 are inside the stocks: the chanter reed, a drone reed and the valve.

Why the sound never stops

The player blows into the bag, and the arm presses the bag to push air through the reeds. The chanter plays the tune while each drone holds one steady note. The bag keeps the air flowing while the player takes a breath.

The reeds never touch the player's lips. All four sit inside the stocks.

Questions and answers

What are the pipes on a bagpipe called?

The blowpipe fills the bag. The melody pipe is the chanter, with finger holes. The three pipes that stand up are the drones: one long bass drone and two shorter tenor drones.

How many reeds does a bagpipe have?

A Great Highland bagpipe has four: a double reed in the chanter and a single reed in each of the three drones.

What is the chanter on a bagpipe?

The pipe the tune is played on. It hangs down from the front of the bag, and the fingers cover and uncover its holes.

How are the drones of a bagpipe tuned?

Each drone is made in sections joined by a tuning slide. Sliding a section makes the drone longer or shorter, which changes its pitch; a shorter drone sounds sharper.