Hew Morrison Collection > Piobaireachd

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Piobaireachd : its Origin and Construction
Canntaireachd seems to be the first system of musical notation that was ever
brought to perfection for recording piobaireaclid, and it was the invention of the
great MacCrimmons. If they could have produced their compositions perfect
without writing them on paper then canntaireachd would never have been heard
of. I say it is an utter impossibility to complete the intricate variations of a
piobaireachd from an original Theme in perfect form without writing it on paper,
and if all pipers tell the truth they must admit that this is so.
I have already dealt with the MacCrimmon sol-fa notation to a considerable
extent, but still more remains to be said about their scale. The tonic sol-fa scale
resembles the MacCrimmon Canntaireachd in that it is vocal, and is intended to be
a system of notation, more for training or writing music for the voice than for instru-
ments. I will give below a series of translations of scales for the Highland Bagpipe
chanter, viz. : — The scale in Staff Notation, in the Movable Doh System, the Fixed
Doh System, and in a Phonetic Vowel S>'Stem.
The Highland Bagpipe Chanter Scale
Sound the Phonetic Vowel Scale as follows : — " Vm as in «>H-pire, using the m
consonant to close the lips, making them represent the chanter when closed ; "
" as in o-vation ; " "a as in a-muse ; " " ei as in cj-rie ; " " i (short) as in d-»-p ; "
" ie as in eir-i« ,• " " u as in i(-grian — oo'grian ; " and " c as in e-mit."
The following is a translation in Canntaireachd of the first strain of
'The Piobaireachd Society's Salute'
-i — n.