Inglis Collection of printed music > Printed text > Piobaireachd [Tus is Alt a'Chiuil-Mhoir]

Chapter VII
RUDIMENTS OF MUSIC SO FAR AS APPLICABLE
TO THE HIGHLAND BAGPIPE
FIRST of all let us begin at the foundation, and define roughly what music itself
is. Bagpipe music being instrumental, is produced by the vibrations of
the column of air passing from the mouth into the bag and thence to the
reeds in the drones and chanter. Music may still further be described as a series
of sounds, not only pleasing to the ear, but the most powerful means of moving the
heart and exciting the feelings.
In writing musical sounds three things are essential, and made use of, viz. :
i. Signs. — To represent notes.
2. Notes. — To express duration.
3. The staff, or stave and clef. — To express pitch.
The signs which make the relative duration of musical sounds clear to the eye
are called notes, varying in shape as follows : —
1. o Semibreve, or whole note.*
2. P Minim, or half note.
3. I* Crotchet, or quarter note.
4. • Quaver, or eighth note.
5. 6 Semiquaver, or sixteenth note.
6. fe Demisemiquaver, or thirty-second note.
7. £ Semidemisemiquaver, or sixty-fourth note.
Each of the above notes in their order, is half the value or duration of the.
preceding note.
* A note double the value of the Semibreve is really first of the sequence. It is called a Breve, but as
it is only used r.ow in music of the nature of organ music and plain song, it is of no interest to the student
of Bagpipe music.