Tartan Clans Bagpipes Scottish Accents: Edinburgh Pipebands Girls Dancing The Gathering Highlights

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I produced this film with members of the Edinburgh Cine & Video Society capturing the event in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh in 2009.

Ever since Scottish clans have existed, they have given Scotland a sense of identity which has been passed down from generation to generation across the globe. The clans combine to become the Clan Chiefs where each clan is recognised by their individual coat of arms. Most of the clans have their own unique tartan patterns which date back to the 19th century. Members of those clans also wore plaids, sashes, ties, scarves and uniforms.

The image of the clans was formally made known to the public by Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish Author. History tells us that tartan designs were popular in the Lowland and Highland districts where local weavers chose to produce cloth patterns of tartan popular in those destricts. The process evolved where the most prominent families in various clans wore the tartan of the district.

The clan regions were controlled by Chiefs who often stayed in ancient castles and many clan gatherings too place. The most recent one which is featured here in this video was part of the clan convention in the Scottish Parliament.

Clan is a Scottish Gaelic word for offspring or children. Each clan consisted of a large group of people. They look to the Clan Chief as their protector. A Clan is made up of everyone who lived on the Chief's territory or on the territory of those who owed an alliance to that Chief.

The Caber Toss is a well known traditional Scottish event undertaken at the Scottish Highland Games involving the tossing of a large wooden pole called a caber which looks like a telephone pole or power pole. Across Scotland, the caber is usually made from Larch pine tree. A typical caber weighs 175 pounds and is 19 feet tall.

The purpose of throwing the caber is to have the caber fall directly away from the thrower after the landing. A good throw is when the top end is nearest the bottom. Another sport is the stone put, usually seen in Scottish heavy events at modern day /highland games gatherings. The weight of the stone varies from anything up to 26 pounds. Another event is the hammer throw, where a competitor throws a heavy ball attached to a wire and handle. Older competitions involved throwing sledge hammers. Today, this event can be seen at Scottish Highland Games. This competition is won based on who can throw the ball the farthest. A man's hammer weighs 16 pounds, measuring 3 feet. Competitors can gain the maximum distance by swinging the hammer above their head to set up the circular motion. After that, they apply force and pick up speed by completing one to four turns of the circle.

Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Although bagpipes are known primarily from coming from Scotland and Ireland, they are equally in use across Europe, Northern Africa, the Persian Gulf, and the Caucasus.

Air is supplied to the bag by blowing into a blowpipe, or blowstick. In some pipes, the player must cover the tip of the blowpipe with his tongue while inhaling. The bag is an airtight reservoir that holds air, regulating it's flow while the player keeps the bag inflated by blowing into it or alternatively pumping with a bellows so that the player can maintain continuous sound for some time. The materials used for the bags differ widely with the most notable materials being the skins of local animals such as goats, dogs, sheep and cows. Gore Tex has since become widely used.

The chanter is the melody pipe, played by using two hands. The chanter is usually open ended so it's easier for the player to stop the pipe from sounding. This means that most bagpipes share a similar sound where there are no rests in the music. Most bagpipes feature at least one drone, a cylindrical tube with a single reed, although drones with double reeds do exist. Some drones lay over the shoulder, across the arm opposite the bag or run parallel to the chanter.

Around the world, there are many different types of bagpipes across Europe and the Middle East and particularly throughout the history of the British Empire. They have been best known as the Great Highland Bagpipe. Although they have been in decline for some time, in recent years many of these pipes have had a revival as more traditional musicians decided to use them. The Irish piping tradition declined too but grew after that period. Other types of bagpipes include the Asturian Gaita, the Galician Gaita, the Aragonese Gaita de Boto, Northumbrian smallpipes, the Breton Biniou, the Balkan Gaida, the Black Tulum, the Scottish smallpipes and Pastoral Pipes.

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What are your favorite pipe tunes?