Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is the Hümmelchen, a style of German, medieval bagpipe. This is the "smallpipe" style of this medieval pipe. Typically such instruments have only one (maybe two drones). I requested the maker try three, since I tend to enjoy the richer harmonic pallet of a baritone drone. These pipes are in g-minor with drones at G, D, and G an octave higher (for those more familiar with scottish bagpipes and its scale on A, the scale would be equivalent to A-B-C natural-D-E-F natural-G-A with a low auxilery G-natural note and drones on A-E-A)
An interesting feature of the instrument (beyond its differing modality from the Scottish bagpipe) is that it is easily capable of using vibrato via diaphragm modulation (like most other wind instruments); you can hear me doing this in the video.
Bagpipe maker: Copernicus Bagpipes by Dariusz Kubicki, Poland
copernicusbagpipes.com
Performance: Jordan Alexander Key
This is the Hümmelchen, a style of German, medieval bagpipe. This is the "smallpipe" style of this medieval pipe. Typically such instruments have only one (maybe two drones). I requested the maker try three, since I tend to enjoy the richer harmonic pallet of a baritone drone. These pipes are in g-minor with drones at G, D, and G an octave higher (for those more familiar with scottish bagpipes and its scale on A, the scale would be equivalent to A-B-C natural-D-E-F natural-G-A with a low auxilery G-natural note and drones on A-E-A)
An interesting feature of the instrument (beyond its differing modality from the Scottish bagpipe) is that it is easily capable of using vibrato via diaphragm modulation (like most other wind instruments); you can hear me doing this in the video.
Bagpipe maker: Copernicus Bagpipes by Dariusz Kubicki, Poland
copernicusbagpipes.com
Performance: Jordan Alexander Key
