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Title: MAKING BAGPIPES

Reference number: 6832

Date: 1967, November

Director: [d. Adam Malcolm (?)]

Sponsor: Educational Films of Scotland

Production company: SEFA

Sound: sound

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 9.57 mins

Description: Bagpipes are carefully handcrafted inside the Highland Bagpipe Makers on Edinburgh's Lawnmarket. This educational film records the processes involved, from turning and waxing to sewing the bag and assembling the bagpipes.

Shotlist: title and credit (0.15) exts Highland Bagpipe Makers, on Edinburgh's Lawnmarket (0.24) and c/u display of 'Glen Collection' containing many examples of melody pipes from many lands, chanters, violins, early bassoons and guitars etc (0.45) modern set of Scottish bagpipe parts in workshop (0.50) woods used, ebony, East African blackwood and Cuban Curcus wood turned and bored to approx. size (shot shows them lined up on shelves seasoning from anything from 10 to 50 years) (1.07) a chanter being turned from piece of Curcus wood in workshop on lathe (1.32) we see the progress of the turning as the chanter is made on lathe (1.52) sandpapering finish to the chanter to a smooth finish (2.14) practice chanter is being completed, smoothing the ivory 'sole', and threading it and fixing to ebony chanter (2.46) finger holes are drilled into the ebony using machine (3.30) three drone pipes, shot of section of one being turned (two tenor drones and one bass drone) (3.47) bass drone turned and turning the 'stock' (4.35) wood is impregnated with mix of wax and almond oil and then varnished (4.49 ebony drone has hole bored out in ebony (5.41) the bag is made, lady cuts the cover cut from heavy Cheviot tartan around template (6.20) the bag or wind reservoir is made from sheepskin and is sewn by hand as shown by man, carefully seamed and sealed , using wax linen thread (6.48) stocks, now varnished, are given a 'ferrel' or binder to prevent splitting and then pushed, one at a time, though the holes in the bag. The skin is tied in using a very strong sixteen cord linen string (8.21) the bag has the cover eased on over the stocks, lady performs this action (8.48) pipemaker assembles a set covered in 'Macbeth' tartan, he wets the chanter, reed is inserted and the man plays melody on bagpipes (9.47) piper standing in front of memorial 'Royal Horse' playing bagpipes THE END (9.56)