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You can make a rudimentary bagpipe-like noise maker from two recorders, a garbage bag, two pen bodies, tape and scissors. The bag stores air; one recorder serves as the melody tube and the other as a drone. It demonstrates the basic air-reservoir idea, but it is not an authentic or tuned Scottish bagpipe.
Choose the build that matches your goal
| Project | What it uses | What it demonstrates |
|---|---|---|
| Recorder and garbage bag | Two recorders, a garbage bag, two pens, scissors and tape | A bag reservoir feeding two tubes: a chanter and a drone |
| Glove and bottle | A disposable glove, drinking straw, plastic water bottle, scissors, rubber band and masking or washi tape | A vibrating glove membrane and resonance in a bottle; it is a simpler sound experiment, not a two-tube bagpipe-style assembly |
The recorder-and-bag version is the closer match if you want to build something with parts that resemble a bagpipe. For a simpler demonstration of how a vibrating membrane makes sound, choose the glove-and-bottle activity.
Make the recorder-and-garbage-bag version
Gather the materials
- Two recorders
- One garbage bag
- Two pens that can be taken apart
- Scissors
- Tape
Assemble the air path
- Take apart the pens and join their bodies to make a blowpipe.
- Tape the joined pen tube to an opening in the garbage bag, sealing around the connection.
- Fit one recorder into a separate opening in the bag and tape around it to help seal the join. This recorder is the chanter; finger positions on it change the pitch.
- Fit the second recorder into another opening and tape around that join. It acts as the drone, supplying the continuous note associated with bagpipes.
- Blow through the pen tube to put air into the bag. Squeeze the bag to push air through the recorders, then try changing finger positions on the chanter.
The assembly depends on the bag holding air well enough to feed the tubes. The documented instructions do not specify hole sizes, tuning, or air pressure, so there is no established setup that guarantees a particular pitch or performance. Hackaday describes its result as making noise and working in the same basic way, while noting that it is not a close facsimile of an authentic Scottish bagpipe: Hackaday’s DIY bagpipes project. The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery also gives a household build using two recorders and joined pen bodies: Fort Collins Museum of Discovery instructions.
Try the glove-and-bottle sound experiment
Gather the materials
- Disposable glove
- Drinking straw
- Plastic water bottle
- Scissors
- Rubber band
- Masking or washi tape
Assemble it and listen
- Cut the bottom from the bottle.
- Stretch the glove over the bottle opening and secure it with a rubber band.
- Use the straw as directed in the Cape Town Science Centre activity to blow on the glove and produce sound.
The centre explains that blowing stretches the elastic glove, which then contracts; the repeated movement makes part of the glove vibrate, and the vibration creates sound waves that travel into the bottle. The instructions recommend adult help when cutting the bottle smoothly to avoid skin cuts.
#1 Best Overall
- Traditional Musical Instrument – Beginner bagpipe crafted with polished cocus wood and Royal Stewart tartan cover for an authentic Scottish design.
- Student-Friendly Size – Designed for young learners and students, offering a compact and manageable practice instrument.
- Durable Construction – Features a sturdy fabric bag and quality cocus wood components for long-lasting use.
- Ready to Play – Supplied with 2 reeds so learners can start practicing right away.
- Ideal for Learning & Heritage Events – Great for school programs, cultural celebrations, parades, and introducing Scottish music.
Why this is a craft, not a traditional bagpipe
Both projects explore how air and a sound-producing surface or tube can make noise. In the garbage-bag build, the bag acts as an air reservoir and the recorders provide the sound paths. A traditional bagpipe, however, relies on reeds and a carefully fitted reed-and-chanter arrangement; the Bagpipe Society discusses the need for a precise acoustic fit in its guide to making a bagpipe. An improvised bag-and-recorder assembly should therefore be treated as a novelty instrument or demonstration, not as an equivalent instrument or a dependable way to reproduce traditional tuning.
Quick Recap
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Rank #2
- Traditional Musical Instrument – Beginner bagpipe crafted with polished cocus wood and Royal Stewart tartan cover for an authentic Scottish design.
- Student-Friendly Size – Designed for young learners and students, offering a compact and manageable practice instrument.
- Durable Construction – Features a sturdy fabric bag and quality cocus wood components for long-lasting use.
- Ready to Play – Supplied with 2 reeds so learners can start practicing right away.
- Ideal for Learning & Heritage Events – Great for school programs, cultural celebrations, parades, and introducing Scottish music.
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