One-voiced bagpipes
One-voiced bagpipes, with a characteristic air reservoir made of an animal bladder, include Greater Poland “siesienki”. Medieval Platerspiel (bladder-pipe) bagpipes, having only a chanter and an air reservoir from the bladder, are considered their prototype. Modern varieties of “siesienki” have one or two connected bladders, a bagpipe or “kozioł” type pipe (7 or 8 finger holes) and are inflated by mouth (through the blowpipe) or mechanically with a bellows.
Two-voiced bagpipes
Two-voiced bagpipes, having a chanter and drone, include:
- Instruments from Greater Poland, divided into larger “koziołs” and smaller bagpipes, all with varieties, inflated mechanically (with a bellows). These are:
- “Wedding kozioł” (black) — has both straight pipes (chanter and drone), air reservoir (bag) cut from grain leather and stitched (contemporary), connector of the chanter to the bag (“headstock”) usually in hyperbolic or equinoctial form. The chanter features 8 fingerholes. F major tuning. It was played (in a band with mazanki) in the ceremonial part of the wedding.
- “Wedding kozioł” (white) — the drone is double-bent, the air reservoir made of whole goatskin with white hair (outer layer), the connector of the chanter to the bag (“headstock”) in the form of a goat’s head. There are 8 fingerholes in the chanter. E flat major tuning. It was played (usually in a band, with violin and E flat clarinet) to accompany wedding party dancing.
- Greater Poland bagpipes are divided into two basic types, differing in size and tuning. The larger ones are the Bukowsko-Kościańskie bagpipes and the smaller ones are the Gostynsko-Rawickie bagpipes. In both, the drone is double-bent, the bag is cut from grain leather and stitched, the headstock in the form of a goat’s head. Historically, the Greater Poland bagpipe tuning was sub-regionally variable. The tuning range was: F sharp major to D minor.
- Bagpipes from the Silesian Beskids (called “gajd” there), have the narrowest melodic scale of Polish bagpipes (6 fingerholes). Their air reservoir is made of whole animal skin, formerly with the fur on the inside, now — on the outside. The headstock is of hyperbolic or conical shape. They are mechanically inflated (using a bellows). E flat major tuning. They are played in a band with a violin.
- Bagpipes from the Żywiec Beskids region — the air reservoir is made of whole animal skin, formerly with the fur on the inside, now — often on the outside. They are inflated with the mouth (through the blowpipe). F major tuning. They are played in a band with a violin.
All of these bagpipes have bells at the outlet of the pipes (single — in “siesienki” or double, horn-brass — in two-voiced bagpipes). They are conical and arched, which is characteristic of Polish bagpipes (and to some extent Central European), distinguishing them from Western European bagpipes.
The four-voiced bagpipes are represented in Poland only by instruments from Podhale. They have a short, triple chanter-drone pipe — traditionally in the form of three parallel channels (each with a reed), hollowed out in a generally wooden monolith; chanter has 5 fingerholes, the chanter-drone — single hole, while the drone is holeless. Structurally and functionally, it is a triple chanter-drone pipe. In addition, the Podhale bagpipes have a long drone pipe. There are no bells at any of the pipes. The joint of the triple pipe with the air reservoir (bag) in the form of a goat’s head. The bag is made of whole animal skin.
In folk culture, bagpipes were given a variety of names, depending on the type of this instrument, time period, region or even the tastes of the musician playing them. In addition, the names differed by variant. Here are some of them: duda, dudka, dudy, dudeczki, dud(e)lzak, dudki, dudzicki, dudziczki, dudziska, gajda, gajdy, koza, kozieł, kozioł, kôzlô barina, siesieńki, sieszenie, sieszynie, sieszynki, siersieńki, sierszeńki, pancharzyna, multanki, kobza.