Did you know that we can play many old Christmas melodies on the Great Highland Bagpipes?
Back when I was young, my pipe band put on small Christmas concerts each year for our families to see how we were progressing musically before the holiday break from practices. The tunes were all quite simple and familiar to us, so we could learn them quickly and play with enjoyment. As for our parents, who knows if they enjoyed the concerts as much as we did.
If you scour the internet, you’ll find all sorts of written music for the bagpipes.
- Jingle Bells
- Here Comes Santa Claus
- We Wish you a Merry Christmas
- Deck The Halls
- Joy To the World
- Silent Night
- Away In a Manger
- We Three Kings
- Good King Wenceslas
- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
- Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
- Angels We Have Heard On High
- The First Noel
- Up On The Rooftop
- O’ Come All Ye Faithful
- …. and many more
The best book I have found is called Christmas Songs for Bagpipes by Paul Fehrenbach. With 100 tunes in the collection, you’re bound to find what you are looking for. Oh, I am sidetracking here quite a bit, but be sure to check out all of the piping music books right here on Bagpipe Central. There’s loads of them, and more getting listed each year.
Below you will find a few video samples of Christmas melodies played on bagpipes.
Here’s a little video that my brother-in-law put together a few years back. A nice way to incorporate the Great Highland Bagpipes into a musical collaboration for a Christmas theme.
Here’s Ally the Piper playing her wonderful rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
Please give some of this music a try for the sheer enjoyment. Build your skills so you can play for your family and friends – that’s what it’s all about. We wish you joy and happiness during the festive season.
Cheers,
Kyle Campbell
Bagpipe Central
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