Pibgorn (instrument) facts for kids
The pibgorn is a unique musical instrument from Wales. Its name means "pipe-horn" in Welsh. It's a type of wind instrument that uses a single reed to make sound. This reed is like a small vibrating piece, similar to what you find in a clarinet or bagpipe.
The body of a pibgorn is usually made from a single piece of wood or bone. Older ones were often carved from elder wood. Some historical pibgorns in the Museum of Welsh Life are made from elder. One old instrument there is even made from an animal's leg bone! Modern pibgorns can be made from different kinds of wood or even plastic.
The pibgorn has six small holes for your fingers and one for your thumb. These holes let you play different notes, covering a full octave. The reed is protected by a cap made from cow-horn. The end of the instrument also has a bell-shaped part, also made from cow-horn. This bell helps to make the sound louder.
You can play the pibgorn by blowing directly into it. Sometimes, it can also be attached to a bag, like a bagpipe. When it's played with a bag, it's called a pibau cwd.
A very old double-pipe instrument, from 1701, is also at the Museum of Welsh Life. It has two pipes and two cow-horn ends. Experts are still debating if it's truly Welsh or from another country like those around the Mediterranean Sea.
Contents
History of the Pibgorn
Ancient Welsh Music
The pibgorn, and other types of pipes in Wales, are mentioned in very old Welsh laws. These laws were written by Hywel Dda, a Welsh king who died around 949 or 950 AD. The oldest copy of these laws dates back to 1250. They say that a king should give important musicians, called Pencerdd, a special instrument. This could be a Harp, a Crwth, or "Pipes."
Another old Welsh book from about 1330 talks about three kinds of wind instruments: "organ, and pipes and bag music." This shows that pipes were important in Welsh music a long time ago.
Global Hornpipes
The pibgorn is older than these written records. It's part of a family of similar instruments found all over the world. These include hornpipes and bag-hornpipes. You can find instruments like the alboka from Spain, the arghul from the Middle East, and the boha from France. This shows that the idea of a "pipe-horn" instrument was common in many cultures.
Early 1900s Use
In 1910, a man named Reverend Meredith Morris wrote about his life. He mentioned that people in his village in Pembrokeshire, Wales, used to have lively parties. He said they didn't have the crwth, but they had fiddles, harps, and sometimes "a home-made degenerate sort of pibgorn." He even said he was a "tolerable player" on a simpler pibgorn. This shows that the instrument was still around, even if it wasn't as popular as it once was.
Modern Pibgorn Music
Return to Popularity
For about 50 years, the pibgorn wasn't played much. But now, it's making a big comeback! People are becoming more interested in Welsh folk music. Instruments like the pibgorn, crwth, bagpipes, and the triple harp are all becoming popular again.
Modern Instruments and Sounds
Today, some pibgorns are made to play a "tempered scale." This means they can play along well with instruments like guitars or keyboards. Many modern pibgorns are tuned to the key of D. Older, historical pibgorns played in different scales and pitches.
Experts have studied old pibgorns. They found that some elder wood pipes played notes similar to an F or a B-flat. They also noticed that some old instruments had unique finger hole shapes. This suggests that the old makers sometimes intentionally made certain notes sound a little "flat" to create a special musical effect.
Pibgorn Makers Today
Many talented people in Wales make pibgorns today. Some well-known makers include Jonathan Shorland, John Tose, and Gafin Morgan. You can also find pibgorn makers in other countries, like Julian Goodacre in Scotland and Alan Keith in the United States.
Music and Bands
Modern pibgorn players use many different types of music. They play folk songs, hymn tunes, and old dance music. They also use tunes passed down through oral tradition.
Many folk bands now include the pibgorn in their music. Bands like Fernhill, Calan, and Carreg Lafar use it in their performances. In the United States, bands such as Oceans Apart and Moch Pryderi also feature the pibgorn.
Pibgorns and Electronic Music
In recent years, the pibgorn has even been used with electronic and digital dance music! This started in 1992 with a dance mix called "Y bibgorn aur." Later, it was used with hip-hop groups and other electronic music projects. Bands like The Mordekkers have combined pibgorn music with Drum and Bass. More recently, Celtech and Taran have mixed pibgorn and pipes with Dub and House music styles.
A musician named Ceri Rhys Matthews even recorded an album called "Pibddawns." This album features only traditional music played on the pibgorn, sometimes with a drone.
See also
- Alboka, a similar Basque instrument
- Stock-and-horn, a similar Scottish instrument
- Erkencho
- Pepa, an Indian folk instrument using water buffalo horn
Images for kids
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Ceri Rhys Matthews playing a Welsh Bag-Hornpipe or Pibe Cyrn
