![]() It’s a pity you’ll never hear the Highlanders of Oklahoma City usher in the Oklahoma City Energy FC soccer players or kick off a game for the Thunder inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. “We cannot play 'The Star Spangled Banner,' and I’m not going to murder our national anthem.” “Here’s one we’ve been asked several times to play and I had to turn it down: 'The Star Spangled Banner,'” said Bruce, 69, of Midwest City. The small range of notes won’t allow for just anything. With only one octave - and no sharps and flats, to boot - the bagpipe player has to be choosy about which songs he plays. If you’re not a music person, think about it like this: A skilled saxophone player can play three octaves and a pianist can play eight. In Bruce’s words: “We have to blow, finger and squeeze all at the same time.” (We love this bagpipe rundown from the BBC if you're looking to learn more.)Īnd the notes a bagpipe can play span only one octave. That’s a lot to think about for a musician. These tubes on the top of the instrument create a constant harmonizing note throughout play. 3 drones: The Highlanders’ bagpipes have a bass drone and two tenor drones. 1 chanter: The player creates different notes by covering the chanter’s holes with his fingers 1 bag: This might be made of sheep, cow or goat skin 1 air supply: The player blows into this piece to fill the bag with air Here’s what a player of the Great Highland bagpipe is working with: Just the layout of a bagpipe is enough to send some people running in the other direction. The British had the bagpipes, whose sound was kind of daunting to the opponents.” “All militaries had something to scare away the opponent, whether it was a war whoop or drums or stampeding horses. “The bagpipes were an instrument of war,” said Robert Bruce, business manager, pipes major and director of music for the Highlanders of Oklahoma City. It’s much easier to talk definitively about the instruments and their role in the early 1900s and beyond. The instrument evolved so much throughout the years that it's still difficult to decipher its exact timeline. Ask a historian or even a bagpipe know-it-all where the instrument originated and when, and you might get a “who the heck knows.” Could be Egypt. The tradition goes back a couple decades at OU, but the history of bagpipes spans a millenium. Boren into the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium before each graduation ceremony for nearly 20 years. It’s got to be the Highlanders of Oklahoma City, a pipe and drum band that’s escorted OU President David L. Not a crew of clarinetists, a fleet of flautists nor a troupe of trumpeters will do for OU. ![]() When it comes to the University of Oklahoma’s graduation ceremonies, nothing carries the same pomp and circumstance as a band of bagpipe players.
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