When playing the bagpipes with other musicians (brass, folk, orchestra etc.) you will need to tune your bagpipes to Bflat at 440 Hz concert pitch. You will require a suitable chanter (e.g. McCallum Bflat Chanter or Shepherd Orchestral Chanter) and depending on your bagpipe set-up, you may also require a suitable set of drone reeds to tune to this lower pitch.

Some drone reeds can be adjusted and tweaked to tune to a lower pitch; some drone reeds are not made to tune at this pitch. Having a set of Bflat drone reeds to suite your Bflat (440 Hz) chanter is very convenient and saves time.

The Bflat drone reeds from Balance Tone are specifically desinged to tune your drones in Bflat at 440 Hz.

We are celebrating 150 years of Peter Henderson Bagpipes and offering 10% discount on all R.G. Hardie and Peter Henderson Bagpipes from 1st May 2018 to the 31st May 2018.

Use this voucher code when ordering online: ph150-0518

Peter Henderson Bagpipes was established in 1868 after Henderson completed his bagpipe-making apprenticeship under Thomas MacBean Glen & Sons in Edinburgh. The company established its first Glasgow shop in 1880, taking over the premises of Donald MacPhee at 17 Royal Arcade. Demolished some years ago, the site is very close to the present site of the National Piping Centre.

From 1903 to 1925, the company was managed by the legendary piper, John MacDougall Gillies, who helped make the shop into a hub of piping in Glasgow. Peter Henderson Bagpipes was acquired in 1973 by R.G. Hardie & Co., owned and operated by the great solo piper and long-time Muirhead & Sons Pipe-Major Bob Hardie.

Alastair Dunn acquired the organization, and has expanded its offerings and rebuilt its reputation, re-introducing “Peter Henderson” instruments that have gained popularity with soloists and bands, including Field Marshal Montgomery, of which Dunn is pipe-sergeant.

The photo above shows a group of pipers and drummers gathered at the Henderson shop at 24 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, before embarking on a trade mission to Canada in 1932 aboard the ship, “Letitia.”