Product Review: Ross Electronic Bagpipes

Do you love the sound of bagpipes? Not much beats the drone and wail of bagpipes, or the dancing and happiness they inspire. On the other hand, they can also play a crooning dirge. In short, bagpipes are a unique and versatile instrument. And now you can play them, too!

Traditional bagpipes take a player with a good set of lungs and strong arms and back, not to mention a full wallet! But the Ross electronic bagpipes from Lark in the Morning are small, light-weight, affordable, and fun.

Electronic bagpipes of course, offer the traditional bagpipe voice. You can even choose whether to have the drone on or off, by pressing the drone button when you turn on the unit. But you can also choose from other sounds, like the Irish tin whistle--another popular instrument for dance and party tunes. The default key is B-flat, but seven other keys are also available. To change the key, all you do is play the note of the key you want as you turn on the unit. If you switch on the electronic bagpipes and quickly press an A, for instance, you'll be able to play in the key of A.

Electronic bagpipes are light-weight and easy to carry around. They take a 9-Volt battery, and it's easy to practice in a crowd. That is, they offer a headphone jack and volume control, as well as a speaker to share your music with others. You can also use the headphone jack to record the electronic bagpipes.

Fingering on the electronic bagpipes is a breeze. Most of us have attempted or had to play the recorder at one time or another. The fingering for the electronic bagpipes is similar to that of the recorder or tin whistle. So it's intuitive and easy to learn, and not as confusing as, say, a flute, piccolo, or other woodwind instrument.

The original set of Ross electronic bagpipes from Lark in the morning sold for around $250. However, as of this writing, you can get the new model with assorted whistle voices and keys to choose from for $345. There's also an electronic practice chanter only, for $275. But whichever instrument you choose, you'll get the precision technology and sound of the Ross electronic bagpipes, with the finger-spacing of regular bagpipes.

Best of all, no breath control is required to play these electronic bagpipes! This makes them great for children, the elderly, or anyone with chronic shortness of breath. All you do is place your fingers on the notes, and the bagpipes play. They are an innovative, unique instrument perfect for any wannabe-piper!