The Piper’s Pocket Guide to Embellishments: Light Embellishments

Embellishments are notes that define quick finger movements and give bagpipes their unique sound. Throughout my years of playing the Scottish Great Highland bagpipes, I have come across embellishment that I was not familiar with or knew how to play. This guide will help you identify and play just about every embellishment used when playing the bagpipes. It covers most embellishments used in ‘light’ music, also called ceol beag.