SHRILL, but melodic tones of a traditional North-East wind instrument entertained visitors at a regional museum yesterday.
Home Farm, at Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham, played host to a collection of regional musicians. They included North-umbrian small pipe players, backed by fiddlers and accordionists.
The Northumbrian Music Experience featured an array of tunes from the early 1900s, while craftsman Dave Shaw demonstrated the intricacies of pipe making.
The pipe maker has developed a reputation for creating well-tuned instruments.
The latest version of Northumbrian small pipes, proving popular on the North-East folk scene, date from the end of the 18th Century and were developed by makers in Newcastle and North Shields.
Smaller, but more melodious than their larger Scottish cousin, the Northumbrian version is also bellows blown, but quieter by bagpipe standards. They were, therefore, more commonly played to indoor audiences, hence yesterday's appearance in Beamish's farmstead setting.
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