Lyrics and a simplified throat-pipe notation for the tunes every piper should master. Hum the melody, slap the beat.
Each cell is one beat. Notes are the sung pitch; the glyph below tells you where to strike. These are simplified opening phrases to get you started — not full scores.
The unofficial anthem of Scotland. The tune is traditional, but the familiar modern words were written by Cliff Hanley in 1951 and remain under copyright, so we don’t print them here — just the melody line. Play it proud and punchy.
Words: John Newton, 1779 (public domain).
Words: Robert Burns, 1788 (public domain).
Traditional (public domain).
Words: Sir Harold Boulton, 1884 (public domain).
The people’s anthem, roared at every rugby international. Written by Roy Williamson in 1967 and still under copyright, so the lyrics aren’t printed here — melody line only. Big lungs required for the long held notes.