Judy Barker
A leading light in the field of Scottish smallpipes and song, Judy has developed this traditional genre and made it her own. Her solo album Chanter’s Weave, was supported by the Lowland and Border Pipers’ Society in recognition of her unique and forward-looking approach. Reflecting her early musical experience as a choral singer, Judy draws on this richness to develop harmonies and counter-melodies on the smallpipes to accompany her vocals. She performs regularly as a soloist drawing on a range of traditional and self-penned songs.
“A highlight was a song by Judy Barker addressed to her late husband Mike, sung in a rich, emotional voice.” Louise Rodgers, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025.
Judy’s smallpipes were specifically designed for her by pipe-maker Hamish Moore. Their mellow tone not only complements her voice, but also provides a rich partnership with the English concertina. Working as a duo with Sally Thomas has inspired Judy to explore the unique opportunities that these two instruments together bring to traditional music.
Scottish Smallpipes (made by Hamish Moore)
The Scottish Smallpipes are bellows-blown with their drones issuing from a common stock. They were been played in Scotland since at least the 17th Century. However, in the 19th century the tradition of playing both the instrument and the music fell into disuse, until there were no players of the instrument left to pass on the tradition.
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In 1981 a small group of enthusiasts were keen to revive the instrument and its music. They established the Lowland and Border Pipers’ Society (LBPS). In the early 1980’s there were only two known working sets of Lowland pipes in existence, plus a few sets in museums. Pipe-makers looked to Northumberland for help in making reeds and instruments in the early days of the revival. There are now a number of well-established professional makers producing pipes of the highest quality.
The playing style is similar to the Highland tradition, using the same fingering technique and open-ended chanter as Highland pipes. Today the playing of Smallpipes has become very popular and they are played by numerous pipers and in folk bands.
In 1990 Judy commissioned Hamish Moore (a highly respected pipe-maker based in Dunkeld who was part of the revival) to design a set of Scottish Smallpipes specifically to accompany herself singing. Judy’s pipes are made with Rosewood drones to produce a mellow timbre and a Hardwood chanter with a softer reed than pipers would normally use.
