I make a Ducky Bagpipe

Building a 3 drones and one chanter bagpipe with a ducky boey, and playing music with it!
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I'm Nicolas Bras, musician and homemade instruments builder, on this channel you will find tutorials, compositions, building projects, improvisations, live concerts
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Find my music on nicolasbras.ban...
Music :
Nicolas Bras - Guyane, Homemade (album)
Nicolas Bras - Tounda (unedited)
Nicolas Bras - Le Masque, Homemade (album)
Nicolas Bras - Ducky Bagpipe (unedited)
Sandrine Morais, Nicolas Bras : Video edition

[@seanbryan4833]

Glad to know people are still playing the traditional duckpipes.

[@rhinosaurus1496]

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm more familiar with the Mallard-style pipes, though

[@SirTato1992]

Not to confuse with it's older cousin, the quackpipes.

[@Jacksmusicshack]

Seems quacky to me..

[@elmariachi5133]

Meh, I still remember when they used real ducks, not that modern plastic stuff ..

[@mortyvotlyz2044]

well there is the german Gänsepfeife is made from a goose and it sounds like a singing goose

[@althejazzman]

I can't work out whether this is the best or worst set of bagpipes ever.

[@SandCastor]

Two things can be true at once.

[@davidspencer3726]

I think worse would be if he'd used the other kind of blowup d - - -

[@edmayhew4261]

The Alpha and the Omega. It is everything, yet it is nothing. We are humbled to be in its great presence, and cower before it's terrible might.

[@cooperm211]

If I just heard that instrument in a soundtrack, I would imagine the most badass thing. Which would, of course, be this duck with tubes coming out of his face. Straight metal.

[@SandCastor]

I would pay good money for a collab video between Nicolas and Michelina kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZvVi6pvrNeZkJI

[@aradia1379]

I dunno about metal. But definitely the most punk instrument. =)

[@simpli_A]

I can’t wait for the new system of a down album with this

[@--TOM--]

Can't wait for the new korn album featuring this

[@NicStage]

The ducky is a lot cuter than the whole goat! :D

[@SimonTheMagpie]

Wow we both first! Thats crazy since tomorrow we drop the podcast with all three of us 🤣

[@NicolasBras]

You guys rule!

[@TXTUnz]

@@SimonTheMagpie next up - 'simon the magpipe'

[@funkykoval2099]

I still can't beleive how good pvc can sound! Everyone should have pvc flute at home :-D

[@umasolucaoparacadaproblema]

You are a musical genius!

[@mvmmotovlogmusic2815]

You never cease to amaze me. Boundless creativity.

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks a lot!

[@brennanhewitt7609]

It would have been cool to see a bit more of the clarinet membrane set up, and how it works. Awesome video man! 🦆🦆🦆

[@AshBarkPerson]

failry certain he has a video on them

[@NicolasBras]

I'm working on the tutorial, for real!

[@animatorgeek]

Do a search for membrane pipes and you'll find more information.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

Just a tip if you're not aware, bagpipes require a LOT OF elbow pressure to work. The bag just being inflated isn't enough, and you've got to compensate for the air being blown out by continuously increasing the pressure until you fill it up again

[@abrahamechanical]

I liked it before the video even started. This thing is absolutely, delightfully horrifying both in sound and looks. Perfection.

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks a lot!

[@ThorviFairstone]

I was about to say "what a horrid monstruosity mounted on that poor duck" (reminded me of young Willy Wonka, haha) but when I heard your tune and awesome playing then I just decided to bow and praise!! Fantastic work once again!!

[@Raku777]

Thanks for sharing...and amazing...I am going to call this "the ducky drone"! The membranes work well to get a very good drone sound that is very full. Tuning several creates some rich overtones.

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks!

[@sikaaaa]

I only recently found your videos through the algorithm, and your creations have absolutely set my brain alight. I wish I found you 10 years ago! Everything you do is so fascinating and inspiring. I also have a long-time love of playing with PVC, but I never could have dreamt it was possible to make such things. Your wide knowledge of existing instruments and musical styles also makes my heart so happy, as a person who loves indigenous music. You have given me no excuse; I have a lot of things to make and play now.

[@SimonTheMagpie]

First!

[@NicolasBras]

Best first I ever had!

[@kevinbissinger]

I bet this would be fun to hear this thing playing the spirit temple theme from Zelda: Ocarina of Time

[@rallekralle11]

sounds more like a hurdy-gurdy than bagpipes. cool

[@aradia1379]

This is the coolest instrument I have ever seen. I've always wanted to learn to play bagpipes (either highland great pipes or small pipes), but now I know what I really want. DUCKY PIPES!

[@verdatum]

Bagpipes are my main build; that and whistles. I think you might find that they become addictive, I certainly did. I've used inflatables for other non-music builds, and they have a nasty habit of breaking. It's a shame because they're funny. I've had less but similar problems using vinyl pleather. Leather costs more, but I love working with it. If there's a leak, you find it, you cement it, and it's never a problem again. This membrane clarinet style is fantastic to get the sort of northumbrian-smallpipe sound, but it can't replicate the sounds from a proper double-reed. The double-reed actually changes how it vibrates based on the frequency being played. That allows every note to get a slightly different timbre, which is what I especially love about the irish Uilleann bagpipes. I love the idea of using them for the drone-pipes! I think that could save me a lot of time in the future. I love your choice for the clapper-valve. My first build I used the valve from a 3M face-mask. I researched the patent on it and everything. In retrospect, it was a time-sink to fit it in place, but it did indeed work very well.

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks for your experience! I work a lot on those membrane clarinets, but this my first bagpipe style instrument, it could be really improved!

[@jessesmith7147]

That's one ominous sounding duck. Love it.

[@Zer0Spinn]

Finally, I've found the perfect instrument.

[@makeperceive]

Love it. That one will be a crowd pleaser. The music at the end made me think of a pirate funeral. Excepting the pirate piper keeps getting scurvy looks from the others and can't quite figure out why

[@Marsaw]

I love this idea! It’s the sousaphone of bagpipes!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I could use this for a cover of Gnik Nus by the Beatles.

[@apizza4990]

This is really great. I think it needs a duck call mouthpiece added, or a duck call mixed in with the song.

[@Zappero]

I love your stuff especially your songs! They are so raw, natural, almost tribal yet so elegant!

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks!

[@juxtapode2781]

"Don't worry, this space cookie can't hit too hard on ya" the space cookie: 5:06

[@romeolz]

Plz try tuning the instruments with a stable drone to just intonation! That way there will be less beating in the frequencies and the combination tones will make it sound like there is a different bass tone playing.

[@RedHair651]

Génial! On dirait un peu Faun où d'autres groupes néo-trad dans le genre

[@broshmosh]

As a Scot who dislikes the sound of bagpipes, you've made something much more listenable!

[@trulyinfamous]

Considering 1 in 4 Scots are born with a bagpipe, you must be miserable.

[@kiko7247]

Genius!! Love the song and how all the instruments you made sound like an orchestra!

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks!

[@jtrider3779]

Make it with an electric leaf blower and I’ll subscribe! Lol just messing around, just subbed! Love your work!

[@AndyFletcherX31]

Plastic ducky bagpipes! You are definitely doing God's work, I'm just not sure which God :)

[@jurjenbos228]

To toy saleman: Hi, I am looking for an inflatable pool duck in adult size. Saleman: Why? You: you won't believe me until you've seen my channel.

[@d4ro]

wow you blow my mind again once more often, thanks dude, ducky free hugs xox

[@blazeelvirafirehoof7844]

Nickolas: **stares into the abyss for several seckonds, squeaks, then dies.** fitting end to a video I suppose XD

[@TheNewdragon76]

Définitivement le projet que j'attendais de voir !! Encore une belle réussite, vivement que je fasse ma propre cornemuse !

[@bernhardwall6876]

It doesn't sound Scottish, but it does sound like what I imagine how those Asian bagpipes might.

[@jcdutchman3556]

no idea why youtube recommended this to me but for once I'm glad it did, this is some impressive work

[@pierrebers4740]

Quelle créativité ! En plus c'est drôle et beau à entendre.

[@NicolasBras]

Grand merci!

[@MD-bn4cv]

Je suis Breton et je suis choqué, magnifique, maintenant il faut faire un biniou kohz 😉

[@asanyr9902]

i have this exact ducky in my bathroom poised above the toilet so it watches you with its beady black eyes while you shit and maybe this is a better use for it!

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

"Animal skin" C'est une très belle interprétation ! 🤣 (The Duckt-Pipe peut-être ?)

[@simbasimba2029]

0:53 Sometimes a whole animal! Wait...what???????????

[@NicolasBras]

yep, traditional instruments are way crazier!

[@jimilipi5493]

Tu trouves toujours un truc pour pour m'époustoufler et je me demande toujours comment ça va finir... avec brio comme d'habitude 😊

[@NicolasBras]

Grand merci!

[@del2744]

Mais c'est génial :D J'imagine "Shoots and ladders" de Korn avec ce duck-bagpipe, ç'aurait été tellement meilleur (une idée de cover comme ça au passage). Bravo Nicolas !

[@elmariachi5133]

Would have liked to see the pipes at the other end of the duck xD

[@bushmaster0770]

Song starts at 5:09 ;)

[@JNaysh]

No way, I just built a similar foghorn/membrane clarinet bagpipe for a university project! I used a balloon instead of the ducky, at the end of my performance piece I popped the balloon and put a party buzzer in its place haha. Anyways I'm super impressed you could tune this thing so well, the membranes are always so hard for me and I find that even the slightest change in temperature/humidity/playing them for too long detunes them. Do you know any way to get around this? (I used rubber balloons for the membrane but perhaps the vinyl gloves are more consistent)

[@NicolasBras]

Vinyl glove is so much better than balloon for sound and precision!

[@victormunroe2418]

Can you play this while floating in a pool?

[@NicolasBras]

I have to try, but probably! With an extra challenge!

[@crundle2855]

This. Is. Awesome. had a similar idea a while back, but not nearly at this level.... So, how does the membrane clarinette mouthpiece work? seriously, how?! also, pvc church organ? ;)

[@NicolasBras]

I'll make a tutorial for this membrane system...soon!

[@IndieTimberStudio]

I was hoping someone would say "IndieTimber is going to love this" but I already found this video first.

[@ahabsbane]

I watched this knowing full well it was going to hurt me deeply, but with the full accompaniment, it actually sounded pleasant in a sort of folksy homemade way. I still hate you for making me listen to the testing and tuning though! I really liked that bendy clarinet thing, sounds really chill. it's there a video on how to build? new sub BTW👍

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks and welcome! I'm working on the tutorial for this membrane instrument, soon!

[@lumipakkanen3510]

I'm sure you noticed that some of your tones are not stable when the drones are playing. I suspect this is because you didn't tune your instrument to just intonation (pure ratios of the drone frequency). I don't think you can afford 12-tone equal temperament when there are coupled vibrating parts involved.

[@NicolasBras]

Maybe! I also think that connected my singing pipe directly to the drones is a bad choice too

[@LithiumThiefMusic]

Wait how do you make those membrane clarinets?!

[@NicolasBras]

I'm working on the tutorial, stay tuned!

[@LithiumThiefMusic]

@@NicolasBras awesome! I look forward to it

[@Mozilafoxx]

This gives me The Witcher 3 music vibes. The wind is howling.

[@VladTepes44]

Wonderful sound and crazy looking, I love it :)

[@LoveItDirtyOffroad]

Sample instruments into packs and we’ll buy those. I like those cans too

[@NicolasBras]

I have some sample packs available on my patreon page, and some virtual instruments on soundpaint.com, and it is the beginning!

[@_choripanchileno_7735]

what is the name of the song at the end or did you create it if you created it I would like to hear a full version

[@NicolasBras]

This is a track from my first album Homemade, you can find it on nicolasbras.bandcamp.com or any streaming service!

[@_choripanchileno_7735]

@@NicolasBras thanks

[@SPLENDIDZEN]

You are the best... ¿?... Luthier?... Musician?... Luthician???!!!...

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks!

[@starlightdragon2665]

You made a wicked medieval sounding tune using common items. You earned a sub from me.

[@oliverscott7424]

What I like about your duckpipes is the pitch is lower than the bagpipes.

[@oliverscott7424]

I don't play bagpipes I listen to them.

[@ecclesman]

Duckies are actually the best, and you just found a way to make them even better!

[@NicolasBras]

Love them, mutilate them!

[@MichaelvonUllrichstein]

Duuuuuude...AWESOOOOME!!! very cool, sad that i see this so late..

[@claudiomura]

ça fait désormais depuis 2016, me semble-t-il, que je te suis! Trop cool ce que tu fais, j'adore et quand je donnais des cours de musique sur les vents je montrais toujours la vidéo où tu présentes les propriétés du PVC!

[@Zealot_of_Malice]

Nice to see someone actually make great sounding D.I.Y Bagpipes :D

[@doggletts]

Kind-of disappointed you didn't to a cover of "Rubber Ducky!" Thanks for the great video.

[@animatorgeek]

Do you have experience playing a bagpipe before this? It came out quite nice! One problem with your choice of bag is that it's likely quite stretchy, which means it's difficult to have tight control of air pressure. That's also why you get that long trailing off when you stop playing. Anyway, I love what you've created. I keep occasionally coming back to my own 3d printed bagpipe project, and seeing your results is inspiring,

[@intarc0giotto]

wouldnt work a hulusi with these pipes as well? or even a sheng?

[@NicolasBras]

not the same acoustic system, but we could make a similar setting!

[@DRONEALD]

Cool. Fully watched and subscribed. Soon gonna check ur other video's. Nice one mate.

[@Dylan_Lanckman]

I remember Hans Zimmer saying he found it annoying that science fiction folk music often sounds like western or Arab folk music. I agree because: Imagine you're a pioneer scientist on a new planet, you'd have to build your musical instrument with what you have. I think that this examplifies what he meant.

[@murrayatuptown353]

Is the device with strings and cans a cimbalom? I have promised a phone company I would go back to two cans and a string if they were the last telecom company on the planet. THis looks like a better use. Merci

[@stormtrooper3455]

Macedonian bagpipe 😮😮😮

[@gaurangthakar7368]

Like creation. Jay ho

[@SSRT_JubyDuby8742]

Once again I am astounded by your creativity, superb 👌 👏 Like deployed 👍

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks!

[@jeffreystacks7929]

This redefines the statement "Just because you can doesn't mean you should...".

[@DerEnte_Official]

That´s awesome! The Duck likes ducky! :D

[@cawrin3413]

What the song of the minute 5:07 is called? I love it

[@NicolasBras]

It's called Ducky Bagpipe, I compose it to try my new instrument!

[@EduardoRohdeEras]

Now we need a movie, the theme has already been composted and played!

[@RevvyTone]

Oh My God.... Someday I will make this... then after annoying my neighbors I can die happily.

[@KeasterLIVE]

Vraiment un incroyable travail, j'adore le rendu final !

[@NicolasBras]

Grand merci!

[@fasted8468]

Bro hook that up to a scuba tank. You could be heard for 10 miles.. I have extras but in in America :(

[@godfree2canada]

choose your quest

[@baroquer]

Membrane Clarinets.....OMG...they sound AWESOME

[@SASunDog]

This is the music of the Pod People in the Dark Crystal world.

[@envik5474]

nice one , i enjoy your creativity so much its always inspiring Thank u

[@NicolasBras]

Thanks!

[@MichaelTheoret]

So after the Apocalypse ,whatever It may entail , imagine some folks fashioning out of salvaged junk, the makings of musical instruments to entertain and bring hope to Humanity's shattered remains - this Bagpipe being made from some piping ,valves , rubber gloves and a pool floatie ,rousing the hope and Spirit of the next Pioneers to tame the wilds and wastes. Hope and Art renewing , bringing Mankind renewed vigor to rise triumphant from the ashes .

[@toys2work]

I love the look and the sound of the ducky bagpipes! I just wish I could have shown it to this old school Scottish bagpipe instructor who took the hobby waaaaaaayyyyy too seriously. I didn't psue the lessons but his greeting message to me was something like this with a strong Scottish brogue/accent...."ya kenna' pley' the pypes' unless yee really are detikated to them...are ya reeeelyy...reeelly dedicated sonny!: I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wanted to learn the "pypes" so I could start a metal band and have a lead bagpipe player in it. But this one in the video sounds great...a little bit Mideastern like something from a 1950s movie from the Casba

[@mileniusz666]

Please! Contact cd projekt, the guys are making new witcher. Your vibes fit perfectly! XD

[@joedee1863]

Marvelous job Nicolas, I am so impressed. I wish you had been around Sixty years ago. One thing I want to ask are you familiar with the Indian Shinai ? It is a reeded instrument.

[@SteinGauslaaStrindhaug]

2:57 I really don't understand why my wife won't let me practice playing bagpipes when she's home...

[@kingadam69]

0:53 Good fuckin christ, that still has a goat head on.

[@sohamsengupta6470]

You make a duck sound grim and warlike. Absolutely ridiculous creativity

[@Catjegirl100]

What is the element you use with the "valve system to prevent air from fleeing" called? I'm Curious, individually in the pipe I thought it sounded awesome so I'd like to make it

[@matakaw4287]

That song reminds me of Boney M's Rasputin...I bet you could play that one easily.

[@truBador2]

I don't need to tell you that is pretty cool. Inspired. Subscribed.

[@godfree2canada]

getting down

[@armenvondoms1815]

I guarantee this guy doesn't sleep much. Too many things going on up there!💡

[@nathanvanmiddlesworthmedia844]

That chanter sound you have here kind of reminds me of a few middle Eastern instruments,such as :Dudak & Mijwiz

[@massimothetrog7111]

reminds me of making a horn from PVC pipe and a funnel to call my horses to me. My neighbors could hear it 3 and a half miles away.

[@peterkelley6344]

At first I thought Nicolas was 'cute', I have decided he's become annoying. I am outta here.