# MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface — Play your MIDI synth modules

> iPad MIDI bagpipe fingering control surface for external synths and apps. (iPhone/iPad app by Michael Eskin.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-bagpipes-control-surface/id368380201 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Michael Eskin](https://appshunter.io/developer/342739369)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 2.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.6 · 21 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-04-23
- Data updated: 2026-06-01
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-bagpipes-control-surface/id368380201/reviews.md

## What is MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface?

This app is a Irish/Scottish Bagpipes fingering based MIDI control surface for the iPad that can be used to play your hardware MIDI synthesizer/sampler modules or other MIDI apps.

The chanter fingerings are based on either those used for the Irish Uilleann or Scottish Highland bagpipes.

The app doesn't produce any sound on its own, it is designed for playing hardware and software VST-style MIDI synthesizers via a CoreMIDI compatible interface connected to the dock connector or virtual MIDI instruments like Roland Sound Canvas for iOS, Universal Piper, or Sonosaurus ThumbJam running on your iPad.

The app supports sending data on two independent MIDI channels, one for the chanter and the other for the drones.

IMPORTANT: Since this app requires as many as 9 fingers on the screen at the same time, before playing, disable "Multitasking Gestures" on your iPad (in the iPad Settings app, under the General section, turn the Multitasking Gestures switch to the off position).

Choose between Uilleann and Highland chanter fingerings using the selector below the drone puck.

Touch the '?' on the upper left corner for the on-screen help labels.

For Uilleann fingerings, you can choose whether the back-D note plays when the Back-D switch is touched (Open mode) or released (Closed mode). Closed mode matches the real Uilleann chanter.

Touch the drone puck to start/stop the drones. For the Highland pipes, you'll want to set the drone transposition two semitones higher than the chanter

Using Uilleann Chanter Fingering

To play the chanter, touch the three holes of the left side of the chanter starting with the tips of your left index, middle, and ring fingers.

Next, touch the four holes on the right side of the chanter with the tips of your right index, middle, ring, and little fingers.

Touch the green "Octave" bar on the left side with your left little finger to play the notes one octave higher.

Optional finger vibrato may be done by touching holes below the main closed holes used for a note.

Using Highland Chanter Fingering

Touch the bar at the bottom of the screen with your left thumb. It represents the hole on the back of the chanter for the highest note and must be covered for other lower notes to play.

The app uses chanter fingerings based on those for the Highland pipes.

Next, touch the left half of the chanter starting with the tips of your left index, middle, and ring fingers.

Finally, touch the right half of the chanter with the tips of your right index, middle, ring, and little fingers.

Touch the blue "Back-D" bar at the bottom left center with your left thumb to play the second octave "Back-D" selectable on either a press or release. (Uilleann chanter mode only)

Touch the red "Stop" bar at the bottom right center with your right thumb to stop the chanter sound for staccato techniques. (Uilleann chanter mode only)

Touch the purple "Bend" bar on the lower right with your right little finger to bend the pitch or play finger vibrato. (Uilleann chanter mode only)

You may select the MIDI channel, attack velocity and volume for the chanter and drones independently using the sliders at the top of the screen.

The entire range may be transposed up or down up to one octaves (zero transpose is "C") in semitone increments using the chanter and drone transpose sliders.

Use the "Transmit MIDI Port" switch to choose between "Omni" sending MIDI data to all CoreMIDI apps or "Virtual Port" sending to a named CoreMIDI virtual output port. When the "Virtual Port option is selected, MIDIPIpes will show up as an input option in apps that support virtual ports like Universal Piper, and  Sonosaurus ThumbJam. "Omni" mode is selected by default.

All MIDI settings are saved when the app quits and restored the next time it is run.

Touch the 'Shhh' icon at the lower left to quiet any "stuck" notes if they occur.

Be sure to visit the AppCordions.com website for MIDI setup information and demo videos!

## Key features

- Irish/Scottish bagpipe fingering simulation
- MIDI control surface for external synths
- Uilleann and Highland fingering modes
- Independent MIDI channels for chanter and drones
- Optional finger vibrato
- Adjustable drone transposition

## Recent user reviews (4 of 4)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-bagpipes-control-surface/id368380201/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Has no sounds

*2022-12-20*

This is a control only. No bagpipe sounds in this app.

### 3/5 — 😎🎶🎨🎸

*2013-06-26*

Rock in

### 1/5 — Arnaque

*2011-12-30, version 1.4*

Ne fonctionne pas sur i pad 
Qui rembourse l'application ?

### 1/5 — ATTENTION APPLI PAS AUTONOME SUR IPAD

*2010-05-31, version 0*

Appli appétissante en premier abord : le site de l'éditeur donne des sons bien sympa ( Rowsome, Froment, ... ).

Mais il ne souligne pas ( ni dans l'App Store ) que CETTE APPLI N'EST PAS AUTONOME DANS UN IPAD !!!

Il faut télécharger un ensemble de samples, et le générateur MIDI virtuel qui va avec, le tout sur un PC ou un MAC, connecté en Wifi à votre Ipad.

sans cela : pas de musique !

Et ne pas le dire AVANT l'achat est limite malhonnête.

Conclusion : bonne appli... pour mac ?

## Frequently asked questions about MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface

### What is MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface?

MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface is an iPad app that simulates bagpipe fingerings to control external MIDI synthesizers or other MIDI-compatible applications. It does not generate sound itself but acts as an interface.

### Does MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface produce sound?

No, the app does not produce any sound on its own. It is designed to send MIDI data to external hardware or software synthesizers.

### What types of bagpipe fingerings does it support?

It supports fingering patterns for both Irish Uilleann and Scottish Highland bagpipes, selectable within the app.

### How does MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface connect to synthesizers?

It connects to hardware MIDI synthesizer modules or other MIDI apps via a CoreMIDI compatible interface connected to the iPad's dock connector, or through virtual MIDI instruments on the iPad.

### What is the price of MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface?

MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface is a paid app, priced at $4.99.

### What devices is MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface compatible with?

The app is designed for the iPad and requires disabling multitasking gestures for optimal performance due to its multi-finger input.

### How often is MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface updated?

The app was last updated on July 4, 2025, indicating recent development and support.

### Does MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface have ads?

No, MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface does not contain advertisements.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.2 — 2025-07-04

Bug fixes

### 4.0 — 2021-08-04

Updated metadata for iTunes App Store.

Bumped minimum iOS version to 13.0

### 3.8 — 2018-06-09

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Fixed problem with the Chanter channel slider.

### 3.7 — 2018-06-08

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

Fixed issue where starting a note with a finger vibrato fingering would fail to send a pitch shift message.

Enabled the Bend bar when in Highland fingering mode.

### 3.6 — 2018-05-25

Minor bug fixes.

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## More apps by Michael Eskin

- [Concertina - Anglo Concertina](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/concertina-anglo-concertina/id343270484)
- [Regulators for Uilleann Pipes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/regulators-for-uilleann-pipes/id348529289)
- [JustDrones - Tunable Just Intonation Drones](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/justdrones-tunable-just-intonation-drones/id348861427)
- [Englitina - English Concertina](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/englitina-english-concertina/id349451473)
- [Uilleann - Pocket Irish Pipes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uilleann-pocket-irish-pipes/id353684178)
- [Canntina - MacCann Concertina](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canntina-maccann-concertina/id360579654)

All apps by Michael Eskin: https://appshunter.io/developer/342739369

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*