# Uilleann - Pocket Irish Pipes — Irish Bagpipes Keyboard + MIDI > Virtual Uilleann pipes simulator with MIDI support and expressive controls. (iPhone/iPad app by Michael Eskin.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uilleann-pocket-irish-pipes/id353684178 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Michael Eskin](https://appshunter.io/developer/342739369) - Category: Music, Education - Price: $2.99 - Rating: 3.80/5 from 8 App Store ratings · 10 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 10.0 · 78 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2010-02-11 - Data updated: 2026-08-31 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uilleann-pocket-irish-pipes/id353684178/reviews.md ## What is Uilleann? Uilleann is an authentic sounding 3/4 set of Uilleann pipes (Irish Bagpipes) chanter, drones, and two regulators in the form of a standard two octave piano keyboard and also supports hardware MIDI bagpipes chanters connect to a hardware MIDI interface. The app can also be used as a CoreMIDI sound module for MIDI file player apps. The app plays the four most common keys for the instrument of D, C#, C, and B. Touch the drone puck image to switch the drones on and off. Touch the keys to play the chanter notes. Touching in the upper half of the key plays the note at standard pitch. Touching lower on the key plays with the pitch proportionally lower to allow for pitch bending and vibrato effects Finger vibrato for expression, as is done on the real instrument, can be added by sliding back and forth along the length of the chanter keys. The note C has an extended pitch bend range as typically used when playing a real chanter. Play the regulator chords by touching the four squares above the keyboard on the left. The chords match the tenor/baritone regulator pairs and are: F#/D G/D A/F# B/G Since the real Uilleann pipes chanter doesn't play below D, the two regulators for chords may also be played on the upper and lower halves of the C and C# at the bottom of the keyboard. Touch the mixer icon at the upper right to bring up the settings page where you can select the key (D, C#, C, or B), set the volumes of the chanter, drones, and regulators, set the amount of drone chorus effect, overall reverb level, and MIDI chanter parameters. MIDI Chanter Setup: Connect your MIDI chanter first using a hardware MIDI interface, then launch the Uilleann for iPhone app. Use the MIDI controls on the settings page to set the MIDI channel for the chanter and drone notes as well as the lowest MIDI note for your MIDI chanter. Range of the lowest MIDI note is from 55 to 79. MIDI default parameter values are based on the Fagerstrom Uilleann Technopipes: Drone channel: 15 Chanter channel: 1 Lowest Note: 69 The app responds to MIDI Pitch Bend messages on the Chanter MIDI channel. Pitch bend response is based on a two semitone maximum bend range. The four regulator pairs now may be played on the MIDI channel one higher than the chanter starting on MIDI note 64 (E3). MIDI notes 64 - 67 on the regulators channel play the regulator pairs. These notes match the mapping for the same baritone/tenor regulators used in the iPad version of the app. The app can also be used as a CoreMIDI sound module for MIDI file player apps. The chanter, regulator, and drones channels will be mapped as described above. MIDI channel and lowest note values are saved on exit. ## Key features - Authentic Uilleann pipes sound - Virtual piano keyboard interface - Pitch bending and vibrato effects - Regulator chord playback - Adjustable drone and chanter volumes - MIDI connectivity for external instruments ## Recent user reviews (10 of 10) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uilleann-pocket-irish-pipes/id353684178/reviews.md ### 2/5 — Sounds Terrible *2020-02-10* App is working fine. But the sound is horrendously inaccurate and very fake. ### 3/5 — Great, but one minor annoyance. *2019-06-05* I have an IPhone 8+, Over all the app is pretty fun to use, however I’ve noticed that the keys don’t always respond to my touch leading to some frustrations ### 1/5 — Gros bof ! *2013-06-01* Touches piano étroites et son pourri synthé, aucun rapport avec l'instrument original ! Pas de maj. Passez la route ! ### 5/5 — Good *2011-11-25* This is good but your other pipe app epipes is better! ### 4/5 — Sound? *2011-10-30* Why am I getting no sound on any of the uilleann pipe apps? iPhone 4, iOS 4. Other apps work. **Developer response:** This review is from 6 years ago. Most likely the version at the time respected the setting of the mute switch on the device. This should not be an issue on the later versions. ### 5/5 — Wicked awesome!!!!! *2011-07-07* Omg!!!!! I love this app. Uilleann pipes have always calmed me. Thank you soooooo much. Love your Boston, MA fan. Kol ### 5/5 — Sounds great! *2010-04-12* I bought this so I could practice my tin whistle songs with a drone in the background. And it's fun to play along on the keyboard with the uilleann pipes songs I'm learning. Sounds just like the original recordings. In perfect tune too. Fun to just tinker with. Thanks! ### 4/5 — Keyboard Uilleann Pipes...Cool *2010-03-21* This is so much fun jammin' with some of my Irish music friends. Plug it into an amp and you're ready to go. Check out Michael's other apps. ### 5/5 — Pipekeys *2010-02-25* Superb Uillean Pipe app with well recorded samples, very expressive too with pitch bend & vibrato effects that are unique to this haunting instrument. On a recording you could mistake this for the real instrument! A must have for anyone into Irish music! ### 5/5 — Schön *2010-02-12* Nach den anderen Apps des Autors wiedereinmal eine toole Pipes Emulation. Michael Eskin reagiert sehr schnell auf Vorschläge zur app und geht darauf ein. Super sound, da von Original Uillean Pipes gesampelt. Ich find's toll. ## Frequently asked questions about Uilleann ### What is Uilleann? Uilleann is a virtual instrument app that simulates the sound of Uilleann pipes, also known as Irish Bagpipes. It features a keyboard interface for playing chanter, drones, and regulators, with options for pitch bending and vibrato. ### What keys does Uilleann support? Uilleann supports the four most common keys for the Uilleann pipes: D, C#, C, and B. You can select the desired key from the settings page. ### Can I connect external MIDI instruments to Uilleann? Yes, Uilleann supports hardware MIDI bagpipe chanters and can be used as a CoreMIDI sound module for MIDI file player apps. You can configure MIDI chanter parameters in the app's settings. ### How do I control pitch bending and vibrato in Uilleann? You can achieve pitch bending by touching lower on the chanter keys, with the pitch proportionally lower. Finger vibrato can be added by sliding back and forth along the length of the chanter keys, similar to playing a real instrument. ### What are the regulator chords available in Uilleann? Uilleann allows you to play regulator chords by touching the four squares above the keyboard on the left. The available chords are F#/D, G/D, A/F#, and B/G, matching common tenor/baritone regulator pairs. ### What is the price of Uilleann? Uilleann is a paid app, priced at $2.99. This one-time purchase grants you access to all its features. ### What devices is Uilleann compatible with? Uilleann is designed for iPhone and iPod devices. It is rated for ages 4 and up. ### How often is Uilleann updated? The latest version of Uilleann is 3.6, which was last updated on July 23, 2018. While the app has not been updated recently, it offers a stable experience for its core functionality. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.6 — 2018-07-23 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Faster response time and sound quality improvements. The four regulator pairs now may be played on the MIDI channel one higher than the chanter starting on MIDI note 64 (E3). MIDI notes 64 - 67 on the regulators channel play the regulator pairs. These notes match the mapping for the same baritone/tenor regulators used in the iPad version of the app. More robust support for using the app as a sound module via CoreMIDI with other MIDI file player apps. ### 3.5 — 2018-06-14 The four regulator pairs now may be played on the MIDI channel one higher than the chanter starting on MIDI note 64 (E3). MIDI notes 64 - 67 on the regulators channel play the regulator pairs. These notes match the mapping for the same baritone/tenor regulators used in the iPad version of the app. More robust support for using the app as a sound module via CoreMIDI with other MIDI file player apps. ### 3.4.2 — 2018-06-13 The four regulator pairs now may be played on the MIDI channel one higher than the chanter starting on MIDI note 64 (E3). MIDI notes 64 - 67 on the regulators channel play the regulator pairs. These notes match the mapping for the same baritone/tenor regulators used in the iPad version of the app. Bug fixes: Fixed issue with MIDI Controllers that send Note-On events with velocity zero instead of sending Note-Off events. ### 3.4.1 — 2018-06-08 The four regulator pairs now may be played on the MIDI channel one higher than the chanter starting on MIDI note 64 (E3). MIDI notes 64 - 67 on the regulators channel play the regulator pairs. These notes match the mapping for the same baritone/tenor regulators used in the iPad version of the app. Bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 3.3 — 2018-06-07 The four regulator pairs now may be played on the MIDI channel one higher than the chanter starting on MIDI note 64 (E3). MIDI notes 64 - 67 on the regulators channel play the Regulator pairs. These notes match the mapping for the baritone/tenor regulators used in the iPad version of the app. MIDI Pitch Bend is supported for the chanter, up to two semitones in range. Bug fixes and performance improvements. ## Apps similar to Uilleann | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [King of FM: DX Synth/E Piano](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/king-of-fm-dx-synthe-piano/id1672644102) | 4.9 (1,762) | Free | Music | | [WARBL Configuration Tool](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/warbl-configuration-tool/id1445377915) | 5.0 (6) | Free | Music | | [Irish Tin Whistle Tablatures](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/irish-tin-whistle-tablatures/id1518502793) | — | Free | Music | | [KORG Gadget 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/korg-gadget-3/id791077159) | 4.8 (2,913) | $39.99 | Music | | [Numa Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numa-player/id1601231132) | 4.7 (1,035) | Free | Music | | [KORG Module](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/korg-module/id1048875111) | 4.6 (772) | Free | Music | ## 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) - [Canntina - MacCann Concertina](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canntina-maccann-concertina/id360579654) All apps by Michael Eskin: https://appshunter.io/developer/342739369 ## Related topics [regulators for uilleann pipes](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/regulators-for-uilleann-pipes) --- *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 2026-08-31.*