What is the Rhodope bagpipe?

The Rhodope bagpipe is the most typical and popular musical instrument in the Rhodope Mountains. From the remote past up to the present, it sounds on working-bees and fairs, in days full of amusements and in days full of grief. Its specific low sounding makes it different from the gjura (high) bagpipe which exists in other Bulgarian folklore regions. Even with a limited tone capacity, the authentic melodies, performed with the typical Rhodope music ornamentation, sound as an illustration of the poetic emotionality of the Orpheus mountain. Apart from sounding alone, the bagpipe is the most popular music instrument which accompanies the Rhodope songs. The technology of making this instrument and its components are not changed in the course of time.