Does the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) show up in Spain during Easter Week (Semana Santa) to march in the processions and play the Spanish bagpipes? Here’s the story behind the pointed hats of Easter Week in Spain:

Long before the KKK wore pointed hoods and started terrorizing and killing people who were different from them, the pointed hat, or the “capirote”, started out as a hat worn by jugglers and clowns in medieval Spain. The capirote became associated with clumsiness and stupidity. People even started making criminals wear the hats to shame and insult them. Thus, the capirote became a symbol of shame and wrong doing.

Later, according to Wikipedia, “during the celebration of the Holy Week/Easter in Mediterranean countries, "Penitentes" (people doing penitence for their sins) would walk through streets with pointed hats. It was a way of self-injury; however, they covered their faces so they wouldn't be recognized.”

Today, this tradition continues during Semana Santa. The pointed hoods are bold symbols of humility, penance, and introspection.

So next time you’re in Spain and see some hooded bagpipers in a procession, now you know what’s really going on. It’s more than bagpipes and hooded robes walking down the street.  It’s a walk of deep history and tradition connected all the way back to the middle ages.  A symbol of clumsiness and stupidity evolved into a public, yet private, show of penance and humility.

What do you think about the Spanish capirote? Have you ever seen the processions during Semana Santa in Spain? Let us know your thoughts below or on Facebook.com/spanishbagpipes.

For more photos of the capirote during Semana Santa in Spain, click here.

About the Author: Natan Andres is a Galician gaita player, entrepreneur, and likes playing and hiking in the mountains of Montana.

Most of the Spanish bagpipe music you'll find on YouTube is the tried and true traditional tunes from Galicia and Asturias. Every once in a while, though, you can find some real modern gaita gems – in this case, the theme songs from Game of Thrones, Lord of The Rings, and Final Fantasy VII performed on the gaita asturiana.

I just came across these cool gaita videos so of course had to share them with all of you. The artist and performer of these cover songs is Bárbara. She plays the Asturian bagpipes, piano, flute, as well as other instruments. She is also a big fan of the Final Fantasy video game series. Enjoy!

Have any YouTube videos of you performing fantasy theme songs or modern covers on your Spanish bagpipes--or any kind of bagpipes? If you do, post them on our Facebook page! We would love to see them!

About the Author: Natan Andres is a Galician gaita player, entrepreneur, and likes playing and hiking in the mountains of Montana.

In 1967 the biggest pop band from Asturias, Spain--Los Archiduques--rocked the gaita asturiana (bagpipe from Asturias, Spain) in their song “Lamento de Gaitas”. I think the gaita gods were somehow guiding them because not only did they create this epic gaita song but they also did a music video. I came across it a few months ago and it blew me away. I couldn’t stop smiling through the whole video. If there is a Spanish word for “groovy”, these guys are it. Electric guitars, mustaches, and a gaita asturiana. They so nailed it.

Forty six years later, BOOM!—another band explodes on the scene rocking the gaita asturiana again. I just came across Sonohra’s “Si chiama Libertà” featuring Hevia, the amazing Asturian gaita player. The song is awesome—great sound and melody and I love how they’ve integrated the gaita throughout the song. Sonohra, if you don’t know, is an Italian band of two brothers from Verona, Italy. In 2008 they won the Sanremo Music Festival. Since then, they’re popularity has continued to grow by leaps and bounds.

So who do you think rocked the gaita asturiana more, Los Archiduques in 1967 or Sonohra in 2013? Watch the videos and cast your vote below!

About the Author: Natan Andres is a Galician gaita player, entrepreneur, and likes playing and hiking in the mountains of Montana.

Going to be in the Berkeley, California area August 5-7? (Perhaps you just went to Lark Camp, jamming it up with other Spanish bagpipe players and world musicians?). Whatever the case, if you can get yourself there, you've got to check out the Galician bagpipe workshop, hosted by Kevin Carr and taught by gaita gallega player and teacher “Cano” Alexandre Cadarso.

For more info, see the official flyer for the workshop here.

Happy piping!

Want to improve your Galician bagpipe playing, connect with other gaita pipers from around the country and world, and jam with other world instrument musicians? In just a couple short weeks you can at Lark Camp, in California’s Mendocino Woods, July 26-August 3, 2013!

This is a huge event—a kind of 8 day “world music Woodstock” where over 600 world instrument musicians and dancers come together for specialized workshops, trainings, networking, and explosive jam sessions. Whether you’re a seasoned Spanish bagpipe player or just starting out, this is the place you want to be.

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Mickie Zekley, founder of Lark Camp (Lark in the Morning Music and Dance Celebration) as well as Lark in the Morning, a store that sells instruments from all over the world. See the interview below.

Natan: How does Lark Camp help new and seasoned Spanish bagpipers?

Mickie: It’s a real hot bed of Spanish bagpiping. People from all levels and backgrounds get together for 8 days and really share their knowledge. Every year we have “Cano” Alexandre Cadarso coming from Galicia or other instructors including Keven Carr and Ian Law to lead the workshops. It gives a real chance for people to not only to learn gaita but also play in a marching band and also play with other instrumental groups—like the brass band or even the marimba orchestra. So Lark Camp is also a place to explore the gaita as a fusion instrument.

Natan: Your special gaita instructor this year is “Cano” Alexandre Cadarso. Can you tell us a little about him?

Mickie: He’s quite a famous piper over in Galicia. Kevin Carr, one of our gaita instructors, was the one that originally set up the connection and helped make it possible for him to keep coming back to the camp. Cano is a marvelous piper and just a wonderful person. He can be a hard task master trying to get everyone to play really well and be in tune, too. He’s definitely a top gaita teacher.

Natan: What kinds of lessons and events will the camp have for the gaitero that attends?

Mickie: There’s 2-3 hours a day of gaita workshops, one night there is a Galician band performance, and then a lot of informal playing as well. Lark Camp is very session oriented. Jam sessions and music networking and exploration are happening constantly all over the camp.

Natan: How many gaiteros usually attend the camp?

Mickie: About 12-15 pipers at the minimum attend the camp each year—and quite a few lady pipers attend too.

Natan: Do you think the community of gaiteros in the US is growing or staying about the same?

Mickie: It seems to be growing and gaining popularity. It’s really nice. The gaita is a bagpipe that is more accessible than some of the other pipes. A lot of people may not be willing to try some other kind of bagpipe but the gaita is a “pick it up and play it” kind of instrument.

Natan: What advice do you have for the gaitero just starting out?

Mickie: Get a decent instrument. Don’t buy the cheapest thing out there. Get something that’s going to be in tune, plays well and fingers correctly, and that has reeds readily available. All of those things are of great import.  When you’re dealing with bagpipes cheap doesn’t necessarily mean playable.  

Natan: Do you play the gaita and if so, how did you learn? Also do you play any other instruments?

Mickie: I’ve been playing the gaita since the 70's but I got mine from Portugal in a little place just outside Lisbon.  As for learning, there was this fellow, Robert Donovan Thomas, who was a scholar and a very interesting man, an expert in all different kinds of bagpipes. He played gaita and got me turned on to it. We had a gaita band and musician group with drummers and fiddle players. We did concerts back in the early 70’s. It was a lot of fun. I also play a number of other bagpipes, the harp, an Irish style flute, anything with frets and strings, penny whistles, double flageolet. My wife and I both play a lot of instruments together for some of the concerts we do and it can be up to 16 instruments between the two of us.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think below in the comments or give us a shout on our Facebook page. Until then, happy piping!

About the Author: Natan Andres is a Galician gaita player, entrepreneur, and likes playing and hiking in the mountains of Montana.

Obviously, the best way to answer this question is to simply show you. The videos below are phenomenal examples of the kind of emotion, power, and speed that the Spanish bagpipe (la gaita) can produce.

The first and third videos feature gaiteros (Spanish bagpipers) on the gaita gallega (the bagpipe from Galicia). The second video features a gaitero playing the gaita asturiana (the bagpipe from Asturias).

Emotion: Cristina Pato is one of my favorite Spanish bagpipe musicians. This video of her on the gaita gallega is a sound-trip into another world—a raw, emotional cry from within. 

Power: Hevia plays a mean gaita asturiana. It’s crescendo-power is like a great yawp from a mountain top. When you’re up there, it seems like nothing can touch you.

Speed: Carlos Nunez is the Jimi Hendrix of la gaita gallega. His flamenco-fire-fingering is incendiary and may light you on fire. ¡Viva la gaita!

As you can see from the picture, the quick answer to the question “Do Spanish Bagpipers Wear Kilts?” is no. Galicia and Asturias, the northwest regions of Spain, may be a Celtic relative to Ireland and Scotland, but the epic kilt is one thing not shared in common. The picture to the left is what a traditional “gaitero” (Spanish bagpiper) wears. As you can see, many women in Galicia and Asturias also play the gaita (Spanish bagpipe) and they have their own traditional clothing as well. The outfits can vary from person, group, and region, but they still maintain the same general look overall. You’ll notice, too, that sometimes they wear some pretty interesting hats (see below). Thanks to a reader, Maria Jenson, I was able to discover the correct name for it—the hat is called a montera picona. As for the history/evolution of the hats, apparently, the pointy triangles sticking up on the hats used to be the same size on both sides and able to come down and cover the ears for warmth in the winter. Over time, the hats became so associated with gaita music and tradition that the general look of the hat became more important than its actual functionality. Today, the triangle on one or both sides of the hat sticks stiff and straight up and is a part of just about every traditional gaitero’s outfit. See below for more pics of traditional gaiteros!