After the success of the first two albums of the series "MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN BULGARIA" (Rumen Sirakov - tambura, and Demko Kurtev's Zurna Group), Gega New Music Company presents to the listeners one of the most loved and widely used instruments - the gaida (Bulgarian bagpipe). The bagpipe originated in Southeast Asia. It underwent various changes and today there are versions of the instrument in many countries of Asia, Europe, and Africa.
The bagpipe is widely spread in the Bulgarian folk music tradition. There are two main types of bagpipe: kaba (low-sounding) gaida , characteristic of the Rhodope Mountains region, and djura (high-sounding) gaida , used in the remaining part of the country. There are also some rare cases of a bagpipe with two chanters (melody pipes), the so-called two-reed bagpipe (chifte-gaida ).
The present release includes recordings by renowned bagpipers from all folk regions of Bulgaria - authentic melodies, arrangements, and author's folk-based works by Alexander Raichev, Hristofor Radanov, Kostadin Atanassov, Hristo Todorov, Georgi Andreev, Gencho Genchev. The CD booklet contains extensive information by Prof. Manol Todorov about the origin, development, composition and varieties of the bagpipe in Bulgaria and in the world and it will be of special interest to the admirers of this instrument.