mounted around the ends of stocks, drone joints and blowpipes to be both decorative and to protect the wood from damage. Flap Valve A device that keeps air from backing out of a blowpipe when the piper takes a breath. The valve is nothing more than a flap of leather that is mounted so as to block the airway when air pressure becomes greater on the inside than on the outside. Bellows-operated pipes usually have two flap valves, one in the air-inlet (in one of the bellows-cheeks) and the other in the connecting pipe between the bellows and the bag. Flea Hole A very small chanter finger hole most commonly found on Eastern European and Balkan pipes that, when uncovered, raises the pitch being played by the other fingers by approximately a semitone, allowing chromatic possibilities. Fontennelle A rigid tubular cover that fits over the lowest key on some bagpipe chanters (notably Italian Zampognas), covering all of the keys except the very end of the actuating lever. Usually made of the same material as the chanter or the chanter's trim work. Free Hand Chords A technique on the Uilleann pipes, where the player removes their lower hand from the chanter in order to play more elaborate accompaniments than normally possible on the regulators. G GDE Gracenotes On the Highland bagpipe, a frequently used gracenote sequence, appearing in every type of music. It consists of a G, D, and E gracenote on any lower note. Grace note Whereas in classical music a gracenote would be taken to mean a note that has melodic significance, in piping, it means a very short note, perhaps not dissimilar to the acciaccatura. Grades For competition purposes, pipe bands are usually organised into grades, usually from 1 to 4, with grade 1 being the highest level. Grip A percussive Highland bagpipe embellishment, called leamluath in Gaelic, and sometimes called a throw if used to go to a higher note, e.g. B to C or A to E. Ground The melody on which the variations of a piobaireachd are based. Also known as the Urlar. Goose A set of highland bagpipes without the drones. Used to help learners get used to the bag once they have some experience on the chanter. Gooseneck bag A bag with a long neck or "gooseneck" to the chanter stock. It is more comfortable for pipers with long arms. H Half Sized