When you hear someone mention bagpipes, what country springs to mind? Scotland? Ireland?

What about Bulgaria? Yes, Bulgaria.

The gaida (or gajda) I recently learned, is a centerpiece of Bulgarian folk music.

It is said that a traditional wedding is incomplete without [the gaida]. Traditionally the solitary shepherd’s companion, it is often heard solo or accompanied by a large drum. It is also popular in small village orchestras. Like all Bulgarian folk instruments there are many regional variations with distinctive styles of detail and ornament. All share a common form: white kidskin bag, blowpipe, drone and chanter. The pipes of the eastern regions of Thrace and Dobrudja are usually high-pitched, while those of western Shope region tend to be lower. In the south Bulgarian Rhodope mountain region they are extremely deep-pitched with huge goatskin bags.

Neighbor Dave is responsible for expanding my understanding of the bagpipe universe. By day, he is a department administrator in the UW College of Engineering. He is also a big fan of Eastern European folk music, which I discovered when he and wife Kim celebrated their wedding anniversary.

Dave busted out his gaida, accompanied by his father on the aforementioned large drum. As the two wandering minstrels began to play, someone shouted, “It’s time to squeeze the goat!” While I struggled to decode that celebratory outcry — a reference to the gaida’s goatskin air bladder–several guests began performing traditional folk dances.

Kim suggested that the gaida would make a nice addition to my True Colors series. I agreed.

As an added bonus, Dave showed up for his photo shoot with a second instrument — the kaval. This wooden Bulgarian flute is comprised of three sections, with seven fingerholes and one thumbhole in the middle section, plus four “devil’s holes” in the foot, which are never covered.