Breton Pipe Maker Pierre Blanchett 1947 – 2021

Breton pipe-maker Pierre Blanchet has died after a short illness. Pierre featured in Piping Press recently. He made a significant contribution to piping in Brittany and was renowned for his replicas of antique instruments. Pierre started playing the pipes at the age of 11 in 1958 in the Saint Nazaire region learning by ear. A piper from the La Baule Bagad (pipe band) showed him the rudiments of Scottish fingering,…

Pierre’s Lifetime of Passion for Old Vintage Bagpipes

Pierre Blanchet is a Breton pipe-maker. He started playing the pipes at the age of 11 in 1958 in the Saint Nazaire area in the south of Brittany. He was given a set of pipes made by Dorig Le Voyer with only one tenor drone and gradually began to make progress as a player. Listening to other players, everything was done by ear with no staff notation, just a system…