Xavier Blanco — A Gaita de Cana de Moaña (Several Records, 2001)
Xavier Blanco Nogueira, a Galician piper from Moaña in the Morrazo region of Spain, released A Gaita de Cana de Moaña on Several Records in 2001. His goal was to introduce the traditional gaita de caña, often described as the oldest type of Galician bagpipe.
Blanco, who comes from a multigenerational piping family connected to the Os Soledás clan, spent more than 12 years reconstructing the instrument through oral tradition, citing the absence of detailed written technical descriptions. A historical reference often mentioned in discussions of the instrument appears at Winchester School in the United Kingdom, where a Latin description, “Corus est pellis simplex cum duabus cicutis, depicts a simple animal-skin bag with two reeds, an instrument used by shepherds.
Researchers commonly characterize the gaita de caña as an early bagpipe form. The build described in Blanco’s reconstruction includes a bag made from pig bladder or lambskin, a blowpipe (soplete), and a cylindrical chanter (punteiro) fitted with a cane reed (pallón), producing a rough, earthy tone. The instrument’s range is reported as B-flat.
The gaita de caña has also been described as a training instrument for noted Galician piping groups, including Os Soledás, Os Feitucos, and Os Tornillos, with players historically practicing while tending livestock in the hills.
Interest in the instrument has grown beyond Galicia, with performers requesting Blanco to build playable versions for concerts. One of the top pipers in the world, Carlos Núñez, also used the gaita de cana. He utilized it on the track “O Castro da Moura” included in his album 1999 album, Os Amores Libres.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.