Talk:Rhaita

Is there a bagpipe version of the ghaita in N. Africa?
In my googlings, I'm coming up with mention of the ghaita as a "bagpipe" (and not by the name "mizwad" either). Are the writers mistaken, or is there a bagged version of the ghaita? It seems a pretty fair guess that the Spanish term "gaita" comes from that source, but where does the bag come in? If there is a bagged version, it'd be great to cite reference and mention it in the article.MatthewVanitas (talk) 21:03, 22 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Actually, Grove says that the Arabic term "ghaita" comes from the Gothic language gait, meaning "goat." I assume the term came from the Visigoths into Spain, then to Morocco from Spain. The Basque algaita probably got the term from Gothic, though perhaps also from Al-Andalus. I've written to the scholar writing on these issues, and he wouldn't answer how he knows this. Regarding a bagged versin of the Moroccan rhaita/ghaita, it's possible but I've never heard of such. There are examples of instruments with the same name (such as elsewhere in the Arabic world), one a reed pipe and another a bagpipe. Badagnani (talk) 21:08, 22 April 2008 (UTC)


 * See http://phonoarchive.org/grove/Entries/S47346.htm . Badagnani (talk) 21:09, 22 April 2008 (UTC)


 * The scholar in question, Christian Poché, recommended consulting the following books:


 * Dictionnaire des musiques et danses traditionnelles de la Mediterranée, Paris, Fayard, 2005 (its contains articles on gaita and ghayta).
 * Pierre Bec, Les instruments de musique d'origine arabe, sens et histoire de leurs désignations, Toulouse, Isatis, Conservatoire Occitan, 2005.
 * Also on the web: saramusik.org Badagnani (talk) 21:10, 22 April 2008 (UTC)