Before performing, a piper will 'tune' the drones by adjusting their length so that the sound produced matches the two concert B-flats that can be produced by the chanter. To keep the drones from flopping around in an uncontrolled manner, they are tied to one another with 'cords'. Drone cords, usually made of silk or wool, resemble drapery tie-back cords in construction and have tassels at each end. The chanter is the narrow conical tube held in the hands of a piper while playing. It is the part of the pipes that is used to produce the melody.
Some chanters have a 'sole' at their bottom end for decorative purposes.
The blowpipe is the long narrow tube that the piper places in his mouth while playing. It is used, as its name suggests, to blow air into the bag and subsequently over the reeds and out of the drones and chanter. In more recent times, synthetic valves of varying designs have been developed and are easily obtainable. The bag is, of course, where the bagpipes get the first part of their name. Its purpose is to provide an enclosed reservoir of air that can be forced over the reeds to produce sound.