The
chanter is the part of the
bagpipe upon which the player creates the
melody. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a
recorder. On more elaborate bagpipes, such as the
Northumbrian bagpipes or the
Uilleann pipes, it also may have a number of keys, to increase the instrument's range and/or the number of
keys (in the
modal sense) it can play in. Like the rest of the bagpipe, they are often decorated with a variety of substances, including metal (silver/nickel/gold/brass), bone, ivory, or plastic mountings.