Dating back to the sixteenth century or earlier, canntaireachd developed as the art of "chanting" pibroch (piobaireachd), the classical form of Gaelic bagpipe music. Essentially an oral form, canntaireachd consists of vocables, which stand for recognized groups of notes but otherwise have no meaning as words. When written down or, more commonly, sung as mouth music they provide an alternative to the Western system of musical notation and a means for preserving and passing on both the the melody and fingering of tunes. The following two examples of written canntaireachd are the Ground (urlar) and first variation of the classical piobaireachd "The Cave of Gold," attributed to Donald Mor MacCrimmon, circa 1610:

Nether Lorn Canntaireachd:

Urlar

Hienodro hiemotro, hienodro dare edre, hienodro hiemotro, hiendre odrorode, (repeat)
Hiendare cherede, hienotro hihorodo, hiendare cherede, hienedre odrorode,
Hiendare cherede, hienotro hihorodo, hienodro hiemotro, hiendre odrorode.

Var. I

Hinen hoen himen hioen, hinen hoen heen cheen, hinen hoen himen hioen, hinen cheen hoen hinen, (repeat)
Hinen heen cheen cheen, hinen hioen hioen hioen, hinen heen cheen cheen, hinen cheen hoen hinen,
Hinen heen cheen cheen, hinen hioen hioen hioen, hinen hoen himen hioen, hinen cheen hoen hinen.

Urlar

Heinbodrie heunbodro, heinbodrie bitri betre, heinbodrie heunbodro, heinbetre odrierarierin, (repeat)
Heinbitri hereinve, heinbodro heororo, heinbitri hereinve, heinbetre odrierarierin,
Heinbitri hereinve, heinbodro heororo, heinbodrie heunbodro, heinbetre odrierarierin.

Var. I

Hindin hiehin hundin hohin, hindin hiehin hihin hehin, hindin hiehin hundin hohin, hindin hehin hiehin hindin, (repeat)
Hindin hihin hehin hehin, hindin hohin hohin hohin, hindin hihin hehin hehin, hindin hehin hiehin hindin,
Hindin hihin hehin hehin, hindin hohin hohin hohin, hindin hiehin hundin hohin, hindin hehin hiehin hindin.

further notes. 1. The canntaireachd and piping of "The Old Woman’s Lullaby" by William MacLean (b. 1876 in Tobermory, Isle of Mull) was recorded in 1953 or 1954. (From Scottish Tradition, no. 10: Pibroch, School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh, 1995) 2. "Earl of Seaforth’s Salute" (oral instruction) by Robert Urquhart Brown (b. 1906 at Burnside Cottage, Strachan on Deeside), recorded 1970 in South Africa. (From Masters of Piobaireachd, volume, Greentrax Recordings, The Scottish Arts Council, 1997)