Dylan finds the chanter, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind

The legendary songwriter who was branded “Judas” for switching from acoustic to electric guitar has now embraced the bag.

The 70-year-old singer bought a set of traditional Scottish pipes while in Glasgow to play two concerts last weekend, a spokesperson for the National Piping Centre said.

Dylan did not turn up at the centre’s shop himself but sent a representative to pick them up.

The singer purchased a set of RG Hardie pipes, which begin at £750 but rise to more than £2,000, the National Piping Centre’s complete starter pack, which cost £50 and includes a practice chanter and the Highland Tutor Book 1 and Highland Tutor Book 2, as well as various pieces of maintenance equipment.

The singer, who has an honorary degree from St Andrews University, has long been a fan of Scots culture, and has spoken of how he was influenced by Rabbie Burns.

In 1997 he released the song Highlands, in which he sang: “My heart’s in the Highlands/Wherever I roam, that’s where I’ll be when I get called home.”

This was a line he backed up by buying a house in the Cairngorms.

Last night Amber Ives, the manager of the National Piping Centre, said: “He did not actually come in himself but he did purchase a set of pipes. He also bought the complete starter pack, which is one of our top-selling products, and he knew this was the best place to start your bagpiping career.

“Bob had been wanting to play the pipes for a while and obviously the National Piping Centre was the first place he thought of to get a set of pipes. We are the number one place in the world to get bagpipes from. We are a national centre of excellence.

“I hope he will be playing them next time he is in Glasgow as it was me that set them up. I like the idea that Bob Dylan will play the pipes after me.”

In 2004 Bob Dylan suggested that The Times They Are A-Changin’ was inspired by an obscure Scottish tune.

The singer said: “You use what has been handed down and The Times They Are A-Changin’ is probably from an old Scottish folk song.

“I’ll take a song I know and simply start playing it in my head. At a certain point, some of the words will change and I’ll start writing.”

The song is thought to be based on Farewell to Sicilly, the lyrics of which were written by Hamish Henderson to a tune composed in 1915 by Pipe Major James Robertson.

Rab Noakes, a singer-songwriter who has studied the Scottish influences on Dylan’s compositions has said: “When I studied the song, I realised that the phrasing was identical to Henderson’s piece and you could sing Dylan’s words on top of either tune.”

Dylan was understood to have been introduced to bagpipe music by Richard Farina, a musician and novelist, who married Joan Baez’s sister, Mimi. Farina appeared on television with Scottish singers and later came to meet them, when he was introduced to Henderson.

Bob Dylan is performing tonight in Bournemouth. It is not known whether he plans to debut his new instrument.