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Love them or hate them, bagpipes elicit a strong response in most people.

And more than 1,000 people turned up at UWA earlier this month to show their support for the traditional combination of pipes and drums.

The Pipe Band state championships were held on Riley Oval with all the pageantry and emotion of the Edinburgh Tattoo - without the Queen and the castle.

Pipe bands with about 120 kilted musicians from Perth and regional areas competed, and were judged on musicianship, pitch and tuning, integration between the pipes and drum corps, dress and drill.

The winner was the Perth Metro Pipe Band with the Perth Highland Pipe Band coming second.

The highland bagpipe is very loud - typically 110 decibels, which made Riley Oval an ideal location for the Saturday afternoon event. This is the same volume as standing next to a helicopter idling or a jackhammer drilling cement.

Malcolm MacLean, vice-chair Pipe bands WA and a member of the runner-up band, said bagpipes were used in war to inspire and signal Scottish troops in battle "They were also used to scare foreign enemies!" he said. "The unusual B flat pitch carries at a frequency that can be heard over yelling and gunshots."

The B flat drones on the highland bagpipe are the same frequency of the vuvuzela used by crowds at African sporting functions.

Although popularised and refined in Scotland, bagpipes were invented in Ancient Egypt.

The bagpipe has only nine notes without flats or sharps. The combination of blowing and squeezing the bag, while taking a breath, produces a continuous sound and constant volume.

"To get expression, emphasis and melody with such a limited scale, pipers have to learn very intricate finger movements called grace notes. It can take three years to learn and master the bagpipes," Mr MacLean said.

He hopes the group can return to UWA for next year's state championships.