Chiff and Fipple Forums

I’ve tried a Burke Low C whistle and Tipple Low C flute. Both are great instruments but I think a conical bore flute is what I need so I am just seeing if someone has a flute that needs a new home before I get on a wait list or invest in something higher budget. A polymer option like a slideless Cop...

I’ve tried a Burke Low C whistle and Tipple Low C flute. Both are great instruments but I think a conical bore flute is what I need so I am just seeing if someone has a flute that needs a new home before I get on a wait list or invest in something higher budget. A polymer option like a slideless Cop...

A practice chanter is generally for GHB because it’s a more physically demanding instrument. The fingering is specific to Scottish pipes. The pressure required to make the reeds sound varies greatly from one type of bagpipe to another. There is also wide variation in the dimensions of the stock whic...

On Great Highland Bagpipes (GHB in message board parlance) there are 2 chanters: practice chanters and pipe chanters. Practice chanters are, as the name implies, intended for practice and is what learners start on to learn the rudiments. The internal dimensions and size of finger holes combined with...

Ralph Sweet made some dandy 2-piece F flutes in various woods - rosewood, maple, even purple heart once upon a time. Just hoping someone might have one in their menagerie they’d like to re-home for a fair price. PM me if you do.
Cheers.

I would say there isn't a prevalent Scottish style. Not in the way fiddle and box styles are different between the two countries. Style is really going to be particular to the players, their musical backgrounds, and influences fused into the projects or bands they're involved with. It's not as estab...

This is the only bagpipe-specific mic system I have come across. I found out about it from a piper that uses it on border pipes.

http://www.accusound.com/home/48-mics-for-bagpipes

It really depends on the harmonics and the register. Smallpipes in A are at a low register to where if the fundamental harmonics are locked in discord is minimal. So playing B minor plays well against the E harmonic in the A drones. Even though reelpipe and highland pipe chanters are an octave highe...

Yep, I've seen folk (and videos of them) proudly extolling the virtues of their tunable drones to 'fit' the tunes where, at least in the case of Highland pipe tunes, I'd usually find them ruined by such a 'fit'. So take a tune like Paddy's Leather Breeches with drones tuned to Bs and for sure it 'f...

Not sure if the way Walsh and Hamon do it is typical. If you look at the picture Ian Lawther posted in the other forum, that is probably more typical. The exposed reed style has some appeal. Trying to pull an individual drone out of the stock can be a feat of fingertip strength when you want to adju...

Yes, a version of the split-stock exists for drones that splits near bag and that keeps the reeds enclosed. It's usually an added option. It has a lot of practical benefits though it's the joint that will wreak the most havoc if it's at all loose.

Definitely studio magic. There is fiddle droning in there too so that would make it sound hurdy-gurdy-ish, sort of like the dog string.

Uilleann

Excellent work. I have pondered the benefits of an asymmetrical design and am glad you experimented with it. Remakable crafstmanship too.

Why I included the bellows technique is that I think the value of how much volume the bellows hold at half-extension (or half-compression) is purely academic. Where the rubber hits the road is what happens when compressing from full extension. I think it's the stability of the hinge and the gusset t...