Chiff and Fipple Forums

Thanks all. I'll continue hammering away with maybe one or two drones and see if things get better. I'm suspicious that the issue is the chanter - as it requires a higher pressure than I was used to with the practice set to play. There is really no way of telling what is wrong or if there's anything...

Hey everyone - I recently got my full set back in early July, and after adjusting to the new weight and getting to know the new chanter a bit I'm starting to tackle throwing the drones in. Trouble is that I'm having trouble keeping the drones stable while at the same time supplying enough air to my ...

Are these the first mass-produced Uilleann Pipes? How is McCallum making them?

The purpose of developing good bellows technique is to create a consistent, even tone throughout the scale with steady drones. Sorry to be contrary but consistency of sound, pressure control, is achieved with the bag arm, the bellows only supplies the air. Which is ofcourse important but the bellow...

I don't think a smaller bellows will help. You might be fixating too much on bellows technique. Get on with learning tunes. Bellows technique will just happen when you stop thinking about it. It's a little like breathing when you sign. You might have to think about when you take a particularly deep...

It's not a mathematical thing, so I don't think it's helpful to put numbers on it. Also, it's not about the volume of air, but more about air pressure in the bag. If I feel I have squeezing too hard with my left elbow, I know it's time to pump the bellows. Usually this requires a little less than a...

Interesting Geoff! I have a Mathematics background so this intrigues me. When you say "focus point", are there conic sections at work between the reed and bore? Of course, there's a high probability I'm entirely reading too much into the words "focus point".

Much thanks! It's as I suspected and it's helpful to know other people have had this same challenge. I'm off to continue practicing!

Hello everyone - So I'm starting a new venture of playing with a relatively small ensemble (5-6 people) and I am discovering a new source of stress while playing: Making tiny mistakes. Usually when playing on my own I'm not too concerned about small mistakes, or my fingers ever so briefly getting ta...

So lately I'm met with the challenge of learning 9 tunes (4 sets) in the span of one week. This might sound completely doable to those of you who have years of experience under the bellows - but I am discovering it is a tall order for me. I usually like a pace of one set per week, to give me a chanc...

Hey all - Just thought I'd do you the courtesy if you'd be at all interested - as I was surprised to learn a couple days ago that Cillian Vallely released a new solo album in the last week. http://www.cillianvallely.com/store/ It's also on iTunes. I listened to a lot of Cillian's piping through my t...

Lucky person whoever got that wonderful sounding set! Any word Chris on when your first album will be released? I'm subscribed to you on YouTube and have been looking forward to it for a while.

Hah! Those sound samples on the G and A chanters are amazing. The A actually sounds quite nice with the D drones, and I presume there were no G drones made to go with the G chanter. Electronic? Ronan sounds like he was really stretching to play that G. The character of both chanters is just odd - th...

Curious - We all know about flat sets, C#, C, B, Bb and the like - and maybe some of us have even heard of some sets sharp of D. Eb possibly, and I recall there even being a children's F chanter by Froment a while back on Uilleann Obsession. I'm wondering about flatter than flat sets. Has anyone see...

There were things in the Rowsome sound I quite like too - the bass regulator on my concert really sounds Leo/Willie somehow. Intangible things I guess. And their sets had those sounds whereas so many modern ones don't, despite being ostensible Rowsome knockoffs. Funny how that works. I have to admi...