Chiff and Fipple Forums

It's almost like the difference between an oboe and a bassoon, Almost, but, as analogies go, the difference between the oboe and cor anglais would perhaps a more accurate comparison of their voices. Or like the difference between the oboe and the oboe d'amore. Craig Fischer once said to me, "T...

The more tunes you learn (i.e., the more listening you do), the more you learn about the tunes. Your fingers become more relaxed and the triplets will come. It's worth taking time to learn the common triplets: B-c#-d, A-c#-A, g-e-f, f-g-f, F#-G-A. And learn off-the-knee E. The main thing is to artic...

This is required reading: https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/tex ... bagpipes-b. Important to note that before they were called union pipes they were known as Irish pipes.

PJ wrote:I've heard of people breaking down fullsets to fit into fiddle cases (without bag and bellows).

I fit a Bb set, including bag, into a fiddle case. Never a question taking it on a plane. Bellows go into another carry-on bag or checked luggage.

Australia's own, the dagpipes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVJ2bhyBeEQ

I heard about it from Craig Fischer on the day Ken died. I did think it strange that Ken's passing went practically unmentioned on social media or forums such as this. When I told some local pipers, they hadn't heard of him. I suppose Ken's light shone in a different direction. Rest in peace, Ken.

Long F would in the way of a Bb key. I was playing a tune this evening that has both notes and it occurred to me that the end of the long F key occupies the same space as the end of the Bb key, hence the ring key for F on the old chromatic sets. The classical flute has Bb operated by the thumb of th...

It is curious that the classical flute had/has both long key and ring key for F, yet (to the best of my knowledge), "the newly invented chromatic union pipes" sufficed with the ring key. I hadn't given it two thoughts until last weekend when Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn was playing my pipes (Wooff...

Hi M, The SMH find was both lucky and the result of lots of searching -- if that makes sense. It was part of a trawl in trying to find out how Geoff's Harrington set got to Australia. I haven't delved into the identity of Mrs Walker. One thing at a time. Her stall would have been at the north end of...

On a another post I wrote the following, which was tangential to the topic there. Prior to use of the term, 'union pipes,' our instrument was referred to as the Irish bagpipes. Here is Nicholas Carolan's excellent paper about the origin of the term union pipes : https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/t...

Prior to use of the term, 'union pipes,' our instrument was referred to as the Irish bagpipes. In 'The Sydney Morning Herald' of Saturday 17 March 1855, there is an advertisement for sale of a set of 'Irish bagpipes.' This is the Harrington set now owned by Geoff Woof. Perhaps it's time to reinstate...

Melodic variations, such as d-e-d, d-ghost d-d, d-c#-d, etc., are not attempts to imitate a roll. Use them at your pleasure.

The best way is ... don't do it! (Unless you're Paddy Keenan.)

Similar settings of Tiarna Mhaigh Eo appear in Walker (1786), O'Farrell (1808), Bunting (1809), Mulholland (1810), and Holden (1818). Excepting Bunting, all of these can be found on NPU's website. They sound like harp tunes. With a change in rhythm they become the march commonly played today. The Ea...

This looks like it: [url] http://162.13.136.126/data/IMCO/TP31-TiarnaMhuigheo.HTM /url]