Tuning for new D pipes

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DavidP
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Tell us something.: I Have made a first set of small pipes, and am looking to engage with a community to improve my understanding and ensure the next set is much improved.

Tuning for new D pipes

Post by DavidP »

Hi,

New to the forum, and relatively new to small pipes.

About 18 months ago i commenced the small pipe journey making a first set based on some drawings my son found for done and chanter specs and a rather comprehensive set of Northumbrian pipe drawings for all of the other components. I have constructed the chanter reed (many trials later) from the ross book and Utube, and the drone reeds using the square section brass and a plastic tongue. Most of it works satisfactorily, although the smallest drone reed is very unsteady.

I do have (some time ago) a fair bit of experience on GHB.

My big question relates to tuning the chanter.

The pitch is described as D. What I have been unable to find are the target pitch values (ie unambiguous specifications for the required notes.)
My historic understanding of a D instrument is that each note sounds a tone above its written equivalent on the piano.
If I play my D whistle - the instrument most likely to be involved in a session, it plays at concert pitch with 2 sharps.
for comparison, the 3-finger note G played on the whistle is at concert pitch G5= approx 784, the bell note written D is D5= 587

My chanter playing the bell note - written G3 plays concert A3= approx 220. The octave, written G4, plays concert A4 = 440. The reed needed to achieve this does not play at the Ross target of C#, but he may well have been targeting a different chanter design. This gives me a scale that is in tune with itself, is consistent with it as a Transposing Instrument, but leaves a few things hanging.

If I play from the same music with a D whistle I will be a tone out of tune. It also does not seem to make much sense tuning the drones to Concert D&A (there is no note sounding concert D)

If I drop the pitch (starting with a new reed) and provide the 2 sharps in D Major i would finish up with>

G3=196
A3=220
B3=247
C#4=277
D4=294
E4=330
F#4=370
G4=392
A4=440

This gives me a major scale from A, and would be an octave below the whistle, but pretty sure the pipe tunes would be out of tune ;-)

It does make more sense for the apparently standard drone tuning of DAd.

Can any one help please?

(there will be a similar follow up related to the A chanter, but I havent built one yet - thought I would get the 'easy' one done first. I do note that the D whistle plays a concert D scale as written, but my C whistle is actually a transposing instrument. ie, the written D sounds concert C. Things you find out when you actually start measuring stuff)

Cheers
David
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Peter Duggan
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Re: Tuning for new D pipes

Post by Peter Duggan »

DavidP wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:32 pm My historic understanding of a D instrument is that each note sounds a tone above its written equivalent on the piano.
Smallpipes are like whistles and trad. flute in naming the pitch for the six-finger note. A standard A chanter plays G A B C# D E F# G A and a D chanter plays C D E F# G A B C D. So the scale you quote is actually A chanter range, but you don't want those equally-tempered values.
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Tjones
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Re: Tuning for new D pipes

Post by Tjones »

Hi David and welcome,

I’ve read over your post serval time trying to understand it, but I’m still confessed.

Here are some of my thoughts as best I can from what I’m gathering.

It’s my understanding that Northumbrian and GHP pipes traditionally had their own tunings and scale that doesn’t correspond to the modern equal temperament or pitch. If the plans you are using, use the traditional scale and tunings, then the important thing to get right would be having the chanter in tune with its self. If the plans for the chanter aren’t drawn up for a modern scale and pitch, then you’ll have to make modifications to the chanter to get it to play with modern instruments.

I own quite a few instruments in D. They are not transposing instruments. If you play “A” on any of them, it will be the same as the piano in the corresponding pitch.

I have three pipe chanters that all play in D. They all play the same “D” and play “A” at 440.
Two of the pipes are conical bore and one is a cylindrical bore. The conical bore pipes are about twice the sounding length of the cylindrical bore. The cylindrical bore pipe is the small pipe, and is similar in size to the D whistle, but sounds an octave lower.

I'm not sure If this will help, but good luck,
TJones
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