Pipes and tone?

[Tjones]

This is probably a silly question, but how much does the piper effect the tone of his pipes and how. Can one effect the tone by bag pressure? Sometimes when I first get start the pipes seem harsher and as I start to play they seem to mellow a bit.

[anima]

reed warming up

[pancelticpiper]

There seems to be two different questions here (and assuming we're talking about Highland pipes, though the type of pipes wasn't specified)

1) to what extent does the player affect the tone?

2) how does a chanter reed change as it warms up?

About the first question, it's a widely held opinion that the player does make a difference, though of course the human element isn't as great as it is with a flute or trumpet where the player's flesh itself is part of the tone-production mechanism. Bagpipes are rather mechanistic, somewhat like an accordion, because the reeds aren't touched by the player but contained in chambers.

It's probably mostly to do with the blowing pressure. One piper might blow a chanter reed at its minimum pressure while another piper might blow the same reed at a point somewhat higher than its minimum. The two pipers will get a different tone out of the same reed (and have to set the reed differently to compensate, probably).

What is absolutely true is that good players will get out of their pipes the tone they want to get. The same good player can switch over the years between a number of different pipes but "their sound" will remain fairly constant, because they will choose the reeds and adjust the reeds to create the tone they want.

About the second question, when you first start playing the chanter reed is dry (assuming you haven't licked it) and, being dry, the overall pitch will be high but certain notes (especially High G) will often be higher than the rest. Initially the chanter will climb higher still as you continue to play. The tone will be thin.

But if you set down the pipes for a few minutes moisture will go into the reed and when you pick them up again the pitch will be lower, and certain notes (especially High G) will fall lower than the rest. The tone will be more full now.

Eventually after around 15 or 20 minutes of playing the reed will absorb as much moisture as it can and it will stabilize (now it's time to play that piobaireachd!).

This effect of the reed changing as it gets more wet and more dry can be exacerbated or minimised according to what sort of bag and MCS you have. Old L&M bags hold in most of the moisture and the reed will change more. A GoreTex bag with full Ross canister system with full granules in the chanter chamber will allow virtually no moisture to get to your chanter reed, and the reed will be very stable, but play always in its thin-sounding dry state.

Many good players use a sheepskin bag (Begg etc) with a tube trap. This gives the most even tone, giving just the right amount of moisture to the reed, usually.

Many players will use "a lick and a pinch" when they start playing to simulate the effect of the chanter reed being warmed up. They'll give the blades of the chanter reed a tiny lick (not slobber) and then hold the blades between their fingers for a few moments (not squeezing, but very light pressure) which literally "warms up" the reed. Symmetry is crucial (make sure both blades get the same amount of moisture in the same place, and the same amount of pressure in the same place).

I've found that NOT licking, but doing the finger thing (gently holding the blades between my fingers for a minute) warms up the reed nicely and it will play pretty well and not change as much as it warms up. I use the sheepskin/tube trap setup.

[Tjones]

Thanks for the response. I play a bellows blown pastoral pipe. The reed is plastic.

[PhilD]

Hi can I ask who the maker of your pipes is?
I'm slightly surprised your pipes have a plastic reed! Would imagine that would have a bearing on tone, as apposed to a cane reed. I'm very curious to hear your pipes.

[Tjones]

The pipes are made by Geert Lejeune. He sent three reeds, two syn. and one cane. the one syn. sounds as good as the cane and seem overall a bit more stable. He said he spent a lot of time working to get the reed right. I'm new to the pipes and still learning them, so no recording yet. Geert's web page has a sample of the pastoral pipes he's made played by Remi Decker, I think my sound is similar, although they are a robust pipe. I wish my playing was just close to Remi's. Geert's web sit is: http://users.skynet.be/geertlejeune/ Scroll down and click on Bagpipes.

[PhilD]

I've seen that clip before. Very nice sound. It seems to be one of the only clips for pastoral pipes out there.
Its intresting that Geert has developed a working synthetic reed, because it is an integral componate to the overall sound and tone of the instrument.
Obviously the way tone holes are vented as your fingers play the notes of a tune, and ornamented will also have an effect on tone. Bag pressure too as has been mentioned.

What sort repertoire will you playing?
Can you get more than one octave?

[Tjones]

I play mainly Irish music. With the Syn. reed I can reach the A above high D. with the cane reed I can get B but it is a bit flat. I haven't tried to go much higher, but when I try the fingering for B with the Syn. reed it jumps to high F.

Here is another clip of Remi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDovoz_CDfA

[pancelticpiper]

Hmmm... My Scottish Smallpipes have a synthetic chanter reed, and the tuning will change with different room temperatures, perhaps because of changes in the wood of the chanter and/or the plastic of the reed. The tone/timbre doesn't seem to change, just the tuning.