Problems when tuning drones to B/f#/b on A smallpipes
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 1:46 pm
I'm able to tune the drones on my Garvie A smallpipes to B/f#/b, but I haven't been able to achieve a consonant sound between the chanter and the drones in that arrangement.
I first tune the chanter, making any necessary reed adjustments, by ear and using Audacity's spectrum analysis function (with drones corked). I confirm that all chanter notes are within a couple of Hz of the target frequencies on the just intonation scale. And I confirm by ear that the scale sounds neither sharp nor flat. I then tune the drones to the chanter in the A/e/a or A/d/a scheme and it all sounds great. A warm sound with great consonance at A and e or A and d and no unexpected dissonance anywhere on the scale.
Then I attempt to tune the drones at B/f#/b, and I can get good consonance at b on the chanter or f# but not both. I then recheck the spectrograms for the chanter and the drones and all the notes are where they should be, but I still can't get both the b and the f# notes on the chanter to be simultaneously in tune with the B/f#/b drones. When the chanter B is in tune with the drones, the f# is badly dissonant and can be brought closer by increasing air pressure (the chanter f# is too flat). If I adjust the drones to tune with the chanter f#, then the chanter B sounds badly dissonant, but gets closer by letting off the air pressure (the chanter b is too sharp).
It isn't clear to me why everything should be in tune when the drones are sounding A/e/a, but then the chanter f# is flat (or the chanter b is sharp) when the drones are sounding B/f#/b. Any ideas?
Here is a good example of drones "tuned to B" (presumably B/f#/b) sounding good (chanter b and f# are both consonant with the drones):
http://theotherpipers.org/index/wp-cont ... arra_B.mp3
I first tune the chanter, making any necessary reed adjustments, by ear and using Audacity's spectrum analysis function (with drones corked). I confirm that all chanter notes are within a couple of Hz of the target frequencies on the just intonation scale. And I confirm by ear that the scale sounds neither sharp nor flat. I then tune the drones to the chanter in the A/e/a or A/d/a scheme and it all sounds great. A warm sound with great consonance at A and e or A and d and no unexpected dissonance anywhere on the scale.
Then I attempt to tune the drones at B/f#/b, and I can get good consonance at b on the chanter or f# but not both. I then recheck the spectrograms for the chanter and the drones and all the notes are where they should be, but I still can't get both the b and the f# notes on the chanter to be simultaneously in tune with the B/f#/b drones. When the chanter B is in tune with the drones, the f# is badly dissonant and can be brought closer by increasing air pressure (the chanter f# is too flat). If I adjust the drones to tune with the chanter f#, then the chanter B sounds badly dissonant, but gets closer by letting off the air pressure (the chanter b is too sharp).
It isn't clear to me why everything should be in tune when the drones are sounding A/e/a, but then the chanter f# is flat (or the chanter b is sharp) when the drones are sounding B/f#/b. Any ideas?
Here is a good example of drones "tuned to B" (presumably B/f#/b) sounding good (chanter b and f# are both consonant with the drones):
http://theotherpipers.org/index/wp-cont ... arra_B.mp3