Brag Angus B set

[rorybbellows]

Geoff,I understand your desire to defend a fellow pipemaker ,but you'd think he'd learn from previous mistakes
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=106881&p=1204027#p1204027

Does he not own an electronic tuner for the very reason that ears can get tired and also why put the vid of out of tune pipes on the interweb.Its hard to understand.


RORY

[geoff wooff]

Geoff,I understand your desire to defend a fellow pipemaker ,but you'd think he'd learn from previous mistakes
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=106881&p=1204027#p1204027

Does he not own an electronic tuner for the very reason that ears can get tired and also why put the vid of out of tune pipes on the interweb.Its hard to understand.


RORY

Agreed Rory... tis hard to fathom the reason, for sure. There is only one explaination that makes any sense .

[rorybbellows]

Ah Geoff you're such a gentleman and your discretion is a credit to you, you obviously have not been bitten by the surly bug that affects so many of us on this forum.

RORY

[geoff wooff]

Setting up a new Pipes is enough to make anyone surly... setting up more than 200 of the #ù*µ¤éç& things over a lifetime is apt to make one humble.....

Yes I am in the middle of the month that it will take me to bring a new set into playing condition and I've already refused two requests of ' give us a wee tune on them"....

The more prominent ( well known, excelent player, huge family history etc etc blaa blaa) the piper is the higher the stress level on the maker... and they don't come any higher than my current customer(s).... so

So, I'll away and leave ye to yer musings.

[rorybbellows]

So when you made the set for Mr G ,that must've been the easiest set you ever made. See what I mean about surliness ! only joking MR G


RORY

[PJ]

I don't have the patience for pipemaking. I'm able to reed my own set but even that is a test for my calm. I've entirely given up on trying to tune my pipes in April, as that's when humidity comes back here, and I broke several reeds in the years before I understood that.

To all pipemakers, everywhere: keep it up.

[Steampacket]

Agreed Rory... tis hard to fathom the reason, for sure. There is only one explaination that makes any sense .

Geoff Wooff

Yes. My thoughts too. We all have our burdens too carry.

Geoff I think your pipes, together with those of Dave Williams, have set the benchmark as regards quality of craftsmanship and sound. Like Dave you also communicate with your customers which is of great importance. I know it can't be easy though if you're stressed out and customers are impatient.

Pj in April that's when my reeds play best after the dry winter here in Sweden. We'll take a road trip to Normandie in July to visit museums, battlefields, and beaches. In Vimoutiers there is a Tiger Type E tank which was left by the roads in 1944. It ran out of petrol. One of the few Tiger tanks left that's not in a museum. But I won't take the pipes to France, just the flute

[dyersituations]

I agree that it's unfortunate that Brad posts videos of out-of-tune pipes. Brad has never been the best with his marketing. That being said, take a listen to Preston Howard's album "The Primrose Glen". I think that album was either entirely or largely played on Brad's pipes (https://open.spotify.com/album/1rGC86iC ... 2cMF2D5LBw). From what I remember, around that time Preston was just playing his set from Brad.

My concert full-set is one of Brad's that I got second-hand, though it originally belonged to another Portland-native. I grew-up in the Portland Irish music community, about 20 miles from Brad's shop, and so I've been around Brad's pipes for about 15 years. When I got into pipes, I jumped at the opportunity to own one of Brad's sets. My set has been brilliant, and Brad always answers my questions and stands by his work.

[Torrin Riáin]

Just a general reminder that B sets are not always intended to play spot on at B.

I'd hazard a guess that this set is one of those sets that is flatter than true B, and that this was intentional.

[geoff wooff]

[quote="Steampacket"]



Geoff I think your pipes, together with those of Dave Williams, have set the benchmark as regards quality of craftsmanship and sound. Like Dave you also communicate with your customers which is of great importance. I know it can't be easy though if you're stressed out and customers are impatient.

Thanks for the kind words Tom.
I have to say my customers are the very model of patience. I am just putting the finishing touches to a chanter that was requested 22 years ago!!!!! I'd better add, there are other reasons for the delay than just my tardiness.

The stress comes not from the customers but from trying to do better and keeping one or two steps ahead of destitution.

[Brad Angus]

In defense of the pipemaker:

His life is a cruel one. Many hours are spent playing on out of tune Pipes... whilst he endeavours to pull everything into tune at an acceptable pressure, with an acceptable volume and balance. This proceedure can take several weeks, as new reeds play in and the weather changes just at a crittical moment. Slowly slowly arriving at the finish point, the maker has probably spent more time playing ' out of tune' pipes , unless enthusiasm and energy can be found after work to pick up their own personal set, which remains IN-Tune... one hopes.

It is possible for a worker to become de-sensitized to the noises in his work space.

Thank you Geoff for your kind words. You pretty much hit the nail on the head.

To put an end to the mystery I was not the OP but I did make the set and am the one playing it in the video. I was made aware of the post and the activity involving it this evening. I am the first to admit that I am not a master at marketing and perhaps in hindsight should not have allowed the video out of my shop as quickly after reeding the set as I did. It is for sale and plays in tune (I do use a tuner ) but, as some of the comments indicate, the reeds could use adjusting and may take some time to play in. I frequently get requests for video or sound clips and, in my enthusiasm, posted prematurely. Lesson learned.

[Steampacket]

Thanks for explaining about your video Brad. No harm done. All the best

[ennischanter]

Does he not own an electronic tuner for the very reason that ears can get tired and also why put the vid of out of tune pipes on the interweb.Its hard to understand.

Aren't most tuners programmed to tune to equal temperament though?

Most "folk" instruments IIRC tune to just intonation.



And I'm glad of Mr. Wooff and Mr.Angus's imput, I don't think it's anything wrong with the pipes, my chanter plays fine too, after some adjustments, nothing wrong with it, just the reed

[geoff wooff]

[/quote]

Aren't most tuners programmed to tune to equal temperament though?

Most "folk" instruments IIRC tune to just intonation.

................................................................


Electronic 'Tuners' are just measuring tools , it is the operator who does the tuning. Knowing where the notes should be to form ideal harmonies against the drones is the job of the reedmaker / pipemaker.

I bought my first Tuner in 1976 and currently own 10 different types although the one I use for Pipes tuning is a simple model ( Korg AT12) that I bought in 1984. It was through tuning by ear, using the tennor drone as the datum (and keeping tabs on what the pitch of that drone is by using the electronic Tuner), that I learned where the each note should be, as an offset value from Equal Temperament. Note that I use the word 'SHOULD' because getting every note to
be where it should through both octaves is a near impossible task.

I don't know quite what you mean, Ennischanter, by 'Most "Folk instruments".... but most folk instruments I come across are tuned to Equal Temperament ... including various Pipes!

Many bagpipes have their own scale, some appear quite odd to those brought up on Equal Temperament, but my theory is that the old Pipers /makers did the best they could to have a usefull instrument and just allowed the anomalies to become part of the character.

[ennischanter]

I don't know quite what you mean, Ennischanter, by 'Most "Folk instruments".... but most folk instruments I come across are tuned to Equal Temperament ... including various Pipes!

Many bagpipes have their own scale, some appear quite odd to those brought up on Equal Temperament, but my theory is that the old Pipers /makers did the best they could to have a usefull instrument and just allowed the anomalies to become part of the character.

I just thought it would be JI because of the drones, but that's interesting. Hmmm


And indeed, that Swedish bagpipe has a very interesting scale, A-minor with a done tuned to E IIRC...