I spoke to Antaine to hear the difference between two chanters and while we were talking he mentioned that he had the brass chanter more or less ready to go, so he played it a bit for me (just mouth blowing) and I have to admit I was very surprised.
It sounded clean and clear and well modulated and about as in tune as I could ably judge while listening to someone half a continent away mouth blow a chanter while three or four feet from their telephone. That said, I'm kinda amazed at the quality of the sound.
Now, Antaine had played a Pakistani pipe that had been worked on by Tim Bretton (correct me if I'm wrong, Antaine), then a chanter that Tim had made himself, and then, later, the brass chanter. It sounded better than the reworked chanter, and not as good as the Tim Bretton chanter, but overall it sounded fine, much much better than I thought it would. I was, to put a point to all this, surprised.
I commented to my girlfriend about it when I hung up the phone, that this brass chanter (and I had had this more or less Frankensteinian image in my head) could sound that good.
So. there you go. I'm still going to buy a half-set from Joe Kennedy but I am interested in how this brass chanter got made (details, details, details) as having a nockabout chanter that sounds pretty good would be a great thing for going to places you're not too sure about (camping, etc.) or lending one out to a friend or young child to foooter about with. No offense meant, Antaine, it DID sound really good over the phone.
Most disarmingly,
Mark
