my chanter's flat e

tok · Post by **tok** » Sun Jun 15, 2003 5:14 pm

stew , I need to give some clarity to my post here . I guess I was looking at the problem as , " whats the worst case " , and going at it from there .
More than likely , the reed needs to have a simple adjustment done . It is good for me to remember , when I was two hours into my first set , I ruined two good reeds , through lack of patience . Most chanters can be fitted with an good reed , it just takes the right one to make all the variables work right .
I am not suggesting using a hack saw to shorten the chanter , in hopes of correcting a flat lower hand ,, lol though I have heard " stories "

. And I have been tempted to do that myself . Having a tuner is great as with a good one you can set it almost like a mini drone ,, and that will help you play the chanter . You play the reed and not ,, the reed play you ,,, that is what the old boys said . Why be satisfied with a reed that does not work ?
tok .

stew · Post by **stew** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 8:19 am

Tok,
No problems, there are one or two makes of chanter that are
just flat of concert "D" on the meter the bottom "D"is just flat
and the chanter plays in tune OK, but with other instruments it
sound's a bit dull it just don't sing man, Davy Spillane when
playing gets a nice tone from his chanters who ever makes them
so does Ronan brown thats my opinion anyway.

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 8:26 am

stew wrote:...Davy Spillane when playing gets a nice tone from his chanters who ever makes them...

Doesn't he make his own pipes?

stew · Post by **stew** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 8:54 am

He does now,

But on his earlier albums Moving Hearts,Alantic Bridge,
PipeDreams I think he played on a set by the great
Johnny Burke, he probably played other sets & chanters as well.

Patrick D'Arcy · Post by **Patrick D'Arcy** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 6:44 pm

Nah.. he was playing his own pipes on his recordings. He made his own set years ago. Here he is in the mid to late 70's (!) playing his Bourke set http://www.paddykeenan.com/gallery/spillane.jpg He would have been apprenticing with Johnny at that time.... the chanter in the photo might even be one Davy made... Davy... care to comment???

Speaking of Davy... the cover of his "Sea of Dreams" album http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... nnpipesobs has a set of pipes by him that has very long hole covers on the regs... do you think there might be accordion reeds under there??? I heard something about this a few years back but was just wondering if he ever developed the idea..... anyone????

PD.

tok · Post by **tok** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 7:19 pm

Stew , I wonder why some chanters are flat on the lower notes .
Tok .

stew · Post by **stew** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 3:53 pm

Tok,
Different makers designs slighly longer bore or wider bore
perphaps, there all after that perfect chanter, a little hear a
little there trying to get it that bit better.

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 4:38 pm

Include changes in tool (reamer) sharpening and new reamers that are slightly different than the ones they have replaced... what else? not all species of wood shrink at the same rate, So, many may still change long after they have left the pipemakers shop.

stew · Post by **stew** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:18 pm

Some good points there Tony.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:18 pm

It use to be standard for many pipe makers to make the chanter length 14 and 1/8 in. Nowdays, many are making them longer...up to 14 and 1/2. If you have a reed made for the shorter chanters, and try playing it in the longer ones, then the low notes may come in flat. And, a wide bore reed might sound flat in a narrow bore chanter. Each reed has to fit each chanter perfectly.

stew · Post by **stew** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:34 pm

Lorenzo,
I fair swear at some of the reeds I make for my chanters
One's fourteen and half inches and the other is fourteen and
a quarter, but thats piping for ya.

tok · Post by **tok** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 8:39 pm

I think that when pipemakers started to use brass tubing for the reed staples , as apposed to hand rolling the staples , they needed to alter the dimentions for the chanter bore , and hole placement , in order for the chanter to be in tune . Twenty years ago , there may have been less information avaliable , and fewer well made chanters had been copied , so there is a difference between wide bore concert pitch chanter , that will fit well with a brass tubing staple , and a wide bore that needs to have a bit larger diameter staple , such as some of the rousome concert sticks .
As an after thought , I am glad for the range available in the concert pipes . It is nice to hear a full set going great guns and fully in tune with itself , tubing staples or hand rolled . And flat pitch as well .
tok .

AlanB · Post by **AlanB** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 3:08 am

I have succesfully reeded loads of old chanters using tubing and getting them spot on in tune. I'm intrigued whether any reedmakers out there use a variety of mandrills per pitch. The reason I ask, is that unless you have a a whole rake of mandrills in increments of something like 0.15mm , I don't see the point in rolling for small alterations in diam.,, as you can "tap up" the tubing to widen the i.d. I have 2 mandrills for concert pitch, one 4mm and a wider one (can't remember the dimension) for those Rowesomes that Tom mentions (thank god they don't come my way too often) and 2 mandrills for flat pitch. Sorted! Hand rolling is generally messy and time consuming. To have the metal annealled properly to work it, it sustains a lot of warping and spreading when shaping. Only in extreme circumstances do I roll my own

Alan

tok · Post by **tok** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 3:50 pm

Alan , you are right . Your system of working with brass tubing will achieve the same result , and is much easier . lol why don't I just do that ?
:roll:

AlanB · Post by **AlanB** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 4:26 pm

Tom,

Because sometimes art and craft outweighs immediacy? (if you know what I mean). (I've just watched a prog., about Babara Hepworth the sculptress).

Alan