Practice chanter

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Altazor
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Tell us something.: I am a Colombian flutist and whistler, I want to improve my ability and get a keyed flute, I am saving money for it, but the devaluation of my currency is terrible for this goal.
Location: Bogotá, Colombia

Practice chanter

Post by Altazor »

I want to learn to play the bagpipe, being such expensive instruments, I want to start with a practice chanter. Any recommendation?
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Jeremy_
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Tell us something.: Have been playing traditional music for 6 or 7 years now. Started on the tin whistle, moved to the flute, and finally the highland bagpipes. Now taking up the uilleann pipes and looking for helpful information (and a good laugh.)

Re: Practice chanter

Post by Jeremy_ »

Hi! My first post here. Practice chanter is highly recommended as you will use it the rest of your piping life. I would recommend a plastic chanter from one of the big makers like McCallum, Hardie, Dunbar, or Gibson. Shouldn't cost you much more than 50 usd. Lots of custom makers as well if you want a nice wooden one although I would hold off on that until you know you'll continue on with it, wooden practice chanters do not sound any better than plastic imo. The pipes are fairly hard to play and you may decide it's not for you (hopefully it is!) Good luck!
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Finikey O'Reeley
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Re: Practice chanter

Post by Finikey O'Reeley »

Your profile says you are located in Colombia so that begs the question: which type of bagpipe do you wish to learn? Getting a practice chanter for that type of pipe would be important but even more important would be to make contact with a local bagpipe player, if one exists, who can help you pick out an appropriate practice chanter and get you started properly with technique.
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pancelticpiper
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Re: Practice chanter

Post by pancelticpiper »

Assuming you mean Scottish Highland practice chanters, my current favourites to play are

1) Gibson long with Gibson reed (plain polypenco/delrin, with metal ring/band)

2) McCallum long with John Walsh reed (plain polypenco/delrin)

Here is what two off-the-shelf Gibson long practice chanters with Gibson reeds sound like, played together

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4lw8-3Jf9w

There's a Scottish Pipe Band Association in South America

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_ ... th_America

At the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow 2007 I met the guys in the Scottish Link Pipe Band from Brazil. It's the only South American pipe band I saw there at the Worlds.
Richard Cook
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David Parkhurst
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Re: Practice chanter

Post by David Parkhurst »

You should start with a practice chanter regardless of whether you can afford pipes or not. The GHBs require too much effort and skill to be a learning instrument. Gibson makes a fine polypenco full-length practice chanter... good tuning and easy to play, fairly inexpensive for what you get. If you have more pennies, Shepherd, Naill and David Lindsey all make first rate wood chanters.
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