After several years of playing the whistles, I’m now researching the UP and need some direction. I am familiar with the instrument as far as construction, basic concepts and function go.
I would like to know:
What pipes should I buy to start?
Is the David Daye practice set the best starting option? Price is a concern for me.
Is it worth the extra money to purchase a half-set right out, and learn the instrument as such?
Are keys important on the chanter for starters, or unnecessary until later?
What components/materials are necessary versus luxury? (E.g. leather versus vinyl bag)
Are there any pipers/groups local to the Dallas/Fort Worth area?
Halilim,
To start with make sure to read the FAQ thread at the top of the topics page. You’ll find many, many, answers there. Click on the links in there. Also read the thread about Pakistani Pipes. There’s lots of garbage pipes that beginners get duped into. There’s also lots of good used stuff out there in this economy. Take your time and learn as much as you can before you invest. I’ve met some folks who have had good luck testing the waters with the David Daye penny chanter. Good Luck.
GB
It’s certainly excellent value for money and his pipes tend to hold their value reasonably well. Another option (in the same price range) would be Pat Sky’s budget set.
If you have extra money, I recommend you invest it in a top of the range practice set instead of a mid-range half-set.
I didn’t need keys until my 3rd or 4th year. Most people like to have at least 2 keys, though - the Cnat and the Fnat. However, it comes down to the repertoire you play. If you stick to standard piping tunes, you could probably get away indefinately with no keys.
I’ve had bad experiences with vinyl (wearing out in mere months) so I’d advise a leather bag. However, others will tell you they’ve had many touble-free years with vinyl bags. Most luxuries are aesthetic (silver finish instead of brass, ivory or synth ivory mounts, engraving) and will not improve the sound or playability of your set.
Remember that one of the few advantages of uilleann pipes is that you can start small and build up. So get yourself a good quality, no-frills practice set and over time you can add drones, regulators, chanter keys, etc. and in the end you’ll have a complete good quality instrument.
i just started out meself and i went with a set from pat sky. nice man to talk to and he had a few practice sets ready to go, so waiting might not be an issue. i am into the traditional look thats why i went with sky and not daye. his chanter is not wood, although im told there very good. he is starting to make wood ones now. unless you adapt to the pipes really quick you will have more than enough time to save up for a set. im hoping that when i am ready there will be a good set in the for sale area so i dont have to wait.
Is the David Daye practice set the best starting option? Price is a concern for me.**
I’ve started many newbies on their way over the years, and when they show up with a David Daye chanter I know that I and the beginner don’t have to worry about their chanter and their reed, as Daye chanters always seem to “work”. The beginner can get on to the task of learning to play.
2. Is it worth the extra money to purchase a half-set right out, and learn the instrument as such?
Most people don’t, but many years ago an old piper (I think it was Leo Purcell) told me that it was his opinion that beginners should start out with the drones, because if they start out with just the chanter they tend to vary their pressure more than necessary, overblowing high notes and underblowing low notes. I know I did when I started, and when I got drones I had to learn to level out my pressure.
3. Are keys important on the chanter for starters, or unnecessary until later?
Keys are unneccessary for 99% of the traditional Irish uilleann repertoire. A few tunes have High C Natural. It’s a different matter if you want to play fiddle/accordion/banjo tunes in A Major and D minor etc etc. Then you’ll need all the keys.
4. What components/materials are necessary versus luxury? (E.g. leather versus vinyl bag)
I think that it’s crucial to start out with a high-quality “air delivery system”, a good L&M or MacHarg “elkhide” bag, a high-quality bellows, good stocks, and good connector hose. It will save many headaches later.
well; chanters come in at least four keys, and two or three temperments, so there is still plenty of choice.
secondly though; as the chanter is a reeded instrument any ‘extreme’ abuse of the root key of the instrument would warrent a significant change to the size and design of the reed. While it would be ostensibly possible to make chanters in every key i doubt there is a demand proportinate to the ammount of headscatching over reed design such an endevour would take…
Given that the plant chanter reeds are usually made from is naturally curved and thus size of the reed is limited to the maximum size of the plant, im not 100% sure any vast chance in reed size would be possible.
Cane comes in a wide variety of diameters, more than enough to meet any pitch demands.
I think the diameter and length of the chanter bore has more to do with pitch than reed cane. Then take into consideration the spacing of the tone-holes… and as an owner of a G chanter, I can attest that it is a stretch not intended for the ‘faint of finger’.
I confess that I am talking off the top of my head when discussing chanter pitches and the reasons for them, BTW.
Daye, and Sky are both good options. The Uilleann Pipeworks of Boston, offer yet another solution, but a different mix of the materials. Daye, all synthetic (alternative) materials, Sky, Wooden Chanter but Synthetic bag and leather bellows. UPB all natural EXCEPT the chanter. And about the same $$ as the Sky set.
I did not go the traditional rout when I got set up with my pipes. I bought a full set right off the bat. I have never regretted it, except for the weight and heft of lugging around a full set. But from an instrument and monetary standpoint, this was the most economical solution in the long run. To have the set I have now by adding pieces to it over the last 10 years (first would not even be possible because the maker of my set has stopped producing Chrome/nickel sets with Sambar mounts) would have cost me more than double my original outlay of cash. And it would not have allowed me such early exposure to the drones and regs. You can’t learn these parts of the instrument if you don’t have them.
I figured it would be like learning to play the piano but only getting one or two octaves worth of strings or only using the first 3 fingers of your right hand to learn to play. Piano is more involved than that. Uilleann Pipes are more involved than just the chanter. That said you will absolutely get a better value by getting the most advanced set you can with the money you have available. You will definitely get what you pay for in a good set of pipes. (from a reputable maker, all caveates, warranties, and common sense considered…)