I recently borrowed a set of practice pipes. The whistling’s going fairly well, so I thought, “why not?”
Don’t seem to have much problem coordinating the bellows and squeezing the bag. However, it sounds like the intonation is wrong on the chanter. I know, or at least guess, to put my thumb on the hole on the back of the chanter. The four notes running from all-three-fingers-of-left-hand-down up to no-fingers-but-thumb-still-on-back sound fine, but when I use my right hand on the lower holes, it all goes wrong. It doesn’t sound like the scale should at all.
Basically, I’m playing the chanter as if it were a whistle. Is this right? I notice that it has seven forward-facing holes, instead of six, and I’m ignoring the bottom hole for now.
I’ve read a bit about how some budget pipes are a false economy, to put it euphamistically. I’m wondering if that’s the case here. But I’m hoping it’s my untutored playing that’s to blame.
It sounds like you are picking up some rather bad habits. Do not think of the whistle as like the pipes.
Check out http://www.swaup.org they hold meetings near Taunton (if I remember correctly) every 2 months. There are quite a few pipers around the S.W. , you should find the assistance you need if you leave a message on the sites message board. Or I’m sure the lurking S.W. pipers might find this an opportune moment to make a post (eh Simon?)
Fingering is nothing like the the whistle basically 2-1-2-1-2-1-1
From the bottom (Right) hand
All fingers down lift chanter - D
Pinky and Ring off - E
Just Middle finger off - F#
Lift Index Finger - G (and mid finger)
Top (LH) Hand (Bottom hand closed)
Just Ring Finger - A
Mid Finger - B (Keep Ring Up)
Just Index Finger - C#
Just Thumb - back d
Heh - wonderful idea, but I ought to do this properly if I can.
Practice chanters: are they any good as a UP primer? I have one, but even using the correct UP scale fingering, I can’t get a decent scale out of it (yet). Just wondering if they’re for highland great pipes rather than UP’s, and whether the fingering is different between the two.
Seriously, get in touch with the South West Association of Uilleann Pipers http://www.swaup.org
You’re sure to get plenty of advice on this forum, but if you contact someone through SWAUP or get to one of their meetings, you can get realtime audio visual confirmation of what Uilleann Pipes are and what you need to do to get them to work. It’ll save you a lot of headache
(p.s. That chanter is not Uilleann related, don’t wear yourself out on it.)
