I could use some help that is very elementary. I bought an Uillean Pipe Practice Chanter from Lark in the Morning and can’t figure out how to play it. I’m a fair whistle player and I’ve played a low whistle, too, so the fingering doesn’t seem too difficult. My problem is (I think) with the reeds. It came with two plastic double reeds. Basically I can get one note out of it and can modulate between higher and lower octave with it (though this doesn’t sound particularly like I think it’s supposed to), but fingering does not alter the sound produced at all–the same note is produced no matter which holes are covered.
Obviously I am doing something wrong and I haven’t a clue how to play it right. I think I’m simply blowing through the reed wrong. I know from reading other strings that many would probably have recommended I buy a full practice set rather than a cheap practice chanter but I didn’t and I want to figure this accursed thing out before going farther. I realize that a proper uilleann pipe doesn’t have a mouthpiece at all but I wondered if anyone had experience with a practice chanter that would be helpful. Anybody have any insight into what I’m doing wrong? How does one play this thing?
First off, it’s probaly not you at all. Those chanters and the reeds especially just are not very good. I had better results with the David Daye chanter I built. I then bought one of his chanters just to make sure and that works fine. If you feel you must get the practice chanter working, make sure the reed is fitting properly in the reed seat. Read what you can find about U.P. reeds on the net(there’s alot of info). This may give you some tips and useful advice.
Hope you get results…
Marc
I owned one of these, once upon a time. Just long enough to figure out I loved the Uilleann Pipes and to move on to a decent set. While I’m sure you know this is the best solution, I understand wanting to get the practice chanter to work.
It takes a lot of breath pressure. That said, the only thing I can think of (other than the quality being poor) that would cause no change in note tone would be that the reed is loose in the seat (as suggested by the previous message). Try both reeds, make sure there’s an airtight seal around the base of the staple (where it’s inserted into the throat of the chanter) and then blow, blow, blow.
They do work, they don’t work well. If you’re short on money, or heck if you like building things, I’d suggest building David Daye’s Penny Chanter. It has a wonderful sound. Notice I didn’t say a wonderful sound for what it costs. It’s just a really nice piece of engineering.
Alternately, I’ve heard of people who have built bellows and bag for the Lark in the Morning Practice Chanter. This is another good option, because eventually you’ll move on to a nicer chanter (Daye’s or another maker’s) and you can move the bellows and bag over to your new practice set.
Has anyone done the bag&bellows thing with this chanter and put a real reed inside it? Maybe I’ll make that my experiment for the day.
Dear Dionys,
I did rig up the practice chanter to a bag and bellows with an “augmented” reed. It wasn’t terrible, but had a tendency to squeal a bit. With more tinkering it could possbly work well. If you try it, you might also think about lopping off the bottom and replacing it with an equal length of brass tube. The bottom as is doesn’t seal as well as I’d like, but I’m really skinny and there’s not much padding to make a seal. Hope it works for you.
Marc
I’m going to take a stupid shot in the dark here. Pardon me if I’ve totally missed the real cause by offering this simple possibility, but you offer a hint of what might be wrong. You say that the same note is being produced no matter what finger holes are covered. If this is the high “D” note which is making a sound, and since you are a whistle player, you may not realize that the chanter has a thumb hole on the back side for the left hand. I’ve actually seen that happen once before.
Again, my apology for pointing out something so seemingly obvious. Surely there has to be another reason, but it completely escapes me.
Actually the suggestion you made is not bad; though I did have the thumbhole covered I think one problem may be just as fundamental. Someone in an earlier post said something about obtaining a good seal with the bottom of the chanter. I hadn’t been trying to seal the chanter totally, figuring to play it like a whistle. Do you need a good seal to play a practice chanter or is this only relevant when you have a bag? Also, the reed definitely leaves some room where it sits in the neck of the thing so I’ll try getting a better fit there too.
Your mileage may vary depending on the chanter. Fingering is different depending on if you play Chanter-on-the-knee or Chanter-off-the-knee. There are also two fingering styles, open fingering and closed fingering. They both produce quite different tones for each note.
For beginning, I’d suggest chanter-on-the-knee with a good seal, especially for second-octave notes. Buy an ‘apron’ for a good seal. I’d suggest just going to a leather store and looking for a nice piece of scrap leather you can cut to shape. It’s very inexpensive this way and you can get some excellent quality leather. I bought enough for 6 aprons for about 50 cents.
You might want to invest in some waxed linen thread (or unwaxed depending on your personal preference) for sealing joints. Though it won’t really apply with this particular chanter, you could use it for the base of the reed and will eventually need it if you move on to a wooden set or DD PC.
No, the bottom of the chanter does not need to be sealed, or setting on the knee, in order for the reed to make descending tones. This is only done to produce stacatto, to bring certain notes into more perfect tune, and to accomplish the pressure needed to get into the upper octave. As you cover the holes one at a time, starting at the top with the thumb hole, the pitch should lower just like your whistle. If there is a air leak around the edges of the thumb, the note below will not change or lower as you cover the hole. The highest pitch in the first octave will always be at the hole where the air is leaking, provided that the reed is secure where it fits in the chanter. The base of the reed (usually a brass tube, called a staple) should be wound with hemp or soft string/thread of some sort. You might try placing a little soft wax on this area to make sure the base of the reed is sealed and doesn’t fall out.
Also remember that a note is usually gotten by lifing only one finger…the note you desire. All others finger holes should remained covered, including the bottom hole at the end of the chanter, esp. when in the upper octave. It’s not necessary to keep all holes covered in the lower octave in order to get the right note. The hole in the bottom of the chanter (the bore)is just another finger hole turned sideways. The dynamics of impedance usually requires that the chanter be resting on the knee, covering the end hole, except when the lowest “D” note is desired, then you lift the chanter off the knee. This goes for your practice chanter too, regardless of bag/no bag or plastic reed/cane reed.