Regulator Key Shape

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FlaminGalah
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Regulator Key Shape

Post by FlaminGalah »

Hello all,

I shall soon have to make a decision on the key shape for my regulators. It is not a Taylor style set, so sticking to traditional keys.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the practical or aesthetic considerations of:

Coyne-ish shape
Kenna-ish shape
Teardrop (my least preferred on pure aesthetics)

Or does anyone have any other ideas? I’m not opposed to unusual shapes. The overall set has a slightly antique style, with more baroque turning and a swan-neck chanter (despite being in D).

Thanks!
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by Mr.Gumby »

It's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question. You will have to play the instrument so you really want to make a choice to please yourself. It also depends on who is making your pipes and their skill and sense of aesthetics. Some pipemakers can make a beautifully aesthetically balanced set of pipes, others have a less keen eye. There are a lot of variables to consider, specific to your own situation. What you want to end up with is an aesthetically balanced and pleasing looking set of pipes that works well.

There is a, presumed, Harrington set that has shamrocks at the end of the keys. If unusual shapes are your thing, go for it but do consider if you will still fancy them in twenty years time or so. Don't go for the novelty of it, that will wear off eventually.

I am more of a flat set person but FWIW my own little D was made to be compact, it suits me well but YMMV:

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FlaminGalah
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by FlaminGalah »

Does anyone have any photos of the shamrock set?

Funny enough- I had pondered fleur de lys… but too pointy I think.
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by Mr.Gumby »

A historic photo of a piper with the set appeared in the Piobaire at some point. Poor-ish quality. The set resurfaced some years ago. I have no pics but know who has the set.
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by geoff wooff »

If we are to ascribe certain makers to common key profiles then the Tear Drop is perhaps best described as Egan shape even though more prolific examples exist by later makers, notably the Rowsomes.
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by rorybbellows »

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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by FlaminGalah »

Ah do you have that set Rory?

Is there a great lore to how you came to have it? Gumby seemed to imply it disappeared for a time.
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by Mr.Gumby »

The set appeared in a late 19th , perhaps early 20th, century photograph. It wasn't seen until the current owner got a call to come and check out an old set of pipes (he told me the whole story but I don't seem to have retained much of the finer detail).
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by rorybbellows »

Yeah ,there’s an interesting story alright. The set was bought from Harrington by my great great uncle Miah Brosnan . He was leaving his wife in Kinsale Co Cork to fulfil a six month contract as piper in the house band of the green minstrels theatre company mostly touring the east coast of the US.The story goes as passed down among the family is that the night before leaving Miah went out for a few pints of porter think it would be his last decent pint for awhile ,of course a few pints turned into a lot of pints. The next day still half drunk Miah grabbed his pipe case and bag and headed off. It was only when he was on the boat did he realise he grabbed ,not his pipe case but his wife’s case containing her collection of China head dolls. On meeting up with the theatre company and needing to do something to keep his employment he had a flash of inspiration and converted the dolls into ventriloquist dummies and formed an act around singing the most popular irish songs of the day through the dummies ,he had even converted one of the dolls into a limberjack puppet and the sight of the doll dressed in a green velvet suit trimmed with lace dancing a few jigs with the house band playing the music would bring the house down. Because of his success Miah decided he would stay in the US and contacted his wife to tell her the bad news and to offer her the return of her dowry money if she send on his set of pipes,she agreed. Now Mary,his wife came from a traveller family and was skilled in the art of fortune telling and acted as a local matchmaker,but she was also known to be gifted in casting spells and it was said before she sent the pipes she cursed them so the owner of the pipes would be blighted with bad luck.But as luck would have it Miah sold the pipes as soon as he received them as needed to repay the money he had borrowed to pay off mary. He sold the pipes to piper called Eddie Joyce. Apparently his luck took a downturn after that purchase.
All was going well for Miah until one night ,the jealous husband of one of Miah’s lady friends burst into the room where Miah was staying and in the fight that followed Miah had his jaw broken and all his dolls smashed.Bringing an end to his ventriloquist career. After that Miah in a search for adventure moved west and worked for a while as a mule skinner before joining the US cavalry under General Custer.It was said that one night while sitting around the camp fire Miah was playing “Garryowen” on a whistle and Custer heard it and liked it so much he adoped it as his marching tune. After the mid 1870’s all contact was lost with Miah and it is plausibly assumed that he was killed at the little big horn.
As far as I know Eddie Joyces pipes ended up in Ireland and the Harrington set may well have been included.It was also agreed that the curse on the pipes would have died with Mary but if the pipes were ever offered back to family I wouldn’t be keen on having them.

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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by FlaminGalah »

Yeah nah, top yarns, mate.
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by m4malious »

Ripe for movie adaptation - "Little Bog Man"; starring Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway...?
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by PJ »

Thise keys don’t look like shamrocks. They look more like little ghosts. :shock:
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by Nanohedron »

PJ wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 11:31 am Thise keys don’t look like shamrocks. They look more like little ghosts. :shock:
Why, that they do...
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by Katharine »

PJ wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 11:31 am Thise keys don’t look like shamrocks. They look more like little ghosts. :shock:
I would think more the shape of little paper dolls with long dresses on, like the kind you would cut out in a string... or gingerbread girls.
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Re: Regulator Key Shape

Post by Nanohedron »

Or that...
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Tribal musician
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