Torn between ordering a wide-bore or narrow-bore D

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goldy
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Torn between ordering a wide-bore or narrow-bore D

Post by goldy »

G'day folks,
I've been saving up to buy a new chanter for a while. I have now reached a point where I am ready to order from a maker, whose wide-bore chanters are bloody good (I've played one of his ebony chanters). I was all set to order one made from boxwood to get a quieter tone when he mentioned that he also makes narrow-bore D's - Now I'm torn!

I’m ultimately after a quieter/mellow chanter, but am fearful that a narrow D chanter will sound like a ‘flat set’, which I am not keen on. I’m also worried about how I might adapt to making reeds for a narrow-bore.

I’ll be chatting with the maker about my concerns, but if anyone has any experience of moving from wide-bored to narrow-bored D’s, I’d love some feedback.

Also, am I right in guessing that Davy Spillane and Patrick Mollard play narrow D’s?, because I think that their chanters have that mellow tone I’m after without the ‘flat pitch’ sound that I dislike.

All the best.
Last edited by goldy on Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by magroibin »

Some pipemakers produce a "medium bore" D chanter which may be just what you are looking for. There has been quite a bit of previous discussions about Joe Kennedy's medium bore design. Any other pipemakers doing this kind of chanter? Rogge perhaps?

Paul
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ausdag
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Post by ausdag »

Personally I can't see the advantage of narrow bore Ds. I've heard them play louder than wide-bore and I've heard them play so darn quiet it's almost non-existant.

Some medium-bore chanters I've heard just don't seem to have that 'edge' to the sound that wide-bore offers - often sounding like they're played in a tin can.

Unless you've heard them live, that 'mellow' tone you hear on Spillane recordings and others is just studio effects, cf Paddy Keenan, and the mellow tone Adrian Jefferies gets on his recordings. In real life his chanters have real body and good volume. I always thought my own chanter was a little honky and that others were more mellow - until I heard a bunch of wide-bore concert chanters by different makers in the one room - McLaren, Williams, Simack, Jefferies and they all had that 'honk' to them. Mine was loudest, but that was a reed problem which I've overcome with more scraping. The Simack and the McLaren were the quietest and mellowest - both wide bore, just well-adjusted reeds.

Cheers,

DavidG
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Post by Joseph E. Smith »

It is a simple matter of personal taste. I appreciate the difference and tone of either bore... and medioum bores as well.

Goldy, what is it that you want out of a narrow bore D? A great advantage of a narrow bore D is, because it is so quiet, practicing in the wee hours of the morning shouldn't disturb anyone. It will also aid one in developing a better awareness of finger placement as it is very easy to miss the holes.
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lundblad
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Post by lundblad »

I believe my C. Roberts chanter is very mellow, compared to others I've heard. Check him out. I don't think it is really a wide bore chanter, but it is a damn good sound in it... (when you have it..hehe)
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Re: Torn between ordering a wide-bore or narrow-bore D

Post by Patrick D'Arcy »

goldy wrote:am I right in guessing that Davy Spillane and Patrick Mollard play narrow D’s?, because I think that their chanters have that mellow tone I’m after without the ‘flat pitch’ sound that I dislike.
They both play wide bore chanters. Mikie Smyth is the only piper I know of that plays a narrow bore D set.

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Post by snoogie »

I own a Narrow bore D, a wide bore D and (as of Saturday) a 'medium' bore D.

Depending on the reed and the gap in the lips, any of them can be loud...so I'm not sure that it is entirely true that narrow bores are inherently quiet..although, I would agree that they can be made to play quieter than your normal wide bore D.

If you are a beginner, I would not recommend a Narrow bore D...as Joseph says, the holes are usually very small, and you cannot feel them, but have to learn where they are...not an easy thing for a beginner.

Also, because the holes are smaller, when you are doing a cut, your fingers will have to move a smaller distance to open the hole the same percentage...this translates to needing much smaller movements to get a given effect. If you are just starting out, this can be more difficult as you are learning to play...but perhaps gives good practice for 'economy of motion.'

The tone is definitely different for a narrow bore than a regular bore, not necessarily worse or better...just different, so make sure you listen to it first and make sure that's what you want.

Regards,
Gary
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goldy
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Post by goldy »

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

I'm waiting to hear back from the maker (mystery maker to you all as I believe that he likes to stay "under the radar") about an option to make a wide-bore chanter from tallowood. Tallowood (Tasmanian cheese wood) is similar in appearance to boxwood and, according to the maker, produces a the same mellow sound.

I know his wide-bore is very good, having personally played one of them, and am confident that it would take a very 'standard' reed.

A wide-bore chanter would be good for playing in a session, but I predominantly play in a small room at home and was considering a narrow-bore D so that I can just enjoy playing without fiddling with the reed to quieten it. As mentioned, I am waiting for him to get back to me, but at this stage, I am heading for a wide-bored tallowood chanter unless he recommends his narrow D to fit with my needs.

Goldy.
Last edited by goldy on Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by ausdag »

Goldy,

Whatever your decision you won't go wrong with his pipes. I was over his place the other day and played a number of his chanters. His C# in Australian Native Olive is bloody fantastic.

Then I stapped on a Crowley set of his.....holy dooley!!!! Talk about heavy, I nearly fell through the chairImage

Couldn't play it though as it had no reed and is damn hard to reed up.

Tallowwood is good as it doesn't shrink or warp. He told me when he went to re-ream a tallow wood after a few years he found that it hadn't moved at all, unlike oily woods like ebony and ABW.

All the best,

DavidG
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goldy
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Post by goldy »

Ausdag,
Well... it sounds like the tallow wood option is a good one from what you are saying. But why did you have to go and talk up the C# chanter - as if I'm not already torn enough :boggle: :x ... (:D).

He still hasn't gotten back to me, but that's a good thing because it has allowed me to make up my mind - I'm sticking with the wide-bore - It'll be better for sessions/performances and I know that it will be a good chanter based on my earlier mentioned experience with one of his chanters.

For the time being, I'll play my current chanter with bottom D gurgles as I prefer the gurgles to a flat back D. Maybe when I've got the new chanter, someone will be interested in buying the old one to replenish expenditure - or perhaps I'll hang on to it and make a better tuned loud reed for potential un-microphoned performances in the future.

All the best.
Goldy.
We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all manage to live in the same box.
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Post by L42B »

Goldy,

Do you know if anybody who palyes "His Set" sets are going to the New Zealand Tionol? He gave me a quot of AU$500 for a C# set. I'm also going to check out another New Zealand maker who's causing a storm accross the Tasmine while I'm there. Supposidly his C sets are extreamly good (Ian Mackenzie has put him on his recommended pipemaker lists).

Cheers L42B :)
PS: Ausdag, with regards to the Crowley set. Nothing that a Brennan reed will fix.
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Post by josh perkins »

L42B, please have a look at your pms.

Best,

J
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Post by Wuilleann »

[Thread revival. - Mod]
lundblad wrote: Mon May 09, 2005 2:08 pm I believe my C. Roberts chanter is very mellow, compared to others I've heard. Check him out. I don't think it is really a wide bore chanter, but it is a damn good sound in it... (when you have it..hehe)
Robert
I 'd like to know who reeded your chanter?
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