71 page Fingering chart for Howard Chanters

[Uilliam]

To be fair to Brian,I had one of his chanters some while back and it played perfectly well,the use of pillar mounts for keys is fine...but his continually going on about it being innovative is pure sh*t.... A piper friend Tom from Germany while studying here shewed me a border chanter of his with pillar mounts to give him a larger range of notes..so nothing new here(he was using a kind of Silver flute keywork Boehms)...so having used one of Brians I would rate it 7/10,not great nor bad either and when I sold it ,it was in order to purchase a vastly superior chanter.
Slan go foill
Liam

[harper]

made by yourself no doubt

[Uilliam]

made by yourself no doubt

Why would I want to buy one of my own??? Are ye a Howard Acolyte by any chance??...nae chance,if ye were, he would have told ye about his medal!!!
Slan go foill
Liam :roll:

[dencar]

I've recently taken delivery of one of Brians new half sets. The chanter plays beautifully, the drones are consistent. I am now awaiting the regulators.

I'm certainly no Paddy Keenan, but I've been playing long enough to know a good set when I hear or play them. And these sound fine to me.

I was really suprised at your negativity and destructive comments, I understand free speech and all that, but wouldn't it be far better to use your time talking up the craft of making and playing this instrument.

To play any musical intrument is special gift, the development of this wonderful instrument is another. All professional or budding instrument makers make it possible for fellow musicians to uplift the spirits of other people.

Brian Howard is a decent man a brilliant engineer and instrument maker, and he gets my vote any time. As for your cynical unjust comments:

No one ever errected a statue to a critic

[Chadd]

No one ever errected a statue to a critic

Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Twain

Or for those on the other side of the pond, Jonathan Swift

[Harry]

Hey! That Swift statue looks all chewed.

Somebody's bitten his arms off!

I f**king hate that statue!!!

Nice point though. It's nicer to be honest than just 'nice' on occasion.

Regards, H.

[Uilliam]

[quote="dencar"]I've recently taken delivery of one of Brians new half sets. The chanter plays beautifully, the drones are consistent. ....

And so they should be!! I don't think anyone here has said otherwise,
the point I am making is that Brian tends to be a windbag, ask anyone who knows him frae Milltown,
as for being a brilliant engineer...emhhhh,he was a lecturer in engineering was he not...!!that doesnae make him brilliant.Manhattan bridge now thats what I call brilliance.
Brian has been very critical of others in his time so perhaps a statue should be erected in recognition of his almost divine contribution to the world of piping,in O'Connell Street, wearing his medal of course,his 71 page fingering chart under his arm and waving his latest "paper" on pertubation to the world...his acolytes clustered around his feet....oh no methinks I may have given him an idea
Slan go foill
Liam

[leaky_joe]

[quote="Kevin L. Rietmann"]Does he seriously think he's going to copywright those little "X|XXX|XXXX|X" charts we use? Here called "Shorthand©"? Wasn't he the bad guy in one of the Mr. Moto movies?
From the self-proclaimed greatest pipemaker of our times, according to Uillaim. When you going to learn to make chanters that don't look chewed on, Brian?

I think your being purposefully obtuse here. Have you missed the piont? Did you in fact "reed" it properly? It was meant to be a joke DUH. If you read it again its going to be "shortfinger"! It was quite tounge in cheek - lighten up

With regard to the chewed on look, I dont see a problem with a scolloped back D Ive seen chanters with all but the c# scolloped. Its an asthetic thing. As long as it plays ok what's the difference?

[Dionys]

I have a "scolloped" (sic) Britton chanter which is quite beautiful in design. That back-d scallop by Howard is ugly. Scallops, if you have them at all, should be (imho) shallow and ergonomic. Howard's indeed looks more like someone took a big bite out of the chanter. In fact, unless it's also somehow countersunk in that bite, I'd guess it's less practical than a simple, countersunk back-d.

Dionys

[Cayden]

the point I am making is that Brian tends to be a windbag, ask anyone who knows him frae Milltown,

You know very well there'd be war if the noises from the corridors of Miltown would be aired publicly. A lot of people including myself have over twenty years experience with Brian and opinions about him are to say the least, mixed. But he brings it partly onto himself, as someone once said, he's his own worst enemy [and an unbelievable motormouth]. He generates controversy, often of his own making. Better let sleeping dogs be. He's due a bit of credit too.

His pipes are ugly beyond description. That's true.

[fixed a typo or two]

[Azalin]

Wow, this thread is great, and lotsa wisdom, especially from glands. Anyway, just wanted to say that I have met Howard last july in Miltown and as a person I think he's great, and I really liked his low whistle and his high D wasnt too bad. Now, the pipes might suck, I wouldnt know. He wasnt an incredible player either, but at least enjoyed playing

[Antaine]

Chadd,

(to borrow from Victor Borge)

Mark Twain had a statue erected to him, but Jonathan Swift was a bust!



::rimshot::

but despite his physical ailment, Swift was happily married...Mrs. Swift, however, was not...

dees are da jokes, folks...

[teirw]

Peter Laban wrote: He's his own worst enemy ( and an unbelievable motormouth).
Why blow your own trumpet so loud?

[Cayden]

I am not blowing my own trumpet, it was in fact Breandan Breathnach who said that after evicting Brian from the reedmaking room during a Willie Clancy week during the early eighties. An event which has been a sort of recurring feature of Willie Clancy weeks since.

I have no problem with Brian, he is Brian, not by far the best pipemaker nor by far the worst [who's blowing trumpets about that all the time, now you mention it]and that's it as far as I am concerned but if you pushing it you may wake up people who DO have a problem with the way he makes his way through the piping world. Sleeping dogs, as I said. No trumpets inolved in this.

[AlanB]

<it was in fact Breandan Breathnach who said that after evicting Brian from the reedmaking room during a Willie Clancy week during the early eighties. >

Boy, the stories I've heard and could tell.....

Regarding scalloping,can I once again say that in most cases, scalloping is done for tuning, and if half the chanter goes missing to get it in tune, so be it. If it's done purely for aesthetic reasons, then the pipemakers not been doing his homework correctly.

Alan