just got a David Daye penny chanter

[Wanderer]

A Daye penny chanter kit came into my possession this weekend, and I broke it out today to see what I could do with it.

First 15 minutes: Oh my god, what have I done? This sucks. I can't freaking seal the holes, the thing is hissing when I fill the bag. Why is it hissing?

first 30 minutes: Oh, I think I've figured this thing out. You need to keep the the chanter on your leg to seal it off. Hissing has stopped. I squeak out a note or two

First hour: I hate the fact that I want to play pennywhistle fingerings. So I decide to switch to right-handed playing (since I play pennywhistle left handed), and it helps my brain understand this is a new instrument. Start being able to make the scale more easily. My hands hurt like the dickens after a few minutes, but after a few seconds of rest, they're ready to go again. Piper's grip is a challenge, since I play even the low whistle fingertip style.

Second hour: I can make the first octave scale, and pump out a pretty sucktastic Amazing Grace. My hands aren't hurting so much.


Whee! I can't wait to get back to it tomorrow.

[MichaelLoos]

When you are used to left-handed playing on the whistle you shouldn't switch to right.handed playing on the pipes - after all, the fingering is not that much different, you still have the same tones on the same fingers, the only difference being to keep the lower fingerholes closed, and the use of the thumb, so the whistle is in fact a great help to you.
Is your set right- or lefthanded???? If it is righthanded (bag under the left arm), I would strongly advice you to get rid of the bag and get a left-handed one. The chanter is symmetrical as long as there are no keys on it, and the only thing you have to do with the bellows is turn the inlet valve around. No good idea to play right-handed when you're already used to left-handed playing, no good idea to play left-handed on a right-handed set, either; when you'll want to get regulators, you'll be sorry at the latest.

[MarcusR]

Congrats Wanderer
Sounds like you are off to a good start, then there is just
20 years and 364 days to go before you will be a piper

Best of luck with your new toy!

/MarcusR

[tommykleen]

First hour: I hate the fact that I want to play pennywhistle fingerings.

Remember: 2-1-2-1-2-1-thumb.

t

[BigDavy]

Welcome to the dark side

David

[Sandy]

Remember: 2-1-2-1-2-1-thumb.

t

great thing)))

[Wanderer]

First hour: I hate the fact that I want to play pennywhistle fingerings.

Remember: 2-1-2-1-2-1-thumb.

t

thanks I was just copping to that pattern last night when working scales...it's what gave me the confidence to try Amazing Grace

Today, in reading through the paperwork more thoroughly (now that i have a better understanding of the instrument) I find that i have the reed staple set on the loud/strong position. I'm going to try to nudge it a hair south and see if that makes playing a little easier.

[Brazenkane]

Wanderer,

Congrats and welcome!!!!!!!!!

[djm]

Your fingers shouldn't hurt from playing. You are employing the death grip, which is a really bad habit to form in the beginning. Your hands and wrists should be very soft and supple, so that you can eventually build up speed. As hard to believe as it may seem in the beginning (been there, done that, wasted the effort) your ability to cover the tone holes does NOT improve with increased finger pressure. It is a matter of learning to feel the chanter and drop the fingers in the right place by force of habit (i.e. practice, practice, practice).

djm

[Wanderer]

Your fingers shouldn't hurt from playing. You are employing the death grip, which is a really bad habit to form in the beginning. Your hands and wrists should be very soft and supple, so that you can eventually build up speed. As hard to believe as it may seem in the beginning (been there, done that, wasted the effort) your ability to cover the tone holes does NOT improve with increased finger pressure. It is a matter of learning to feel the chanter and drop the fingers in the right place by force of habit (i.e. practice, practice, practice).

djm

Not my fingers..the muscles in the backs of my hands. I'm just not used to piper's grip, and will get it soon enough. I'm not gripping the chanter super hard (though i'm sure nerves are making me grip it harder than I intend). I went through much the same thing when first learning the whistle. Using new muscles, or using old muscles in a new way. I'm not surprised that there's some initial discomfort to work through. After doing my exercises last night, I found that I was doing exactly what Daye recommends in the book that comes with the thing: Play until you feel uncomfortable, give your hands a few seconds rest, and then get right back to it.


Thanks everyone for the kind welcome

[fancypiper]

Think about being real stingy with the air you let escape from the chanter. Lift only one or two fingers at first.

After you get the hang of on the knee stuff, you can experiment later with coloring notes off the leg or with different fingerings. Each chanter seems to be a different beast.

It takes very little pressure on the holes to stop the air flow.

You might try taping the back D hole closed and practice sealing the chanter without using your thumbs.

You will be surprised at how much pressure you can put on the bag and still keep the chanter sealed with the forearms and wrists completely relaxed.

Close the reed down until you get a gurgle on the bottom D, then open it slightly until you can play the hard D, possibly needing a cut with the top ring finger.

That is how I adjust my chanter reeds.

[Wanderer]

Day 3 update:

Much more confident going up the scale. A little wobbly going down the scale.

Amazing Grace is not sounding too bad. Can play Down by the Sally Gardens and Dawning of the Day, from ear (since I know them on the whistle). All of them need work, of course, but I'm still having fun.

I practice out in the garage. The neighbors look at me funny.

[billh]

Firstly, welcome!

Secondly - and with all respect - I strongly believe that no learner should practice tunes for the first couple of months, or at least until D and G scales and exercises can be confidently and correctly played. This includes not just basic bag+bellows technique, but the ability to "stop" the chanter between notes, at pressure - i.e. scales both with and without chanter closures between notes. Also it's vital to start and stop notes with the fingers, rather than the bag - i.e. keep the pressure going even when the chanter is not sounding.

Bad habits learned at this stage, or just plain mediocre foundation skills, will hold your playing back more or less forever, or at the very least until you go back and re-learn from scratch. The latter "un-learning" of course takes longer than focussing on the basics from the start.

The only reason to attempt tunes in the early days is the satisfaction of cheering yourself on, which is fine, but realize that this can be detrimental to your basic skills if you try to go too quickly. I really cannot stress this enough - even learners with extensive previous wind instrument or bagpipe experience need to start from the beginning and take it slowly with this instrument.

As to handed-ness, if you are naturally right-handed you should play right-handed regardless of what you've done on whistle, before. If you stick with it and someday want regulators, you'll want to play them with the dominant hand.

best regards,

Bill

[tommykleen]

[homage]

Bill is right on the money and chock full of wisdom, as usual. I mostly skim the postings on this site, but I always sit down and digest carefully what billh writes.

[/homage]

t

[Ceann Cromtha]

Bill is right on the money and chock full of wisdom, as usual. I mostly skim the postings on this site, but I always sit down and digest carefully what billh writes.

That is so true, I do the same thing. I am very grateful that Bill regularly posts on the Forum and so generously shares his wisdom with us.