questions about uillean pipes

[drobin]

Hi Rabble,

Any one want to volunteer to answer numerous questions about Uillean pipes. I've done some arrangements for the Highland pipe which might work better with the Uillean. Only problem is I know very little about them; can be pitched in D, two octave range w/ (some/all) chromatic pitches available? I know they have their own set of ornaments and can control the length of individual notes. Are they pitched in 'concert pitch' (A=440hz)? These are the questions I'm focusing on.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[BEEDEE]

Try Greg (beloitpiper). I believe he plays the uillean pipes.

Brian

[londonpiper]

or go to bobdunsire.com uillean forum and ask there as there are many more pipers there than here.

[OC Richard]

Any one want to volunteer to answer numerous questions about Uillean pipes. I've done some arrangements for the Highland pipe which might work better with the Uillean. Only problem is I know very little about them; can be pitched in D, two octave range w/ (some/all) chromatic pitches available? I know they have their own set of ornaments and can control the length of individual notes. Are they pitched in 'concert pitch' (A=440hz)? These are the questions I'm focusing on.

I'm new to this forum so I'm just now seeing this post.

I've been playing uilleann pipes since the late 70's and I'll try to answer any questions you have as best I can.

First about pitch/keys etc.

The usual uilleann chanter, called a "concert pitch chanter" or simply a "concert chanter", or "concert D chanter", plays in the keys of D Major and G Major, that is, it can play any tune with the key signature of two sharps or one sharp.

This is because the C in the middle of the chanter's range can be played either as C natural or C sharp.

The range is from the D above middle C up to the B an octave and a sixth above, or the C natural above that B if the chanter is fitted with a "high C key".

Strangely, the uilleann chanter has a fingerhole for D sharp/E flat which note pipers call "ghost D".

So, a keyless "concert D" uilleann chanter can play the following scale going from lowest note to highest note:

D D# E F# G A B C C# d d# e f# g a b

In addtion, many chanters can hit high D but that note isn't of much melodic use.

It's quite common for uilleann chanters to be fitted with additional keys such as:
F natural
G sharp
B flat

making the chanter fully chromatic. But... not chromatic in the sense that a Boehm flute is chromatic. Why? Because all of the little stylistic nuances that make uilleann piping sound so cool are only possible on the open holed notes, and also the touches for the keys tend to be poorly placed so that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to fluidly play in keys outside of the chanter's normal gamut.

You ask if the uilleann chanter is pitched at A=440. Well, most D chanters are set up to play at normal pitch, but the pitch wanders around with the ambient temperature and humidity and it can be difficult in some weather to get the things to play on pitch.

I should mention that uilleann chanters are also made in other keys besides "concert D". These other chanters are often called "flat pitch chanters" or simply "flat chanters".

Most common are chanters in B and C but you also see chanters in B flat and C sharp.

Also you sometimes see sharp chanters in E flat or even E natural.

So, it would be possible for someone to own a suite of chanters B flat B C C sharp D E flat E but I don't know anyone who does.

It's not uncommon for a piper to own both a D chanter and in addition a C and/or a B chanter.

By the way the timbre, the tone, of the "flat" chanters is utterly different. Odd, but even though there's only one note difference between a D chanter and a C chanter, the difference in tone quality is much more pronounced than the difference bewteen a normal C Boehm flute and a Boehm alto flute, or a Tenor Sax and an Alto Sax.

I hope this helps!!

By the way here's a video of me playing my D chanter along with a pipe organ. As you can hear the tuning is good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onGGxt19ksg