Taking up the bagpipes (Gibson or McCallum Chanter?)

[OC Richard]

I just stepped down as Pipe Sergeant of the Louisville Pipe Band

I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but an old friend and band-mate of mine moved to Lexington a few years ago and plays in Kentucky United.

He played snare in our band here in California, but plays pipes in Kentucky United.

[Kamilavalamp]

Not sure what you mean by "run out of adjustment". Yes keeping drones in tune with the chanter requires constant adjustment, due to the chanter changing pitch according to how wet or dry the reed is, or how warm or cold the chanter itself is.

A sheepskin bag is, in my experience, the best at keeping the chanter reed at the most even moisture-level possible. When in a cold environment (outdoors or the AC turned too cold) the chanter itself gets cold and the pitch goes down dramatically. I've got in the habit of holding the chanter and feeling what temperature it is when it's playing in tune. Then if I have to wait for a while in the cold before I play again I'll put the chanter up my jacket sleeve or inside my jacket to maintain it at that same temperature. Then when I play again it will play at the same pitch.

Same goes whether you're playing at the high modern pitch or at Concert Pitch.

Concert Pitch chanters can be called "concert" "B flat" "466" "orchestral" or whatever. Their "Low A" is at 466 cycles, so in piper's terminology they're "466" chanters. In ordinary (non-piper) musical terms these chanters are in the key of B flat at the pitch of A=440.

Just did a Holiday Brass concert last night, using a McCallum 466 chanter which is great for these things. I tuned up so the electronic tuner was showing Bb being bang-on.

About drones, with my pipes the bass is no problem, because I can simply tune it out further to get down to 466. Tenors are another matter. (Especially with my vintage Lawries that have the tenors very high, showing 1/8" to 1/4" hemp, at 484.) EzeeDrone makes special long tenor reeds which can get down to 466. I myself use old Wygent tenor reeds on long home-made brass tubing extenders. My pipes sound very good tuned down there at 466, which by the way was where all pipe bands were pitched when I started playing in pipe bands in the 1970s. I lived through the meteoric pitch rise, starting with McLeod chanters that played around 469 around 1980, to everybody playing Warnock chanters in the 1990s carving the heck out of them to get them up to the high 470s to all the new chanters coming out that play at 480 and above. Our band just switched to G1 chanters which are pitching in around 485.

Man, with all the stuff you guys are saying with numbers for pitches and having to completely re-tune each time the temperature changes It looks like the bagpipes are gonna be a much more intricate learning experience than my banjo was. Especially in my house with no insulation and having air conditioners, baseboard heat, humidifiers, air purifiers, and negative ion generators all going at the same time. Is the chanter gonna explode?
Also, Is it essential to learn how to read music is there tablature available?

[Kamilavalamp]

(Merged This post with Above One)

[pbutts]

Is it essential to learn how to read music or can I use tablature?

It's only 9 notes....you can do it!

[Mike S]

It's only 9 notes....you can do it!

You forgot to add the tongue-in-cheek " " . Those mere nine notes will keep you chasing your tail for a lifetime.

[EagleJCS]

I'm familiar with tablature for the guitar - six lines per staff - and it doesn't really take up much more room on a page than regular musical staff notation with five lines per staff. There's usually a separate set of staff notation to go along with it as well.

I can only imagine that tablature for the pipes would take up a LOT more room on the page than standard musical notation. NINE lines per staff , with enough room between to allow a stack of dots (for each note played) big enough to be clear as to whether the holes are open (a hollow circle) or closed (a solid or filled-in circle) and separated enough to be able to make each note clear.

I think learning to read that sort of tablature would take up as much - or more - time than learning to read standard staff notation. Plus, once you can read the treble clef, it's portable to a lot of other instruments.

[EagleJCS]

I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but an old friend and band-mate of mine moved to Lexington a few years ago and plays in Kentucky United.

He played snare in our band here in California, but plays pipes in Kentucky United.

Richard, I'm afraid I don't know many of the band members at KU, other than seeing them occasionally at a couple of the 'local' contests a couple of times a year. A couple of the pipers were involved with the Louisville Pipe Band before KU formed, but they live in/close to Lexington and were in on the formation of KU.

[TRWXXA]

Not sure what you mean by "run out of adjustment". Yes keeping drones in tune with the chanter requires constant adjustment, due to the chanter changing pitch according to how wet or dry the reed is, or how warm or cold the chanter itself is.

A sheepskin bag is, in my experience, the best at keeping the chanter reed at the most even moisture-level possible. When in a cold environment (outdoors or the AC turned too cold) the chanter itself gets cold and the pitch goes down dramatically. I've got in the habit of holding the chanter and feeling what temperature it is when it's playing in tune. Then if I have to wait for a while in the cold before I play again I'll put the chanter up my jacket sleeve or inside my jacket to maintain it at that same temperature. Then when I play again it will play at the same pitch.

Same goes whether you're playing at the high modern pitch or at Concert Pitch.

Concert Pitch chanters can be called "concert" "B flat" "466" "orchestral" or whatever. Their "Low A" is at 466 cycles, so in piper's terminology they're "466" chanters. In ordinary (non-piper) musical terms these chanters are in the key of B flat at the pitch of A=440.

Just did a Holiday Brass concert last night, using a McCallum 466 chanter which is great for these things. I tuned up so the electronic tuner was showing Bb being bang-on.

About drones, with my pipes the bass is no problem, because I can simply tune it out further to get down to 466. Tenors are another matter. (Especially with my vintage Lawries that have the tenors very high, showing 1/8" to 1/4" hemp, at 484.) EzeeDrone makes special long tenor reeds which can get down to 466. I myself use old Wygent tenor reeds on long home-made brass tubing extenders. My pipes sound very good tuned down there at 466, which by the way was where all pipe bands were pitched when I started playing in pipe bands in the 1970s. I lived through the meteoric pitch rise, starting with McLeod chanters that played around 469 around 1980, to everybody playing Warnock chanters in the 1990s carving the heck out of them to get them up to the high 470s to all the new chanters coming out that play at 480 and above. Our band just switched to G1 chanters which are pitching in around 485.

I meant that if you tried to tune drones to concert pitch, you would pysically run out of length to get them in tune. I now assume that the article meant without changing reeds.

Sure is a lot more to know than just notes.

Man, with all the stuff you guys are saying with numbers for pitches and having to completely re-tune each time the temperature changes It looks like the bagpipes are gonna be a much more intricate learning experience than my banjo was. Especially in my house with no insulation and having air conditioners, baseboard heat, humidifiers, air purifiers, and negative ion generators all going at the same time. Is the chanter gonna explode?
Also, Is it essential to learn how to read music is there tablature available?

I see a set of delrin pipes in your future.

It's not limited to just the bagpipes. A lot of instruments are sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. If you wonder why so many marching bands sound like crap it's because they tune up in the comfort of an indoor auditorium, then head out at halftime into the cold, the rain, and the snow. Suddenly each instrument is playing in its own dissonant key.

[Kamilavalamp]

I see a set of delrin pipes in your future.

Definitely. For when I get a full set I'm planning on the Piper's Choice Deluxe Model.
http://www.kilts-n-stuff.com/bodhran...del-pipes.html

What is the difference between the different kinds of Chanter Reeds and Drone Reeds offered there and what's special about the ones they charge extra for?

[OC Richard]

I meant that if you tried to tune drones to concert pitch, you would pysically run out of length to get them in tune. I now assume that the article meant without changing reeds.

Yes you run out of length, if at the modern normal pitch (480-485) your tenors are up at the hemp line, or showing some hemp. Many/most tenors play best there, which is why most pipers have their pipes set up for the tenors to be there.

Stick in a 466 chanter and you might not be able to get the tenors flat enough, wobbly and falling off the end of the pins.

However there are some pipes, like my 1945 Starcks, which at 480 have the tenors around a third the way down the pins, and at 466 have the tenors in their "happy place" at the hemp-line.

It all depends on your particular tenors and how you have them reeded.