buying a chanter kit

[Panache]

Jaybird,

I have a friend who has a website all about his bagpipe experience ( learning to play, joining a pipe and drum band, and solo competition ). I believe there is some advice on Chanters and links to vendors / other bagpipe sites.

The site is www.bagpipejourney.com


Hope this is of some help

Cheers

Panache

[Tartan Hiker]

I must second Oliver Seeler at the hotpipes.com site. My son is learning the pipes right now, and last fall I purchased for him the Dunbar full size polypenco chanter set with book and CD and the price and support are top notch, as is the product. About three weeks ago I ordered the Dunbar P-1 pipe set. Again, the price and support were both excellent.
The chanter reed that came with the pipes was too hard for my beginner to manage. I called the shop and Oliver told me to hold the phone a second. I heard pipe music. When he picked back up he told me that he was playing his own set with a new softer reed that was just getting blown in, and that he was going to pull that one out and mail it to me. It arrived two days later.

Oliver knows what he's doing and is truly interested in the customer's satisfaction. I'll never shop anywhere else for piping supplies.

[mexpiper]

First I recommend that you find a teacher.First I recommend that you find a teacher. Its much easier to learn that way. The reason being that looking at a video or listening to a cd to learn the note, is not going to show you how to place your fingers correctly or if the sound is correct. My pipe teacher could tell when i was taking a breath of blowing too hard by the pitch of the note, helping me to recognize when the reed is off or too much liquid in the chanter.

As for Chanters i have had 3. The 1st one was cheap one,very cheap, wood split. 2. Was a Shephard, holes were not countersunk could not feel the hole , was good (it was stolen, when my car was stolen--got the car back but not the practice chanter) 3. is a Dunbar -practice chanter holes are counter sunk, much easier for my fingers-still learning it..

[JayFilomena]

Jaybird,

I have a friend who has a website all about his bagpipe experience ( learning to play, joining a pipe and drum band, and solo competition ). I believe there is some advice on Chanters and links to vendors / other bagpipe sites.
The site is www.bagpipejourney.com Hope this is of some help. Cheers Panache

Thank you, I will check them out today. I am not sure that my finance guy will be willing to work with me. kinda limited over here. I'm sure if I show up at his door with a chanter and a book, we can work out some kind of practice schedule. As Mr. Myagi so masterfully put it..."you learn from book?"

[jjoseph]

... but as I surf the web, I find differnet notes, scales, prices, wood vs. Plastic etc. ...... Also, do we have any advertisers on XMarks, or members that sell Chanters that I can keep business in the community?

I dunno about keeping business w/ an Xmarker, but plastic (DELRIN) is a better choice for PRACTICE CHANTERS. I normally go for all natural stuff (would that be au naturel?), but the plastic is BEAUCOUP easier to keep clean and assemble (o-rings instead of waxing and winding thread). Keep that in mind when buying.

Good luck!

[cavscout]

Are they making quality Bagpipes with O-rings? If not, I'd suggest a chanter which requires sealing the chanter with some kind of thread. It will be easier to learn how to prepare the seal on a chanter than to have to learn on a set of pipes.

[jjoseph]

Are they making quality Bagpipes with O-rings? If not, I'd suggest a chanter which requires sealing the chanter with some kind of thread. It will be easier to learn how to prepare the seal on a chanter than to have to learn on a set of pipes.

I found that the o-rings on the practice chanter were a blessing. The delrin is easy to keep clean as well. I think Dunbar has some decent ones like that with countersunk holes to boot. As for learning how to prep the seal... that's just as easy on the bagpipe chanter as the practice chanter, and when I want to practice on the chanter, I just wanna whip it out an give it a go without having to fiddle with the other stuff... (just re-read that.... down, boys. No laughter from the cheap seats)

[porrick]

I dunno about keeping business w/ an Xmarker, but plastic (DELRIN) is a better choice for PRACTICE CHANTERS. I normally go for all natural stuff (would that be au naturel?), but the plastic is BEAUCOUP easier to keep clean and assemble (o-rings instead of waxing and winding thread). Keep that in mind when buying.

Good luck!

Agree, go plastic! Mine is made from polypenco (various names) and has wound thread - which is no hassle at all.

Main reason for plastic: it won't crack when the PC is dropped - and you will drop it; or fling it at the wall :rolleyes:

[Kiltedfirepiper]

toneczar.com is a great site! Chris hamilton i believe is the owner of that site, and he will talk with you to find out exactly what you want to get, and the best way to do it.
I will also recommend the website
Bob Dunsire Bagpipe Forums

it is a huge wealth of info on bagpipes,piping,tips and tricks....and the best pipers in the world go here and offer advice to lowly pipers like us

i hope its not a problem mentioning another forum here.....but i DID find out about X-marks on Bobdusire so.......

Scott

[scoutniagara]

"I'd suggest you get a full size chanter and hammer the scale grace notes and doublings until you can do them cleanly from every melody note, then you've made a start; it's not like a guitar where you can whack out a tune immediately." I fully agree!

I have two Dunbar practice chanters, a full size and a smaller size (finger spacing) that's pitched the same as the pipes. I use the full-sized one for playing/practice solo, and the smaller size for playing with the band members.

You should be on the chanter for about three years before you actually play the pipes.

I don't play my pipes much anymore, 'cause as said above, it takes over your whole life (14 to 20 hours practice per week). You can't let the pipes collect dust for a year, pick them up and expect to play them as well as before. Your breathing and fingers won't be in shape. If I'm asked to play at a funeral, or at a curling bonspiel, I need a couple of weeks to get in sufficient shape to play; but only a piper could hear that I'm not good. ;) I have a trained ear for musical pitch, and I have good pipes (Dunbar Polypenco) and artificial drone reeds.

Scottish regimental pipers went to school for seven years in order to be a piper.

With all this rabble, I think I'll go have a blow.