New pipes!!!

[wgority]

The uillean pipes are bellows-blown - the player wears a bellows attached to a belt and to his arm, so that by moving his arm he can pump air into the bag. This also allows uillean players to sing along while they play, which may or may not be a good thing. Going from one type to the other therefore requires some adjustment of playing style. ................The uillean pipes require the same sort of thing, but the increse and decrease in pressure from your arm is directed by the action of your bellows arm. (That part is more theoretical to me; I've never played a bellows-blown set of pipes.)

I've never seen (or heard) an uilleann piper sing while playing. The instrument is a bit too demanding to really allow that sort of thing.

The playing pressure in the uilleann pipe chanter is governed by bag pressure. This shifting bag pressure and carefully-crafted reeds are what allow the jump in octaves. Uilleann pipes are usually capable of playing 2 mostly chromatic octaves (my reeds allow me to go a bit into the third octave - an occassional, but do-able thing). The bellows only fill the bag. As in the GHB, uilleann pipes rely on the bag. Highland pipers don't (or shouldn't) use their lungs and diaphragm to do anything but fill. Pressure control should come from the arm on the bag.

[Warhoover]

Congrats on the new uilleans!!! I hope you have wonderful time with them. I have always love the sound and would love to give them a go someday as well.

[Peter C.]

I recently bought a set of smallpipes and the bellows were hard work. I found there was a resistance to the bellows even when they weren't connected to the pipes due to a too narrow connecter, so I was doing a lot of work for nothing. This might be worth checking.

Peter