Piping Progression

[Mr. Woolery]

My mom has a set of the Kitchen Pipes. We have tried several reeds in the chanter and drones. The Abbott reeds are the best things for the chanter, by far. At least of the 5 or 6 makes we tried. Very good, bold sound. Gibson are almost as good, but less predictable. For the drones, we ended up with reeds I made out of plastic cups. Good balance of volume and tone.

I normally play my Shuttle Pipes and my mom normally plays her Firesides, but the KPs are a great little low-budget small pipe. And a good blackwood chanter would be a nice thing to stick in there.

Yeah, I think it is a good choice. Good on you!

-Patrick

[ohiopiper]

I've got a set, also. Got them from Oliver Seeler and his Universe of Bagpipes. They're very good for indoor stuff. I'm the music director at my church and play hymns sometimes for Sunday morning services. Just loud enough in a small church sanctuary.

[ohiopiper]

Have you tried Abbott reeds all the way around, drones as well as chanter? I'm asking because I'd like to get something a bit stiffer than the supplied reeds I've been using. The only reeds available locally are cheap **** and I'd rather not use them, so I'll be mail ordering at least one Abbott. That plus a little more volume never hurt a small set of pipes.

[SteveB]

OhioPiper,
I have ordered a full set of Abbott reeds from Dunbar on the suggestion of my tutor. (I am a beginning student on the practice chanter) the present use planned for the smallpipes is to cork the drones, so that I can start to learn to goose my practice chanter work. The idea of getting the smallpipes was that if I had just gotten a goose, I would progress to the Highland pipes and have a closet shelf decoration. Getting the smallpipes would give the goose and in instrument that I could use for indoor entertainment in the future.

Mr. Woolery,
The set I have comes with a Walsh plastic chanter. While my tutor was playing them in the original configuration they sounded good, and in tune, even though the presence was a bit anemic. I only needed a very small amount of hemp to fit my Dunbar long Blackwood chanter with its Abbott reed into the smallpipes. My tutor than played with it a bit. We found the sound to be much better and very present. He feels that I should soon be able to use them for some indoor performance work.

The only way to make this journey is with a top quality piper that will tutor you based on your personal skill developmental levels. I have been blessed by one.

[ohiopiper]

Steve, I originally got the Kitchen Pipes for the same reason. Now the wife and I are going to a different church (we moved) and I'm the music director now. So the little pipes get fired up every few months for a hymn or two. Special thanks to Dr. Kieth MacDonald from Canada and his Church Piper series. The large pies would be way too loud for this church, it's a small sanctuary.

After I ordered the pipes, I plugged in my Dunbar PC, a millenium model with the O-rings. Still got hemp on the tuning pins and drone stock, of course.

Anyway, have fun with them. When I got mine I didn't touch my GHB for almost two weeks.