those cheap practice chanters

[auld argonian]

...so a question....probably academic...for our pipers: I have one of those cheap practice chanters...I did not BUY this piece of $#1+, it was given to me by a well meaning relative...okay...it was my mother...

...and I DO fully intend to buy a decent one sometime soon...honest...just rather spend the discretionary income on a nice kilt for the holidays right now...

...but in the meantime, just what, if anything, can I do to make this thing handle a little better? Is it because the bore is raggedy and needs to be smoothed? If I smooth it out and swab it with bore oil, will it help? I can modify this thing with no risk, so any thoughts about what to do? I get done playing my nice PVC Irish Flute and pick this thing up and the shock is mind-blowing...I have to invent "alternate fingerings" to get some of the notes to sound something other than flat. Yes...I will buy that nice Dunbar chanter next year but for now I'd like to experiment on this P.O.S.

Best

AA

[Piper]

First Practice Chanter I bought was Pakistani. Much to my instructor's suprise, it tuned right in with his old blackwood chanter. I still have and use it, although I have since bought a nice Dunbar blackwood practice chanter that I take to lessons. The practice chanters seem to be more forgiving of, or maybe not subject to the erratic work standards that plague the pipes made in the mid-east, although I know of plenty of people who've had problems with cheap practice chanters. The problem may well be with the reed. If it's sounding flat, try removing a bit of the hemp from the bottom of the reed so it sits lower in the seat. That may sharpen it up a bit.

[Riverkilt]

A few years ago my lady gave me a practice chanter for Christmas. She ordered it out of a catalog. I couldn't make it work for nothing....still can't.

There's a bagpipe shop up in Flagstaff http://www.thomsonbagpipes.com/ so next time up the mountain I took the chanter along and fully resolved to buy myself a 'good' chanter and learn to play it.

When I told my tale of woe to Jim Thompson, the owner, he asked me to bring in the chanter I had. When I did he played it magnificently and effortlessly.

Silly me, I'd thought it was the chanter's fault....

So, I'll leave learning the pipes to others and just enjoy the music.

Ron

[switchblade5984]

okay river.... what was wrong with it!?

good luck

try changing out the reed that my help i dont know about smoothing the bore

[Riverkilt]

As Jim proved there was NOTHING wrong with the chanter....I just don't have the lung capacity, technique, or strength to make it work...

Flagstaff is 135 miles away so taking lessons there is not an option.
Ron

[haukehaien]

Make sure that you're blowing hard enough - the PC takes a fair amount of wind. (You might also try an easier reed.) Pushing the reed further into the chanter will also sharpen the sound.

[beerbecue]

Make sure that you're blowing hard enough - the PC takes a fair amount of wind. (You might also try an easier reed.) Pushing the reed further into the chanter will also sharpen the sound.

My PC actually takes very little wind to play properly. Blow too hard and that is when funny things happen...

From what I have gathered.. The red Warnock reeds are easy to blow, and seem to work well in most PCs.. I use a Walsh right now, very easy to blow, good tone.. Gibson reeds are quite good, but require a good bit of air.... I have heard good things about Watson reeds, too...

Try a Warnock, you should be able to find them online for 6 bucks or less.

[beerbecue]

I have to invent "alternate fingerings" to get some of the notes to sound something other than flat. Yes...I will buy that nice Dunbar chanter next year but for now I'd like to experiment on this P.O.S.

What I am about to say may seem harsh, but if this is the sort of thing you have to do to play this thing, you are wasting your time.

If you really want to learn to play the pipes, do it right. You can get a standard size practice chanter for $40 or less... You can get a full size Gibson with a reed for as little as $70 - and that is a darn good practice chanter...

There is no need to spend a lot of money on a wood practice chanter - as my PM/Instructor told me - "Save your money for the pipes, we aren't called Practice Chanterers..." Delrin/Polypenco is used by many to make PCs for a reason - durability, cost and good tone. Wood, to some, may sound warmer, but I have both Naill and Gibson plastic chanters, and they sound GREAT!!!

Don't short change yourself with a crappy practice chanter, you really need to hear the proper notes and enjoy yourself.....

Frankly, I can't stand the Dunbar PCs, talk about sharp!!! Gibson, Naill, Cushing, Walsh, there are so many