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  1. #1
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    15th October 11
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    Question for Pipers

    I'm a new piper and have been trying to learn everything I can about piping and such.When I go to Piping competitions I like to ask pipers I chat with what brand of pipes they play and half the time the answer is "I don't know they're the ones the band gave me". I find that curious. It sounds like a race driver not knowing the brand of car he drives. Has anyone else bumped into this or just me?
    I'm just trying to be the person my dog thinks I am.

  2. #2
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    13th October 10
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    Powell River, BC, Canada
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    I wouldn't have thought there were that many bands that could afford to equip their pipers with pipes, although most bands nowadays do provide their pipers with a matched chanter. In the seven or eight bands I've played with since the 1950s, from street bands to grade 1, we've always had to provide our own drones.

  3. #3
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    13th May 05
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    Native Texan, now located in W. KY/TN
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    I recommend that you check out the Bob Dunsire bagpipe forum. You will find a wealth of information there.

  4. #4
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    4th May 11
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    One of the reasons that most pipers don't know the maker of their pipes is that they are not marked or normally only the chanter is and that is removable. A second reason is that the pipes of one maker are very often very difficult to differentiate from another maker in terms of sound (for drones anyway; chanters easier to differentiate) and overall look. Anyway the key question is not who made them but what they sound like and it has to be said that because most pipes (or at least in the past) were hand made there can be marked variability of characteristics of pipes from even a single manufacturer.

  5. #5
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    4th September 05
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    That does seem odd, but perhaps you're in an area with bands that do supply instruments? Like imrichmond, around here most bands standardize the chanter and require pipers to provide the drones.
    --Scott
    "MacDonald the piper stood up in the pulpit,
    He made the pipes skirl out the music divine."

  6. #6
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    7th May 09
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    I've had the opposite experience. Most of the pipers I'm acquainted with know who made their pipes, when they were made, and will discuss (at length) why their pipemaker is:
    a) Much better than the crap they are making nowadays (Lawrie, Henderson, Starck, Glen);
    b)One of the best ever, as good as the old guys (David Naill);
    c)One of the best ever, and at that he's underrated (MacLellan);
    d)One of the best ever, even if they are made by computer controlled lathes (McCallum);
    e) One of the best ever, but they got a bad rap when they started making plastic pipes (Dunbar);
    f) God (Atherton).
    'A damned ill-conditioned sort of an ape. It had a can of ale at every pot-house on the road, and is reeling drunk. "

  7. The Following 2 Users say 'Aye' to KD Burke For This Useful Post:


  8. #7
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    22nd August 12
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    Quote Originally Posted by KD Burke View Post
    I've had the opposite experience. Most of the pipers I'm acquainted with know who made their pipes, when they were made, and will discuss (at length) why their pipemaker is:
    a) Much better than the crap they are making nowadays (Lawrie, Henderson, Starck, Glen);
    b)One of the best ever, as good as the old guys (David Naill);
    c)One of the best ever, and at that he's underrated (MacLellan);
    d)One of the best ever, even if they are made by computer controlled lathes (McCallum);
    e) One of the best ever, but they got a bad rap when they started making plastic pipes (Dunbar);
    f) God (Atherton).

    Ha ha....now that sounds like the Bob Dunsire Forum. I'm also surprised as even in bands that can afford to outfit the whole band with pipes, a good number of pipers will have their own personal set and probably "prefer" them for solo gigs.

    If you are looking for information about different makers, check out Ringo Bowen's Bagpipe Museum at http://www.thebagpipeplace.com/Museum_Home.html

  9. #8
    Join Date
    13th May 05
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    Native Texan, now located in W. KY/TN
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    All music forums (all forums period actually) have their share of gear heads who will argue to death the virtues of their own chosen maker/model vs. every other. The Bob Dunsire Forum has a great deal of information worth the read nonetheless IMO.

  10. #9
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    9th March 09
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    Here in northeast US I can't remember talking to anyone who did not know the origin of their pipes. Everyone in my band knows theirs. US Boarder Patrol band knew theirs. Ditto Rhode Island, Vermont. Also I have never seen a band provide pipes. Chanters, however are provided by the bands so they will all be same type and have the same tone and scale.

  11. The Following User Says 'Aye' to tulloch For This Useful Post:


  12. #10
    Join Date
    13th March 05
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    Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (OCONCAN)
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    Quote Originally Posted by tulloch View Post
    Here in northeast US I can't remember talking to anyone who did not know the origin of their pipes. Everyone in my band knows theirs. US Boarder Patrol band knew theirs. Ditto Rhode Island, Vermont. Also I have never seen a band provide pipes. Chanters, however are provided by the bands so they will all be same type and have the same tone and scale.
    This is my observation in my neighbourhood as well.
    "Touch not the cat bot a glove."

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