Pipers woes

[stickman]

Decided to play (try to) my pipes today. Its been a long time due to age (83) on veterans day, and ill health. What a fiasco that turned out to be. Tried about a dozen chanter reeds before I found one I could blow. Then my bass drone reed fell into the bag. Since I don't have one of those zipper bags I had to go reed fishing. Finally after getting the reed out I added a little hemp to the seat and set it back in place. By this time I'm just about give out. I did however manage two tunes and was starting a third when my wife came home. When she is home that's the end of piping. Not that she doesn't like me playing it's that she has acute hearing and all that beautiful music is just to loud for her. I guess I'll just have to let her go shopping more, if the money would just hold out.

[OC Richard]

I feel your pain brother!

Though in my case it's not a medical thing, just my wife and daughter don't appreciate me playing the pipes in the house.

So the pipes get played once a week at band rehearsal, and also at gigs. At home I just "get some air in them" and play them briefly before I head out for a gig.

I started on Practice Chanter in 1974 and got my first set of pipes in 1975. Over the years, doing hundreds of weddings and funerals and such, every time something goes wrong it motivates me to find a way to avoid a repeat.

About drone reeds falling out, mine cannot. I do a bridle thing which leaves two long threads which are bound tight when the drone is inserted in the stock.

One gig was spoiled by chanter tape slipping. Never again! I've used Gaffers' tape ever since. It doesn't get gooey and slide around.

One gig was spoiled by a flapper valve fluttering. Never again! I've used Moose valves ever since. In my many years of experience with them they've never had any issues.

At a Highland Games the zipper in my bag just fell off. Another piper had one of the grommets on his bag fall off. Never again! I've used plain bags, no zipper, no grommets, ever since.

It's a winnowing process of making my pipes as accident-proof as possible.

And part of that is playing the pipes regularly, in my case at least once a week. That's pretty good considering my band pipes have sheepskin on them. (My other set has a Gannaway.)

Even then, I always bring two sets to gigs. Prior to the gig I test and tune up both sets, and sometimes it's a last-minute call which set will get played. Why do I bring two sets? So if disaster strikes one set I just grab the other.

[Rama4390]

I like the idea of have a set in reserve, but I have enough trouble maintaining one set in working order!

[stickman]

I used to have three sets, since I don't play much any more I gave them to my grandsons. I don't think they will ever play again, but I was hoping. The set I have now are 50's era Hardy's that I inherited from my old buddy. He was a silver smith and he fully mounted them in sterling. I don't know how he did such good work as the guys in one of the bands we played in used to call him, sausage fingers. He had big ham hands, he was a marine in WW2 and got shot point blank in the stomach on the island of Guam. He spent 2 years in hospital. He died 3 years ago at 98. Still miss him.

[OC Richard]

I like the idea of have a set in reserve, but I have enough trouble maintaining one set in working order!

For sure keeping one set going right is tough enough!

And there were many years that I only did own one set.

Years ago I was an avid Scottish Country Dancer and the fiddler in the band that played for our local dances had a double violin case, two fiddles. I asked him why and he said "if I break a string I can grab the other fiddle".

The wisdom of that seasoned professional player has stuck with me. And the pipes have far more things to go wrong!

What really motivated me to maintain two sets was that most of my solo piping gigs are "concert pitch" gigs, playing with pipe organ, brass ensemble, etc. while the Pipe Band plays at the modern uber-sharp pitch. This means having pipes going at 466 cycles for gigs and 480 cycles for the Pipe Band.

Yes for years I switched the same set back and forth, but I felt it was time to start maintaining a dedicated Concert Pitch set.

Both sets are about as trouble-free and maintenance-free as pipes can be.

[Rama4390]

Thanks OC Richard, I'm starting to find myself leaning the same way. I'm currently running one set of pipes with two chanters, one set up at 466Hz with a set of drone extenders & the other at about 480Hz to play with the band. Most of my solo gigs are completely solo, so it doesn't matter what pitch I'm playing at as long as I'm in tune with myself. I play only a handful of times a year with the band, but I seldom rehearse with them because they're two hours drive away. I also do a couple of gigs a year with a rock/folk style band that sometimes includes a couple of my children on violin, guitar & bass.

I have another set of pipes under the bed that haven't been played in many years. It might be time to resurrect them as my concert pitch set!

Cheers,

[OC Richard]

I do find myself using the 466 set at gigs whether or not I've been hired to play with pipe organ etc.

For one thing, there have been times when, with no prior warning, I'm asked to play along with pipe organ, folk band, or what have you.

For another thing I've found that the public finds the 466 pipes more pleasing, especially indoors.

I don't use drone extenders because my 1940s Starck set plays right at 466 with ordinary EzeeDrone reeds. I don't need the "long" EzeeDrone reeds, I don't need extenders. Those drones are happiest at 466, so that's where I play them.

My 1940s Lawries, on the other hand, are happiest at 480, so I use them with the Pipe Band.

Here are my two sets (left: R G Lawrie Glasgow; right: Starck London). They're plain, but I wouldn't trade them for fancy silver pipes! Because both these sets function so well.