Piper Wanna Be

[Piper]

At the risk of swimming against the tide here, the first practice chanter I bought was of questionable middle eastern origin. Some type of light colored wood (probably sheesham). Much to my instructor's surprise, it tuned right in with his WWII vintage blackwood practice chanter. I've used it for over 8 years now. It's no longer my primary one, but has been relegated to "downstairs" use. I play it while waiting out commercials, or waiting for a download. It is possible to get a good cheap chanter, although the odds are against you. A couple of years ago I picked up a Dunbar blackwood practice chanter, with a poly top. The poly top eliminates the area most prone to cracking due to moisture. I've also found the standard length practice chanter to be easier to use than the long. It rests on the table more comfortably. Even with the long chanter, you're still making a major change in the position you hold it in when you change to the pipes. I think that takes more getting used to than the difference in length.

[auld argonian]

At the risk of swimming against the tide here, the first practice chanter I bought was of questionable middle eastern origin. Some type of light colored wood (probably sheesham). Much to my instructor's surprise, it tuned right in with his WWII vintage blackwood practice chanter. I've used it for over 8 years now. It's no longer my primary one, but has been relegated to "downstairs" use. I play it while waiting out commercials, or waiting for a download. It is possible to get a good cheap chanter, although the odds are against you.

Well, figger that out of the thousands of these that have been made there has to be a couple that are good...you lucked out.

Best

AA

[Mike S]

Sorry to be repetitious...I really didn't read your post, I just was responding to Mael's initial post to let him know about my own personal experience with that kit. Guess those "Far Eastern" chanters are deservedly notorious!

Best

AA

I know, I was just razzing you a bit my friend.


As a foot note:
A few sets of respectable AB and Ebony pipes have been known to have come out of Pakistan MANY decades ago, when British and Irish pipemakers were flirting with the idea of having sets manufactured over there.

HOWEVER, the last 20 or so years have produced little other than products of very shoddy materials and manufacture, to put it kindly. Pakistani and Indian military and civilian pipebands buy their stands of pipes from the Western pipe makers, if that puts it into perspective.

Not bad for someone who just wants to hang them on the wall, but hardly musical instruments worth the bother.

Some of the last, fine quality wire work embroidery, lace, badges, pipe banners etc. is being hand made in Saikot Pakistan, however. These accouterments are purchased by the MOD for Regimental use by the British Army to this day.


Piper:

The lighter wood pipe chanter you speak of is likely made out of Mid East Coccus wood, which is lighter than the stained or unstained Sheesham wood.

The Chanters coming out of Pakistan presently are based on older chanters of 50 to 100 years ago. As we pipers are aware, the Chanter has been creeping ever higher in pitch for some years now. Even allowing for that, most of these older, lower pitched chanters have horrible intonation (i.e. not in tune with itself).
Be glad your's is usable.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. ;)

[beloitpiper]

It's a sign. You were meant to pipe.

[Mael Coluim]

Thanks for the encouragement and advice. I do know an excellent piper who instructs. Lets see what happens with a few lessons out of the box. I'll keep you posted.

[Mr. Woolery]

James-

The confusion comes in because there are two things called the chanter. One is, indeed, the melody pipe in the bagpipes. The other is the practice instrument, a separate item totally from the bagpipes. All of your basic technique and early learning is done on the Practice Chanter. It allows you to learn just the fingering without having to simultaneously learn to blow and squeeze. After some time (several months to over a year, depending on teacher and student), you progress onto the full bagpipes. But you never stop using the practice chanter, as that's what you still learn all your tunes on, take along in the car to noodle while you wait for the shop to open, or sit in the park and play with while watching kids enjoying the fine weather.

The melody pipe on the bagpipes is the Pipe Chanter or Bagpipe Chanter and is not played as a separate instrument. It is part of the big contraption. The rest of the sound comes from the Drones, which are the three pipes up over the shoulder. They deliver that droning (go figure) sound like the world's biggest bumblebee singing along. There's a rather long scientific explanation of what the drone sound does to enhance the sound of the chanter, but the short of it is that the drone fills it out and makes it all work together.

This discussion so far has all been about the practice chanter.

Hope that clears it up. And I am not trying to talk down to you, I just have explained this recently to some second-graders so I have fun talking about it on simpler terms than I might use if you were here in person and I could get my pipes out and put them in front of you.

-Patrick

[Mike S]

To clarify your clarification ():

Mael Coluim's original post was about a practice chanter, PIPER's inquiry was about a pipe chanter. Both are of Pakistani provenance.

We have been discussion both in this thread.

[James MacMillan]

James-

The confusion comes in because there are two things called the chanter. One is, indeed, the melody pipe in the bagpipes. The other is the practice instrument, a separate item totally from the bagpipes. All of your basic technique and early learning is done on the Practice Chanter. It allows you to learn just the fingering without having to simultaneously learn to blow and squeeze. After some time (several months to over a year, depending on teacher and student), you progress onto the full bagpipes. But you never stop using the practice chanter, as that's what you still learn all your tunes on, take along in the car to noodle while you wait for the shop to open, or sit in the park and play with while watching kids enjoying the fine weather.

The melody pipe on the bagpipes is the Pipe Chanter or Bagpipe Chanter and is not played as a separate instrument. It is part of the big contraption. The rest of the sound comes from the Drones, which are the three pipes up over the shoulder. They deliver that droning (go figure) sound like the world's biggest bumblebee singing along. There's a rather long scientific explanation of what the drone sound does to enhance the sound of the chanter, but the short of it is that the drone fills it out and makes it all work together.

This discussion so far has all been about the practice chanter.

Hope that clears it up. And I am not trying to talk down to you, I just have explained this recently to some second-graders so I have fun talking about it on simpler terms than I might use if you were here in person and I could get my pipes out and put them in front of you.

-Patrick

Hey Patrick - Thanks. You had to talk down to me, as that's where I am when it comes to the pipes. Your info answered a lot of questions, but also opened up a few more. Like:

Are the drones tunable? Can the piper select different drones. Tenor, base, baratone etc? Do you also "play" the drones? When I listen and enjoy pipe music, my ear sometimes seems to hear different harmonies.

And if you don't have time to answer, is there a info site I could go to? When I google Bagpipes, I don't find any grass-roots info.

[highlander_Daz]

heres an excelent website with most subjects covered

http://www.bagpipejourney.com/

take yout pipeing slowly, dont worry about pipes until you get to grips with a practice chanter

[James MacMillan]

heres an excelent website with most subjects covered

http://www.bagpipejourney.com/

take yout pipeing slowly, dont worry about pipes until you get to grips with a practice chanter

Thanks a bunch!