Frugal Corner Pipes (review)

[davidlpope]

I applaud anti-snobbery. Beware of unintended consequences, though. Sometimes beginners start out by buying a set of inexpensive bagpipes, have difficulty getting them to play, and then scrap the whole notion of learning piping, which is a real shame, after having spent a couple hundred bucks.

I'd encourage anyone to start with a quality practice chanter and the College of Piping tutor book (with CD) if you have an interest. If you've already done that, put the money you would spend on a set of "wall-hangers" towards a fagerstrom electronic chanter if you're not willing to save for a higher quality set. Not as "sexy" or "cool-looking" but it is a great practice aid that will make it easier to learn to play and focuses your attention where it should be- on learning to do embellishments properly. Wives, parents, and co-workers will appreciate you being able to practice without having to "share" the experience. Most piping teachers won't put pupils on the pipes for 6-9 months anyway, so there's no reason to rush into buying a set of pipes.

I had a set of **** pipes when I first started piping. With lots and lots of effort (and unanticipated expense) you could tweak them enough to play. Now I have both a set of dunbar polypenco and a set of D. Naills. In retrospect, personally, I wish I had just saved my money and started with the Dunbars.

Cordially,
David

[Erisianmonkey]

As far as not getting the noise out of the chanter, yes it was the reed. I looked at a few different things, and it was definitely the reed. While I don't have a lot of experience with pipes, I am able to troubleshoot pretty well. Mark is shipping me a new chanter reed.

Edit to add:

I am dying to get my hands on an electronic chanter. I have always wanted to play the pipes, but don't have the lungs. Uillean pipes might be an option eventually, but one thing I really like about the electronic pipes is that some of them have midi capability.

[PiobBear]

Apparently, I'm not welcome to post a reply.

[Erisianmonkey]

Apparently, I'm not welcome to post a reply.

Certainly you are welcome to post a reply.

[Bob C]

Maybe apply for a Pakistan citizenship?

What, exactly, do you mean by that?

[Robin]

We've been here before (kilts over expensive) and it really upsets me when people complain about the price of a quality product...whatever it is...made from good materials and made by a skilled craftsman (m/f).

I won't even start about poor quality, cheap (child?) labour and stealing of designs.

I'm not telling anyone to buy (more expensive...true) quality products and for those on a budget it's perfectly understandable to look for cheap solutions. (although it might be wiser to save a bit longer).

It's the complaining what makes me angry...nothing else.

When I got it completly wrong...my sincere excuses.

[Bob C]

You seem to be advising me to renounce my allegiance to my country because I disagree with your snobbery. In the interest of civility on this board, where we are all guests, I will refrain from telling you what I'd like you to do with that advice.

[Panache]

I would ask all of you in the interests of our forum to remember that we are the gentlemen and ladies of X Marks the Scot.

I would also humbly suggest that value is in the eye of the beholder.

There is room on this forum for all manners of kilts and wearers.

Respectfully

Jamie

[wgority]

Don't even get me started on this one.........

[wgority]

As far as not getting the noise out of the chanter, yes it was the reed. I looked at a few different things, and it was definitely the reed. While I don't have a lot of experience with pipes, I am able to troubleshoot pretty well. Mark is shipping me a new chanter reed.

Are you absolutely sure it was the reed? While that is a possibility, there are other possible issues, particularly with pipes and chanters manufactured in the Indian sub-continent. Other possible issues include too narrow a throat, an inaccurately bored and centered reed-seat, or others. Additionally, in Pakistani-manufactured pipes, you will find you'll never be able to properly tune the chanter short of sealing some of the fingerholes completely and re-milling them.

As a project a couple years ago, I tried putting one of these chanters right and it took the best part of a summer. The efforts involved completely resurfacing the bore to remove marks left by the original "craftsman", filling and re-milling 4 fingerholes, filling and re-milling the low-G vent holes, and re-milling the reed-seat to put it properly in line with the bore of the chanter (this had previously been over 5 degrees off true). Despite all this, the chanter is still flat compared to any other I have and no matter what reed goes into it, it will not play a true key, but rather only in tune with itself. Luckily the drones are able to tune to this particular and peculiar key.

I have extensive experience with bagpipes of numerous sorts acquired over the last 25 years, as well as other woodwinds going back 40 years, and I would have advised you to avoid this instrument.

As to lacking lung power, in my youth I knew some fine pipers who smoked cigarettes like chimneys, and one in particular who was a veteran of WWII who only had one lung.

Good luck with this instrument of yours, but you would have been better served to save a bit longer and buy a Dunbar P-1 or similar instrument.

Finally, as to including this topic in the "Accessories" forum, I would disagree with you most wholeheartedly in this. The bagpipe is not an accessory. It is a musical instrument! You don't need one to wear a kilt and you don't need to wear a kilt to play one. I played pipes for years before wearing a kilt. If bagpipes are reduced to a mere accoutrement for kilt-wearers, then we are, as a culture, far poorer for it.

If you allow popular thought or the preconceptions of the ignorant dictate anything to you regarding bagpipes (or kilts for that matter), then I might respectfully suggest that you put down the bagpipes and walk away from them entirely. You're playing them for the wrong reason. The only reason to take up any instrument is to play them because you love the music that comes from them! There is no other reason.

See? That's what happens when you get me started.