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  1. #1
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    Quote Originally Posted by wgority View Post
    In Highland Pipes the chanters are a double reed and the drones are single tongued reeds.......Many (but not all) Eastern European varieties of bagpipes have single tongued reeds in both chanter and drones, most especially those of the Balkans, Greece, Macedonia and Balearic Isles.

    Bill
    Thank you for the insightful answer, very intresting. Plus this is the first post were I figured out how to do that boxed qute thing.

  2. #2
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    Darn, you know I am starting to think about getting a practice chanter, (I don't know anything about them though) and I was forced as a smaller child to learn the recorder in school.

    questions as follows:
    I know there is no bag, do you just blow on a chanter or is there a reed?
    (take in mind that I am currently a brass and strings player in my highschool.)

    I am in highschool, where might I be able to get a practice Chanter that I can afford? (doesn't have to be wood, I am not a huge stickler on sound quality in a practice instrument.)

    What Cleff of music does the bagpipe use? I am fluent in Bass Cleff, can get by in Treble Cleff and absolutely hate Tenor Cleff, (but can manage)

    Thanks
    ~Casey
    [SIZE="1"]"It's the job thats never started that takes the longest to finish. Thats what my old Gaffer used to say." - Samwise Gamgie, J.R.R. Tolkein[/SIZE]

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by cwr89 View Post
    I know there is no bag, do you just blow on a chanter or is there a reed?

    I am in highschool, where might I be able to get a practice Chanter that I can afford?

    What Cleff of music does the bagpipe use? I am fluent in Bass Cleff, can get by in Treble Cleff and absolutely hate Tenor Cleff, (but can manage)
    Okay Casey, let me answer your questions in order of asking.

    1. The practice chanter does have a reed. Parenthetically, you'll find the practice chanter is generally harder to blow than the pipes themselves. I've been playing them 25 years and still find this to be the case.

    2. High quality pracetice chanters can be had for under $100. In that range I recommend Gibson Bagpipes' Long Poly Practice Chanter. I would recommend spending about twice that amount and getting a Walsh Long Blackwood Practice Chanter. That is an instrument that will last your entire lifetime. I believe either of these can be had from www.toneczar.com

    In any case, no matter what you choose, get a long chanter. They provide better tone and tuning, more accurately approximate the finger spacing of the pipe chanter.

    3. Pipe music is written on the treble clef.

    Remember.....there are only 9 notes (although they get combined in rather interesting and strange ways).

    As mentioned above, seek out a pipe band in your area, and I'm pretty durn sure there are a couple in your area. They can provide you with good instruction at a reasonable rate (usually free). I'm moderately sure the 87th Cleveland Pipe Band practices in Brook Park, Ohio. Check them out and see what mutual good you can do each other.

    Hope this helps.
    Bill
    The tradition continues!
    The Pipers Gathering at Killington, VT

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by wgority View Post
    1. The practice chanter does have a reed. Parenthetically, you'll find the practice chanter is generally harder to blow than the pipes themselves. I've been playing them 25 years and still find this to be the case.
    Eh, I've been on the pc for a little over a year, and am finally breaking in the chanter reed of my first set of pipes... Would you be kind enough to explain the pc being harder to blow than the pipes? There must be something that I have missed along the way, and am very eager to learn

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by porrick View Post
    Eh, I've been on the pc for a little over a year, and am finally breaking in the chanter reed of my first set of pipes... Would you be kind enough to explain the pc being harder to blow than the pipes? There must be something that I have missed along the way, and am very eager to learn
    You'll find, ultimately, that it takes much more energy to play 90 minutes on a PC than it does on the pipes.

    There is sound reasoning behind this. During the practice session, you need to blow continuously with the PC for sound to occur. With the pipes, you get brief breaks while playing. I can practice 2 solid hours on pipes and just have a little upper arm tension, but with PC after 90 minutes I'm competely knackered. Also, if I'm practicing strictly on PC of an evening there's a mental exhaustion too, as I'm working with music in front of me to learn or perfect a tune.

    It's an experiential thing. Trust me, you'll figure this one out.
    The tradition continues!
    The Pipers Gathering at Killington, VT

  6. #6
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    highlander_Daz is offline Oops, it seems this member needs to update their email address
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    I wish people would see the "practice" chanter as an instrument in itself rather than as a stepping stone to the GHB, its a fantastic little instrument, if you forget about the pipes for a while and hammer the PC you will be a much more accurate piper in the long run, many people can make the PC sound fantastic, the "high drive" by Gordon Duncan is played all on the PC and it sounds great ! dont just see the pC as a barrier its an instrument all of its own !

  7. #7
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    Thanks a lot!

    couple more Q's now that I think of it,
    (and I am sorry for asking some questions that have already been answered),

    would it be more beneficial to just get a bagpipe rather than a chanter then a pipe sometime down the road?

    I was looking at the toneczar site and they have small pipes, I see that they are a good 1000 cheaper, what is the difference?

    also, bit confused, do pipes need reeds? I see that everything says stuff about reeds, but it looks to me from pictures, that you just have a mouth piece that you blow into. sorry for my complete lack of knowledge on this.

    thanks!
    ~Casey
    Last edited by cwr89; 6th April 07 at 06:46 PM.
    [SIZE="1"]"It's the job thats never started that takes the longest to finish. Thats what my old Gaffer used to say." - Samwise Gamgie, J.R.R. Tolkein[/SIZE]

  8. #8
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    OK...my son (he's the piper in the family) is not here at the moment but I can answer your latest questions.

    1. No, get the chanter first, and as already mentioned get a "long" one from a quality manufacturer. You might want to check out the Dunbar polypenco chanters...excellent instruments and tough enough to last several lifetimes.

    2. Smallpipes are just that...small in size and small in sound. They are designed to play indoors with other instruments, so they are keyed differently than Great Highland Bagpipes. You need to decide which way you want to go with this...do you want to play LOUD, and maybe join a pipe band, or do you want to jam with friends in the parlor? You probably can't afford both, so you need to pick one and stick to it.

    3. Great Highland pipes use four reeds, one inside the chanter and one in each of the drones. The reeds fit inside the pipes..that's why you aren't seeing them in photographs. You don't put the reed into your mouth like a clarinet or oboe.
    The bowpipe just inflates the bag...there's no reed in the blowpipe.

    Hope this helps.
    Kilted Teacher and Wilderness Ranger and proud member of Clan Donald, USA
    Happy patron of Jack of the Wood Celtic Pub and Highland Brewery in beautiful, walkable, and very kilt-friendly Asheville, NC.
    New home of Sierra Nevada AND New Belgium breweries!

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tartan Hiker View Post
    3. Great Highland pipes use four reeds, one inside the chanter and one in each of the drones. The reeds fit inside the pipes..that's why you aren't seeing them in photographs. You don't put the reed into your mouth like a clarinet or oboe.
    The bowpipe just inflates the bag...there's no reed in the blowpipe.

    Hope this helps.
    yea, but since you don't actually blow on a reed, ombature doesn't really matter right?

    I have also been looking, I know these are probably "crap" next to anything else, but as a start, would either of these be alright as a start? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ase?sku=445611
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ase?sku=445618


    thanks for the info I really hope to one day play a pipe!
    ~Casey
    Last edited by cwr89; 6th April 07 at 09:03 PM.
    [SIZE="1"]"It's the job thats never started that takes the longest to finish. Thats what my old Gaffer used to say." - Samwise Gamgie, J.R.R. Tolkein[/SIZE]

  10. #10
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    To answer your questions:
    1) There's no embouchure as such, although getting your lips into condition to maintain a good seal around the blowpipe can take a bit of time.
    2) Dunbar makes good bagpipes. The P-1 model is fine, and not just as a student model. If you intend to play in a band, you may want to look into the P-2 or P-3 models, which have more traditional styling. The Pipers' Choice pipes aren't bad for practicing.
    3) DO NOT buy a set of bagpipes now. If you must buy something, buy a practice chanter. You will use the PC your whole piping career - it's what you learn tunes on, even after you've graduated to pipes.
    4) I would say, don't even buy a PC until you've found a teacher. Some teachers are picky about what PCs their students have. Some don't care.
    5) If you're interested in learning a lot more about piping, I would suggest joining the Bob Dunsire forums at http://www.bobdunsire.com. You'll find a lot of pipers there and practically any question you have has probably been covered.

    Good luck! It's a long journey, but well worth it.
    --Scott
    "MacDonald the piper stood up in the pulpit,
    He made the pipes skirl out the music divine."

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