So, i don’t know too much about chanter lengths, so maybe someone can help me out. I was looking around on Tiarnan O Duinnchinn’s website and i noticed that he plays a 14 inch boxwood chanter. I was wondering if this is the standard length, or whether this was something special. I have never measured out my chanter. I am asking because I LOVE the way his chanter sounds! If you get a chance you should go to the downloads section of his website and watch the two live videos on there. It will blow your mind!
No true standard lengths. But 14" probably plays a bit sharp. I believe most D chanters are around 14.5" these days. But I’m sure it depends on the reed and bore designs as well. One of mine is about 14 and 3/8", and the other 14.6". Both play in D just fine but have different bore, throat, and hole sizes as well as different reed designs.
My Pat Stones D narrow bore is 14.5" or 368.3 mm
My Andreas Rogge D wide bore is 14.44" or 367 mm
My first chanter by Belfast maker Brendan O’Hare was similar size to the Wilbert Garvin book “the construction and maintenance” chanter length which is 14.25" or 362 mm
He told me to go there when we talked during the trip from and to the airport when he was at our last tionol.
Very nice guy and a very good player, he did tell me the maker of the chanter but i forgot..
The rest of the set he plays is Williams if anyone wonders.
“Tiarnán also plays an Eamonn Curran concert pitch boxwood 14 inch chanter and a B-flat chanter made by Brendan O Hare.”
He is looking for a site to sell his CD (yes, he’s making one )
The idea is to be able to buy the cd online, not just the whole cd but people should be able to download one track for a small amount of money if they so wish.
If anyone can help him with that he will appreciate any input of companies/sites that do this.
That concludes my postings for this year.
Rick
Edit: Tiarnan’s site IS working today, added who made his chanters
Not the best sounding chanter I’ve heard of Eamonn Curran’s but its all there and it dos have a nice sweet tone to it, but he can make it talkk! Very nice playing. all the best,
I am trying to figure out exactly what it is i like about his chanter. I feel like like it has alot to do with the boxwood. I don’t know very much about different wood types. How would boxwood differ from some of the other types of wood used?
Boxwood dos give a warm & sweet tone to a chanter, but Eamonn Curran is also a excellent reedmaker, don’t forget the reed will also be adding some of its characteristics to the overal sound of the chanter, which this one dos sound sweet like a narrow bore chanter, but it is a concert pitch chanter.
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all the best, 