I’ve got a great chanter with a stable reed, but I still wonder if a penny chanter would be a great idea no matter what. Kind of like a polymer Tipple flute, always good to have around for many different climates etc. ? And finally, is it at all easier for a beginner, or not necessarily?
I used to have one that I used for travel, but I sold it.
A couple of people on this list have not liked them but I have found them relatively easy to reed and very responsive. Tone is not to everyone’s taste but I’ve certainly heard worse. The fact that you can throw it into a suitcase without worry makes it worth consideration as a second/spare chanter IMO, and we use them for learners at the Seamas Ennis Cultural Centre.
I recommend the black Delrin ones, as opposed to the white CPVC ones (yuck!), on aesthetic grounds.
Bill
I would agree but for a different reason than the materials of the chanter itself. David has made great efforts to get his reeds to play in a variety of climates. This information is readily available on his website.
The combination of chanter materials and reed design seems to be what makes the penny chanter so reliable. In that case, and given the cost, you may find it a good investment as a second chanter.
(Note: I have not owned one myself but a student of mine has. I was impressed with it.)
If you are looking for a reliable poly chanter - Rogge or Uilleann Pipeworks of Boston both make full poly varieties - not lined with brass or any other material that expands/contracts at a different rate. The reed however will have the greatest effect on the playability or not of a given chanter set-up.
And a reed is a reed - no matter what the maker says it’s coated with, wether it’s been to space or not, or if Zeus himself passed the very cane from his left nostril - it’s still cane and will still respond the way an uilleann cane reed does to changes in temp. and humidity. Better reeds from better cane made by experienced hands will play wondrously in a surprising variety of temps and climates. They will change with changes in surroundings somewhat, but that’s the nature of the beast. Learning to pipe around it or how to set your chanter and drones/regs up to cope well is one of the many parts of learning to be a piper.