Hi guys,
I swear I tried to search but could not get hits on these terms although I know I have read them in this very forum:
Any other variations or differing terms on D’s or other notes on the UP?
All the best,
E.
You get a “hard bottom D” by putting slightly more pressure on the bag when playing the bottom D (lowest/bottom note on the chanter) usually preceded by a cut on a higher note (i use the A note)
Good chanters also have hard Eb and hard E.
If the throat of the chanter is too wide the hard D is hard to maintain or even to get at all.
Hard bottom D sounds more harsh/hard than a normal bottom D, that’s
where it got the name i guess.
Back D, the hole/note on the back of the chanter you have your left hand thumb on (if you are righthanded) hence the name.
It’s an octave above bottom D.
Top D (it’s called that right?) the 3rd octave D obtained by “running up” the second octave and crossfingering.
Ghost D, second octave “Eb”
Eivind, you should address these questions directly to Peter. 
At the risk of setting him off again …
If you play the bottom note on the D chanter, i.e. with the chanter bottom open and all tone holes covered, you get a bottom D. If you open this bottom D quickly and with a bit of extra pressure, you will then get a stronger, more strident tone. This is the “hard D”. If you hold this note long enough you will hear it eventually drop down in intensity to a regular bottom D. Bottom D and hard D should be in tune with each other if the reed is set up correctly, but the hard D carries additional harmonics. Sometimes just lifting the chanter off the leg is not sufficiently fast or sharp enough a movement to obtain a hard D. In this case, the bottom D is initially cut with an A plus the extra pressure to obtain the hard D.
“Back D” refers to the middle D on the chanter. The tone hole for this is located on the back of the chanter, as opposed to the other tone holes which are located on the front of the chanter, ergo the term “back D”.
Hope that helps,
djm
I win! ;p
Rick, good for you.
I have found that a reed sensitive enough to get a hard Eb or E is also the first reed to close up when the air gets very dry, so I might try for it on a summer reed, but not on a heavier winter reed. Good point, though.
djm
I was just kidding of course djm. 
Both answering, one presses submit earlier.., who cares! 
My chanter always plays those 3 bottom notes hard, winter or summer, it doesn’t matter and i have just one chanter reed.
Do you have 2 reeds then? one for each time of year? 
Maybe the difference is more extreme than where i live?
Rick, absolutely different. Search for climate, dry, etc. to see this subject has come up several times.
Where I am, the relative humidity can go from 10% to 60% in a day. Thin sensitive reeds can close right up when it gets dry. In the winter here it is mostly dry: rh 10% - 20% and down to -25C. In the summer it can vary from 40% to 90%, very hot and humid and up to 40C.
djm
I have heard some old timers refer to the “hard D” as the “hard way D”.
I guess they meant it was harder to obtain. I never heard of the regular D refered to as being the “soft D”.
Ted
All’s relative ofcourse. I have never heard of it referred to, or considered it, as ‘regular D’ . The tutors i learned from always maintained hard D is the only proper D on the chanter and frankly I think they are right, though I have come across some quirky chanters that seemed to think otherwise.
Peter, I agree with you (God, what are we coming to?). I just don’t have a correct, legally-binding, official term for a bottom D that isn’t hard. The terms are used here only for sake of discussion. You may recall that there have been several posts where some people note that they can’t attain the hard D, and others have offered different rushing solutions. Also, many chanters can attain hard D, but can’t hold it forever. Mine is one of these.
If you have a better term than “soft” or “regular” bottom D to differentiate from hard bottom D that would be helpful.
djm
Burn it!
HardD is a company that makes bagpipes. They’re much better than Naill or Kentail.
Ennis calls them the “soft bottom” and “hard bottom” D’s. You need lots of fiber in your diet, apparently! He also calls a fingerhole a stop. Pipers, start stopping!
Paddy Keenan doesn’t seem to have a hard D on some recordings; then it sounds like he does on others…with an easy reed you need to practice blowing easier on the bottom few notes, since if you keep pushing hard coming from the hard D you’ll suddenly find yourself in the 2nd octave. Just the right amount of pressure. I add just a hint of pressure at the end of the cran, to get the hard D, or hard E.
HardD is a company that makes bagpipes. They’re much better than Naill or Kintail.
Har, har. R.G. Hardie, “Maker of the world’s finest bagpipes.” By appointment to HRH The Queen, The Queen’s Honourable Corgi Bitches, HRH The Prince of Wales, etc.
Apparently, back in the '60s, Hardie turned out some pretty sweet chanters that are now quite sought after. Their newer ones aren’t so spectacular. I play a set of Hardie drones, but had little use for the chanter that came with them.
Hamish Moore now makes Highland pipes in Bb with chanters based on the old “classic” Hardies and drones based on early 20th century “classic” Hendersons.
So did Shakespeare. Remember that bit in Hamlet? “Will you play upon this pipe, etc., etc.?” (No, not “woolen pipes” in this case. I think he was talking about a recorder.)