Anyone ever play one of those chanters that has a drone fitted to it ?I noticed on the front cover of Eugene Lambe’s album “Trip to Fanore” he appear,s to be playing one of these chanters. I suppose it,s of his own making . You don.t see many of them about so they obviously have not caught on ,Would it be useful in the learning process to help keep the chanter in tune or does it have some other purpose?
RORY
Bottom D? so hard it hurts
I remember around the mid or late 1980’s there was a few of those chanters floating around. I don’t remember who was making them but they didn’t seem to catch on but I’d say in a hunderd years they’ll be worth thousands.
Just like the “styleophones”
Tommy
Both Eugene Lambe and Alan Ginzberg made them during the 80s. A friend of mine has a Bflat chanter with a small droen off th side. Works well, it needs a special feed because of interference between the reeds so it’s a bit of hassle making them. i don’t know why they didn’t catch on.
Wow, how cool!.
Does anyone have a sound clip of one that I might be allowed to hear?
I would have to dig very deep for a soundsample, just imagine the sound of a chanter with a tenor drone going.Nothing more exciting than that.
Here a photograph (from 1990 and I know, a not so great one) of Robert van Dyke playing his Ginzberg/Kwisthout B flat with tenor drone, the drone is coming from the top of the chanter, a tube inside the chanter top separates the air supply of the drone from that of the chanter reed
(edited to edit and to insert pic)
I have just the foggiest recollection of these things. A photo would be great Peter.
Reid made a couple of double chanters where one bore was the chanter and the other a drone (1830’s)
They are in the Morpeth Chantry Museum and tucked away in a drawer rather than on display
Found a pic of Eugene Lambe with his chanter w/drone.
Michel Bonami (not unlikely it is the same chanter Eugene has in the pic above):
Tom White , the wexford pipemaker also made some of these chanters , I think wexford piper Ned Wall still play´s´one. In fact I think it had two drones on the wind cap.
…so that drone is always sounding?
t
Looks like it.
I wonder though, if ever someone were so inclined, could an iris be installed at the upper part of the drone near the windcap to shut the drone on/off?
You could stop it with your tongue. Might require off-the-knee playing. Perhaps the upper hand pinky could do the job. Or you could sink it into your pint…
This is a French idea, various French pipes have the small drone set next to the chanter, also the musette de couer has the small chanter riding next to the big chanter. Various Eastern Europe pipes have stuff like this going on.
I didn’t know Reid made these double…droneters? Innersting idea. How about a chanter/regulator combo?
I would think one needs a pretty stable drone reed in that thing to keep it steady while playing the chanter to its fullest.
Eh? More stable than the usual ones? Why?
These drones often have a little switch to turn them off.
I suppose not, it just seemed to me that a practice set featuring this kind of chanter/drone combination would offer too much air pressure to the drone reed… it (air pressure) not being balanced by the other drones.
I have never played one of these combos so I wouldn’t really know. Have you played one Peter? What do you think about them?
And add a gold fish as the aeration of the drone in the pint would keep the oxygen levels up.
BTW…in the photo above there appears to be a little switch at the back of the top of the chanter top which maybe what Peter is refering to.
Are pressure is regulated by the piper not by the number of drones isn’t it?
Yes I have played three or four of them. I don’t like playing a chanter without drones so it’s a good compromise having at least a bit of a buzz going. I remember one which had the drone in a bit of an awkward position and I kept hitting it with one of the fingers, other than that they are fine.
Wow, I did’nt know these things existed. I’ve never seen on before except the one I made about a year ago. I guess it was’nt that unique afterall..
Yes, it is. My point was, one little drone reed and a chanter… not four drone reeds and a chanter… the pressure created by the piper can vary depending on the needs of the chanter’s reed. With more than one drone, the pressure on the drone reeds is is better balanced. One drone reed alone, and it has to bear more pressure.