Bellows, Bellows, Bellows

Uilleann Pipes
1

Probably most people search for the holy grail chanters, but in my case thats the bellows.

I had chance to own 4 different bellows in the past and all of them had at least one of the next issues:

  • inefficient (designed with dead moment, so clappers move several cm before starting to push the air out)
  • started to leak (designed with leather which will need seasoning sooner or later)
  • noisy (I could hear them while playing my loud D chanter)

Since there are several options for bellows these days (I have a long list), I wanted to ask for advice which maker actualy makes them without any of mentioned issues (zero dead moment, no need for seasoning, silent)?

I would prefer the answer from someone who tried many different bellows 1st hand. Thank you for help.

2

To be honest the dead movement is probably just an inefficient valve, either on the bellows on in your bag. A new valve should sort you out. I used to have one weighted down with a coin on the inside, really helped. Might also cure the noise too!

Jason

3

The rolls royce bellows
RORY

4

I have a set of Michael Dow bellows and they are absolutely magnificent.

5

I do not play the uilleann pipes but as my family has been making them for more than 25 years, I do have a practice understanding of the pipes and bellows.

I personally do not like seeing a uillean piper hacking away on their bag like they are chopping wood. To me it gives the feeling of urgency like when a GHB player plays with a small bag and many short breaths.

Aesthetically it is also not pleasant on the eye. To the ear, the music is flowing yet, to my eye the piper’s actions look desperate and urgent, especially with plaintive tunes.

This girl can play the chanter and has good bag control but looks like she is chopping wood with her bellows arm, flapping like a seagull, and then that great thump just as she takes up the slack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P40YOU8ggJk

The bloke in this video looks like he is relaxed and not rushed at all with his bellows arm. No flapping like a seagull and he does not appear to hit an urgent stop once he has taken up the slack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfhbik61V20

The answer is in the design of the bellows.

Note how Calum Stewart uses a straighter sided tear-drop bellows design and the size, (capacity) of the bellows is larger than conventional teardrop designs. The straighter sides remove much of the excess leather so the slack is much reduced, there is your answer.

We make extended hexagon (coffin) shaped bellows and there is almost no slack to take up. We strongly recommend this design for learners because of the small slack and larger capacity. Like with the GHB pipes, the transition from squeeze to blow is where there is the greatest potential for error, so fewer breaths mean fewer chances for error. No different on the uilleann, especially on the second octave.

With the better designed bellows, you are pumping less times per minute because of the larger capacity and because you are not hacking at the bellows to get to the take-up point, the right hand is able to remain more stable because there is no jerk from the take-up and no sudden stop to put pressure on the right wrist and fingers.
We have never had a piper try the extended hexagon bellows and state that their teardrop design bellows was better, never!

For anyone interested in the exact specs and materials, Murray is very open and obliging with his specs and if you look at his videos, you will see the difference immediately. As he makes the pipes and reeds and plays most weeks in a pub band, he is better suited than I to give information from the player’s perspective. His email, murrayjackson@xtra.co.nz

Cheers

G

6

It’s really hard to beat Kelleher bellows. They’re airtight, sturdy and hard-wearing without being too heavy, and they look great. Their customer service is also superb. I supply them to virtually all my customers now.

The small size is big enough for most people, even for full sets. But if you prefer a larger bellows their full size model is plenty big.

kellehertrad.com

7

Good day billh

Do you have any video links of pipers using these bellows? We do not possess one and are interested to see how well designed they are to cope with slack.

Cheers

G

8

The bellows in Callum’s YouTube clip is a Thomson bellows, so that’s another option, looks good.
RORY

9

The bellows in Callum Steward’s YouTube clip is a Thomson bellows, so that’s another option, looks good.
RORY

10

The bellows in Callum Steward’s YouTube clip is a Thomson bellows, so that’s another option, looks good.
RORY

11

Hi, I tried to find people playing Kelleher bellows with UIlleann pipes (many people do), but it’s hard to see the bellows in a lot of videos! Apologies to the wrong bagpipe, but I happen to know that this gentleman sells almost all his smallpipes and Border pipes with Kelleher bellows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJhIEjXDffc

12

Just in case you didn’t hear me the first time! This new format is taking a bit of getting used to.
RORY

13

While we are talking about bellows, are there any good budget bag and bellows sets out there? I was thinking of trying to get a cheap bag and bellows set, and then find a good deal on a used chanter, to get into UP for as cheap as possible. There seems to be a lot of good synthetic bags out there, but bellows seem a lot harder to find.

Also I hate to ask it, but does anyone have any info on the Geoffrey Pakistani bellows on ebay? According to this thread at least http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewtopic.php?t=26849&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0, the pakistani bellows being talked about were fine. I wonder if the Geoffrey are similar.

14

Thanks elbowmusic

The Kelleher looks like a well made bellows and it plays with very little slack. Because we make bellows we see the design and shaping of the leather is very well designed and this helps make a bellows pleasant to play.
This video is a well credentialed GHB piper playing his bellows pipes. He looks to me like he is hacking away at a log with an axe. An example of a poorly designed bellows, not that I am criticizing the quality of the materials or workmanship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87GIF2kHRdQ

Look at this video for a comparison. The closest piper seems very smooth while the bloke down the other end is really hacking away at the bellows. Think of what a beginner would be experiencing using the bellows with all that slack.

I believe that whatever you have to spend to get a well designed bellows is money well spent, especially for someone just taking up the craft.

Cheers

G

15

oops, forgot the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcgBFrqqq5c

I was only referencing the first performance with the three players.

16

Hi Narzog

Geoffrey is a Pakistani brand. If you are looking to go cheap then getting a Geoffrey practice set for the bag and bellows and ditching the chanter then buying one of Kenny MacNichol’s 3D printed chanters would be the cheapest option.

David

17

Thanks for the information David. I’m currently sniffing around for a used starter set, but I’ll keep that in mind as an option. I exist to get a good deal, so things like buying a Pakistani set for the cheap bellows is totally something I’d do haha.

18

My first reaction when I read this was “all of them”. I know it’s cheeky and flippant, but in 45 years of playing the uilleann pipes I’ve never played bellows that had any of those issues. Would a legitimate maker send out bellows like that? If so, shame on them.

I’ve seen horrid bellows, the ones that come on Pakistani pipes. But I don’t regard those as being from “legitimate makers”.

There are leaky bellows out there for sure! Old ones, ones that need attention of one kind or another.

Once I saw Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains pumping like mad, him only playing the chanter! I don’t know if it was the bellows, or bag, or both that were leaking.

I will say that, to me, many of the bellows that come on uilleann pipes and Scottish and Northumbrian smallpipes seem awfully small. I want capacious bellows.

19

I will say that, to me, many of the bellows that come on uilleann pipes and Scottish and Northumbrian smallpipes seem awfully small. I want capacious bellows.

I well remember Joe McKenna, during the early eighties, using the bellows Leo Rowsome made for him whe nhe was starting the pipes as a child. They were small but seemed to do the job very well.

During the mid eighties I had a C set by Robbie Hughes. It came with a set of bellows that seemed surprisingly small, they openened a long way so I suspect they actually had a volume similar to bellows with larger clappers. Whatever the way, it was surprisingly comfortable to use and I never ran out of air or had to excessively work them.

I have been playing a hinged bellows since 1986, no leaks there although the leather is starting to show some wear. It will likely last my term though.

Pakistan made bags and bellows? It’s all false economy.

20

With a metal hinge? I’ve always wanted bellows like that, they seem to work so smoothly.

You see old bellows where there are two holes drilled in the front of each cheek and a cord going round, which seems like a wobbly way of doing things.

The ones I’ve played have a piece of thick leather curving around the front forming a hinge of sorts, which works well enough.

But it seems the best way to remove all wobble is with an actual metal hinge.