okay - plans and pics will be posted as soon as possible, but the brass tubing chanter is done and plays pleasantly and in tune.
For now, this info will have to suffice -
reed - #5 plastic from Philadelphia Cream Cheese 12oz tub
chanter uses no pvc - looks not unlike a tinwhistle from the outside
bore - based off Bruce Childress chanter
holes - tailored for the chanter - Bruce’s holes didn’t work because wall thickness varies from his over much of the length
sound - not unlike the penny chanter sound files available on David Daye’s site: not quite so “sharp” or “biting” - a bit mellower, but very much similar.
materials - $19.95 (tubing and superglue - tubing cutter was $4.95)
time to make another using the same directions - 30mins
Bag, bellows, and cap are next…then drones based off the measurements in Wilbert Garvin’s book…
pictures and plans will be posted as soon as I get the pictures developed (they’re the first five on a roll) - havent’ figured out how to do sound stuff yet - I’d love to get some up on my own website…
It sounds really fascinating… Have you an idea for a main stock? I have been thinking about augmenting my penny chanter practice set with drones based on the brass tubing plans from David Daye’s website which he assures me will work. Have you checked these out yet? Any opinions of these as opposed to the Garvin plans? Right now I’m trying to figure out exactly how to come up with a workable, cheap main stock to plug drones into. I believe a length of 2 3/4"-3" diameter PVC pipe would serve well but what to put on the outside end to be airtight and hold the drones I’m not clear on. Any suggestions? I can be reached directly at Kpolacheck@mail.utexas.edu.
one of my goals with this is to see if i can do it without using any pvc. I think the brass just looks so much nicer and I don’t think all the trouble described in David Daye’s drone method. In looking at Garvin’s book the tenor and baritone drones should only require three straight pieces of tubing. I have a tubing bender for the bass drone that I’m going to call “plan A” The thing I’m anticipating the most difficulty with is gong to be the bass regulator, for obvious reasons.
no, I’m not. I’ve got the bottom part of the chanter and the reed. I’m right now working on bellows, bag, and cap. My next step is drones, bass drone last. My comment was that it’s going to be tricky I’m sure to come up with a simple, no solder method for that bass reg extension.
One of the things I’m wondering is if I couldn’t eliminate the trumpet bend in the bass drone by using a different diameter bore. The equipment I have for it seems rather simple, and if I get it to work right off the way it’s supposed to then I won’t need to experiment with eliminating the bends.
Instead of eliminating the bends in the bass drone, maybe it would work to use some sort of flexible tubing for the bends. Has anyone tried this? Obviously the straight sections would need to be attached to each other in some way, since the bends would not hold them in place. I haven’t tried it yet but it seems like it would work if you could find the right diameter tubing.
I’m thinking about trying to build some drones to go with my Penny Chanter. I’d prefer to use brass for the bends in the bass drone, but having never tried to bend tubing before, it seems like it would be hard.
There are ‘H’ style bass drone extensions for those who don’t want to bend tubing. Check your phone book for a machine shop. They usually have the tooling and expertise to bend tubing. You can have them just make that part.
After designing and prototyping a chanter in a couple of weeks with no previous instrument building experience, why shouldn’t he have already started on a bass regulator, Tony?
I don’t really appreciate the sarcasm - and I do have instrument building experience (whistles, bugle, violins, harps). when jqpublick was debating about narrow or wide bore chanters I called him so he could hear the different (and quiet) wide bore chanters that I have. While he was on the line, he wanted to hear the brass one, too. He said it sounded surprisingly good, so while I can’t yet post a sound file, hopefully he will post his thoughts on its sound here as sort of a “character witness” until I can. Kindly suspend your disbelief until you’ve heard it.
as far as bending is concerned…don’t forget the “trumpet” bend in the bass drone - remember they have three bends, not just one. would an H joint work for all three?
Go for it Antaine,I’m with ya…have you thought about a middle reg instead of a bass that way you wouldna have to worry about soldering and as for bends ye don’t need them try a concentric drone(ie tubes within each other) ye will be able to do it .Sarcasm is best ignored.
Good luck
Slan go foill
Uilliam
Who was being sarcastic? After designing a chanter so quickly and easily, a Bass regulator should be relatively simple. Theoretically you could even use a cylindrical bore for the regulator as you wanted to do with the chanter a few weeks ago. There is no need, after all, to be jumping octaves as you need to with a chanter.
well, then you have my apologies if you were not being disingenuous. that’s actually the plan, when i get that far…
two things especially are going to be tricky with regs as far as I can see - 1) the keys on the brass tubing - altho I have seen suggestions out there for putting keys on Daye pennychanters so I think I can modify them to work (remember, the watchwords here are cheap, quick, minimum of equipment (hence no solder)) and 2) the turnaround for the bass reg airflow off the mainstock. I’m not sure how I can keep this “simple” and solder-free (though I have a thought to use bent tubing on the outside of the mainstock).
my ultimate goal at the moment is to develop plans for a full set that take around three or four hours to assemble, and can be done without special equipment (tho a drill press is recommended) or much craft knowledge.
Well, after that command performance call from Antaine, I now have to put in my two cent’s worth.
I spoke to Antaine to hear the difference between two chanters and while we were talking he mentioned that he had the brass chanter more or less ready to go, so he played it a bit for me (just mouth blowing) and I have to admit I was very surprised.
It sounded clean and clear and well modulated and about as in tune as I could ably judge while listening to someone half a continent away mouth blow a chanter while three or four feet from their telephone. That said, I’m kinda amazed at the quality of the sound.
Now, Antaine had played a Pakistani pipe that had been worked on by Tim Bretton (correct me if I’m wrong, Antaine), then a chanter that Tim had made himself, and then, later, the brass chanter. It sounded better than the reworked chanter, and not as good as the Tim Bretton chanter, but overall it sounded fine, much much better than I thought it would. I was, to put a point to all this, surprised.
I commented to my girlfriend about it when I hung up the phone, that this brass chanter (and I had had this more or less Frankensteinian image in my head) could sound that good.
So. there you go. I’m still going to buy a half-set from Joe Kennedy but I am interested in how this brass chanter got made (details, details, details) as having a nockabout chanter that sounds pretty good would be a great thing for going to places you’re not too sure about (camping, etc.) or lending one out to a friend or young child to foooter about with. No offense meant, Antaine, it DID sound really good over the phone.
