whats the difference between narroww & widebore chanters, in relation to sound & ease of use ???
I leave the nuts and bolts to those who like to get into it deeper, so in a nutshell but without wishing to generalise as there are exceptions -
Wide bore (typically concert D) -
*louder (although I’ve played some pretty loud narrow bore Ds and some pretty quiet wide bores too)
*less air pressure required (at least in comparing my wide bore D with all the flat chanters I’ve played so far which all seem to require at least 1 and half to two times as much bag pressure.
Narrow bore -
*Generally quieter
- Require more bag pressure (see above - though others will disagree)
*Some argue they have more subtle characteristics of intonality that wide bore chanters don’t, but the converse could also be argued - personal opinion - not meaning one lacks what the other has, just that they both have their own unique characteristics hence some pipers will only play wide bore concert and vice-versa.
- I reckon they are like comparing oboes with co angliais - similar in shape and structure but almost completely different instruments.
Cheers,
DavidG
The other difference is that you can’t play a narrow bore chanter stupidly fast. There’s only a couple of tunes I know where I go at breakneck speed (e.g., Flogging Reel, etc) though…
In terms of the bass drone, it can be like the other drones and you don’t need the extra bend either.
Which way am I going to go? This extra difference has made me slightly undecided on which will go well for my style of playing. Quieter and mellow can be a good thing in a session because, too many times, if you make a mistake on a loud set, everyone WILL hear!
On the other hand, whistle players and occassionally fiddle players are renown for playing tunes at 120 beats per minute or even 130 for certain tunes! In that situation, you’ve got a choice, either join in and don’t worry about gettting all the nice fiddly piping bits in or just don’t play. My usual reel speed is about 95bpm to 105 bpm, to 110bpm at the fastest end (e.g., flogging reel when played with fast whistle players in a session). It’s probably best to stay out of the set that goes stupid but sometimes it CAN be fun to go nuts!!
With a narrow bore, you’ve only got one choice. Don’t play if they’re trying to beat the speed limits…
On slower playing though, you’ve got the nice mellow tone that adds extra character to your tunes.
It’s a difficult trade off! Until now, I didn’t know the above difference. Has anyone got any preferrences that they can tell me about?
Kind regards
Andy
you can’t play a narrow bore chanter stupidly fast.
I don’t think that generalization holds up very well. The easiest example of course, is Robbie Hannan who plays fast, clean, and complicated on his flat pitch (ie, narrow bore) pipes.
I owned a Wooff narrow bore D half set. That chanter allowed me to play staccato far better than any medium to wide bore I had tried. It was NOT suited for airs. If that’s your style of play, go wide bore.
Hmm…my ole’ tutor plays a Geoff Wooff narrow bore set and he didn’t seem to have much problems…then again, he’s not one for Davy Spillane style slow airs either so it’s probably his style. He does fine with slow airs on it though.
I’m a bit of a mixed player, staccato and open although I was taken to Ray McNamara’s staccato style in a BIG way! He’s a bit toooooo good and I’m amazed at what he can do! His brother Brian is equally brilliant although I’ve not spoken to him.
Seems like you can play fast then on a narrow bore if you know what you’re doing…hmm…I’ve heard so many conflicting things here. It’s not as black and white as I first thought!
Any more ideas?
Cheers!
Andy
Really guys. there’s a load of strange things being said in this thread and this is only the latest of them.
Geoff designed the narrow bore to achieve the tone colourings a flat chanter is capable of. It does not sound like a wide bore D but it is, like a flat chante r and in the right hands ofcourse, far better suited to handle the tonal nuances requiered for air playing.
Willie Clancy said his father firmly believed that ‘the chanter is the next best thing to the human voice to tackle airs. And he meant the flat chanter ofcourse, not the loud concert pitch ones’.
Whether or not one can play stupidly fast, or airs, or whatever is not the fault of the chanter. People seem to think that playing fast on long chanters is not possible but as pointed out above, refer to Hannan, Ennis. As for airs, I like airs played on wide bore chanters because they give characterisitcs to the sound that narrow bore cannot, conversely I also like airs played on narrow chanters because they give characteristics that wide bore cannot.
Cheers,
DavidG
The holes on a narrow bore are smaller and almost impossible to feel with your fingers…so you have to learn where they are rather than relying on touch. With a wide bore the holes are generally larger and easier to find (and get covered completely).
Listen to them both as they each have their own characteristics…just depends on what you like.
-gary
Assuming you have a complete nervous system - that “problem” will fade away in a matter or hours. Feel the holes! BAH! 
PD.
If you are talking concert pitch, 99 out of 100 D concert pitch chanters made are ‘wide-bore’ and have become the de facto standard. Narrow-bore has been an attempt to re-create the sounds of sets played in the 19th century; those chanters have some charm and some limitations.
OK, OK… in a hurry to make a comment and I used a poor choice of words.
The Wooff set came to me as a ‘working set’ and that it had been recently re-reeded by Craig Fisher. What I found was (of the two reeds) the spare reed didn’t play at all and the good reed hardly played.
I sent it off to Brad Angus for reeding (under his protest) and it came back with a really nice reed that was both in-tune and easy to play. From memory, I don’t recall noticing too much difference in playing pressure and amount of air needed to play. Volume on a DB meter wasn’t too much quieter than other D chanters I owned at the time.
Nuances? not really. Would a more experienced piper have a better time with it than me? Definately. My comments over a year ago about this chanter was that the narrow bore seemed to have a sonic difference. I’ve seen in mentioned about other instruments, especially whistles… and I think the same dynamics apply. It allowed me to play faster than on a wide bore D and the notes seemed crisper, or more precise… as in “I was less sloppy”
My preference for airs in D is still on a wide bore.
Actually my all time favorite is Evertjan 't Hart’s Return to Clifden performed on an old keyless B chanter.
You probably remember how Eugene Lambe always compared a new chanter to a new woman and how you have to feel them up to find the holes. 
Well, if that fails, you can always ask her if she wants a go on your pipe!
Okay, now I’m definitely none-the-wiser over which way I should go (wide bore or narrow). Luckily I’ve got a month before I have to decide which way my mopane pipes are going to go…
I’ll just have to listen to various pipers on CD and see whose’ playing what and what I like the sound of.
Any ideas as to who is playing what amongst the famous pipers?
Liam, Spillane, Robbie Hannan, Lunasa, etc…
It doesn’t normally say on the CD’s I’ve got. Something I must investigate further! Of course, nothing beats seeing the reel thing in action and in sound…so I’ll just have to ask about too.
Kind regards
Andy Parnell
Andy, if you can make it why not come to the next North West Uilleann Pipers meeting in Manchester, Wednesday evening next week.
We normally get between 12 and 20 pipers with a variety of pipes, mostly D but usually a few flat sets. You’d get to hear things first hand then.
Here’s a link to our website with info on our monthly meetings:
David
Hi David
Thanks for the offer! Unfortunately, I’m working down at the Glastonbury Festival so will not be able to make it.
However, there will come a time when I’m up that way and will be happy to drop by no doubt.
Cheers!
Andy 
Just to revisit the speed issue:
People seem to think that playing fast on long chanters is not possible
I do find some chanters easier than others, though. I think it boils down to how well your hands are able to stay relaxed in whatever stretch is required. I find it easier on relatively shorter stretches, though you get used to the longer stretch by practice. Some chanters, most noticeable in the bottom hand, are designed will smaller/different spacings than others. I find that makes some chanters more comfortable than others, and makes the switch between concert and flat ~essentially~ unnoticeable.
For example, I have a couple B chanters by different makers, one being 17" the other 17 5/8". On the bottom hand especially, the longer chanter actually has an overall smaller stretch and different spacings, and is noticeably more comfortable for it. When I only had the 17" B chanter, I played on a C (dunno if 16" or 16 1/2": it was a Lambe) which for whatever reason, felt less comfortable than the 17. I didn’t measure the spacings, but in (faulty?) hindsight I assume it was one reason (another being block placement and overall shape).
Andy, reiterating what Jim mentioned, the wide bore concert pitch D chanter is the de facto standard. Out of the pipers you listed, Hannan is the odd man out, as he plays a very old flat pitch (narrow bore) B set.
True, but to say that narrow bore chanters are better for playing fast (or slow) whereas wide bore are better for playing slow (or fast) as seemed to be the point at issue has nothing to do with the type of chanter, but the type of fingers.
Cheers,
DavidG