Hi folks. I’m looking for some advice from more experienced minds than mine. I am upgrading my practice set to a half set. One of the options on the half set is a chanter stop key. It increases the cost but I can afford it. What I want to know is just how useful/important/necessary a chanter stop key is. I’m getting a good set so I don’t want to stinge on something I’ll later want but I don’t want to waste money either on something that won’t give a lot of value. I would be grateful to hear some informed opinions. Cheers, John
Simplicity is really important for the novice. Every joint is potential source for leaks. It is mighty useful to have a foolproof/leakproof chanter top, whether or not you have a stop top as well. When you get to be a master piper, those little kinds of doodads are handy, but they will always add an element of @#$%^&*()!.
Can you tell us who the maker is? And, what type of stop key he offers?
Bob
I am finally and slowly working in the drones into the few tunes that I can kind of play. Tuning the drones to the Chanter is the best way to tune them, but I find myself taking the chanter out and covering the bag up to fine tune the other drones…a key would be nice for that alone. But, as someone already said…just one more thing to go wrong…it’s a non stop battle with these things…isn’t…guess thats part of the fun…good luck on moving forward…cheers.
A stop key is useful but not essential. It won’t make your pipes sound any better and will probably cost you in the region of $200.
I like having a stop key.
me too
I would like to have a stop key.
If you are ever going to have a 3/4 or full set, you will wish you had a stop key, because it makes tuning everything much easier. I don’t have one and really wish I had thought to ask for one. When I want to tune either regs or drones --ESPECIALLY regs – it’s interminable:
Play the A against what I’m tuning, be dissatisfied, take the chanter out of the bag neck, put it down, block the hole with my forefinger, pump the bag up, adjust the tuning, put the chanter back in the bag, pump up, play the A again, not satisfied with the tuning, take the chanter out and put it down, block the hole, pump up the bag again, fiddle with the tuning some more, put the chanter back in, pump up the bag…around and around in a circle…
If I had a stop key I could just play the A, then cut it off and tune, then release the stop key and hear it again immediately against what I’m tuning…so much easier!!!
If you’re in this for the long haul, I say get a stop key.
errmm…why not just fold or twist the bag neck 
Agree w/ uillmann-“simplicity for starters”. 
otoh, chanter stop keys are essential for smokin hot reg solos.
Like!
The chanter sometimes comes loose unexpectedly when I do that – wouldn’t want it to hit the floor…
P.S. love the “pint” emoticon!!
I used to tune with the bag-strangling method but I often had trouble with the bag neck leaking. I spent more time trying to gather fistfuls and folds of bag neck whilst keeping the chanter from flying off than I did tuning. And despite my best efforts I still got chanter leaks & squawks sometimes. Now I do what KAD describes above and find it much more effective.
But I still think I’d like a stop key.
Many thanks for all the input. I’m enjoying it so much I do think regs will be on the agenda at some stage so its sounding like it would have real value. The set is being made by Ian MacKenzie (Simack) but I haven’t enquired about the type of stop key he does. Didn’t know there were different types. Thanks again, and happy piping to all.
By the way, I was hearing good things about the Daye chanter so I ordered one and have just received it. Its excellent. Good reed and well in tune chanter.
In conversation, David Daye has said he he has prototyped a ‘petcock’ type of stop using a twisting of the Crown atop the reed-cap. Of course he is not the first to suggest such a device. They are robust and relatively trouble free, but not nearly as convenient as the long-keyed type of arrangement you usually see on the reed windcaps. Even these have several types of valves ( of varying fussiness/fragility). Both David and I have had to at one time or another re-solder bits on the long keyed stop-key after years of service. Search around in the archives, I seem to remember someone posting diagrams of three or four different types of stops.
The Penny-chanter is awesome, and his reeds are seemingly bullet-proof.
Bob
I love my stop key. Once you get one, it’s hard to go back. It makes tuning drones / regs really easy. I think it’s worth the extra dough!
I agree…I find it a pain to be without one. I’ve had them on 4 or 5 different chanters and they all worked flawlessly. My experience is that it has been a very low maintenance item to keep airtight and working right.