I’ve a question/survey I’d like to propose. I’ve always found that for myself, the stop works better when positioned in the back. That is, so that I can hold the key (thus stopping the chanter) with my thumb. I know many people seem to have the stop key oriented towards the front of the chanter. It seems to me, that it is more efficient having it in back. As I can let go of it, and cover my back D without even so much as one squeak escaping the chanter…whereas, when oriented towards the front I am unable to do so.
So (long breath), my question is, what is everyone else’s preferences? Is it rather up to personal preference and varies? Or am I the only oddball out here?
boyd, could you elaborate on the design of the stop key within the bag? i have many design thoughts about this and would like to know what you’ve seen.
thanks,tansy
[ This Message was edited by: tansy on 2003-01-16 10:11 ]
I think you’ll find the old pipes all had their stopkey on the back. Listen to any 78 rpm and you’ll hear they finish with a sqeek on back D, it took me a while to figure out they were grabbing the stop key at that point.
Somewhere along the line people started twisting the head, putting the key on the fro t and these days everybody thinks that’s how it should be. Start looking at old pics and you’ll find at least all the Taylors have the key on the back. I was playing Willie Clancy’s old Coyne B at some point when Geoff Wooff had it, there was light coming in from a window on the left and whiel playign I spotted vaguely the stamp of M. Egan. Now this pointed firstly to the set being a bits and pieces item cobbled together but as it had the stop-key on the front and the name on the back I think we can assume safely Michael Egan originally had a stop-key facing the player in mind.
Robbie Hannan’s set in B has a neck stop.
When he’s tuning the drones etc he uses his left thumb to push something inside the end of the neck and thereby occlude the air passage to the chanter.
I don’t know the exact design as it’s hidden from view [one of the advantages].
I think in ending a piece that the player empties the bag so that the drones don’t grumble or make rude noises.
Most stop-keys I have seen are above the hole for back-D. Britton also makes a twist-top stop. I haven’t seen this, so I’m not familiar with it, but it seems like it would be relatively easy to engineer.
Davy , it sounds like common sence to me . Ive played both and I like to have the stop key in the back . It is not in the way , and is easier to get to without thinking about it . That is really important when you are on stage . Though having the key in the front is elegant and people can see it ,I suppose . my 3 centavos.
Boyd…the stop key on my flat set is basically a larger version of a violin peg, with a larger hole drilled in the shaft where the string would normally go through, and tapered for a friction fit. Turn it a quarter of a turn and the hole lines up for air to pass through. Tighten it to stay just like a violin peg.
The peg on mine sits at the top of the wooden reed cap, right under the goose neck. I can imagine the same thing in the neck of the bag.
Robbie has no stop key on his set. He just seals the inner bag chanter stock with his thumb, that’s all. He sometimes just removes the chanter and seals the outer chanter stock hole. Gay McKeon, among others, does this too.
that is good if the reeds are played in enough to allow for a short time to tune them . but who wants to hear 4 minutes of pipes being tuned , and the extra control of the stop key is welcome in my book . A small inovation , releaves a big headache . Of course ,“the virtue of patience is patience .”
[ This Message was edited by: tok on 2003-01-18 23:12 ]