Curious.. Is it possible to play tunes with only regulators?

Uilleann Pipes
1

Just wondering =P

Cheers and free period,
Armand

2

Yes…

3

What would be the point of it?

Why not ask - “is it possible to play a banjo with just one string?”

4

Did you see the video of Alain Froment? I thought it was quite melodic. Though chanter assisted it’s a beautiful way to show off regulators.

http://www.napiobairi.com/videos/micketalain/stagemick2.htm
from: http://www.napiobairi.com/

5

What would be the point? Well, it’s fun to do sometimes as a variation and it raises eyebrows if you can really do it well. However, it only works with certain tunes. Tompipes knows a thing or two about these matters.

6

i’ve written a neat one for regs only…somewhat limiting, but it sounds neat…

7

Agreed - though I guess I interpreted the question to be asked as though the questioner wanted to do it as a regular feature. I have an old 78 wax record of Patsy Touhey flying through a reel (don’t recall the name right now) and then suddenly he stops and launches into a brief “toodley-too-too-too-ta-too-too-too” on the regs, which sounds pretty cool incorporated into the tune he was playing (was it ‘Steampacket’, or perhaps ‘Miss McLeod’s’ ? I wish I could recall).

I have played ‘Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee’ on the regs alone just to see how it sounded. It is fun, I suppose, for a one-off thing.

8

You can hear an example of a tune played with regulators by Joe MacKenna: Johnny Mickey’s, on the album the Best of Joe and Antoinette MacKenna. In fact, he plays the tune three or four times, and only once on the regulators (which is enough), and the result is nice.
I play it sometimes in the same way, and as Pat said, it’s fun and it raises eyebrows. :wink:

9

Ooooh I like the video so far even thought it’s taking forever! Ahhh, to see the pipes again in something than photos!

10

Did you see the video of Alain Froment? I thought it was quite melodic. Though chanter assisted it’s a beautiful way to show off regulators

Sheer magical!!!
Thats the best thing I’ve seen/heard on the pipes since I saw Tommy Kearney play the Castles of Dromore!!!

Eddie Potts used to play the Harvest Home Hornpipe on the regulators. It was starting on low G, on the bass regulator. G,DB,DG,DBDgabagf#d- etc.
The Joe McKenna tune is great stuff too. He does a great one handed harmony thing on the Eagles Whistle too.
Tommy

11

Great stuff…pity it takes forever to download.