Any Torupill players out there? I have just come across these pipes at a music summer school in Estonia (currently on my way across the country to Tallinn) and love the sound, but I can’t seem to find any details online of makers or costs compared to other pipes. I’d also really like to know how the fingering patterns compare to a standard whistle!
Thanks!
Kat
I myself cannot help you there. But if nothing seems happening, try to contact Sean Folsom or Olle Galmo. I don’t know if they are on c+f, but they are on Facebook.
Recent Bagpipe Society feature on the Toupill. Will try to dig out the info. will contact on FB
Dave.
Andrus Taull is a maker. Here’s his website:
http://www.pillimeister.torupillitalu.ee/indexeng.php
He’s the best-known maker, I believe. I must admit that I’ve been tempted over the years. I enquired a few years back, but managed to rein myself in!
Being half Estonian on my mother’s side, I was excited to discover the Torupill. I ordered a set from Andrus Taul a couple of years ago. He makes a very nice instrument with chromatic capability owing to the extra tone holes and also offers 1, 2, or 3 drones. I just bought a traditional one-drone set, but it would be nice to have two drones and the second (tenor) drone is re-tuneable between D and E with a little tuning switch on the drone top. With just the Bass drone (tuned to G), not all tunes go well with it, so the tenor would be good there.
Andrus is responsive to enquiries and his website (the one provided by Geraint) provides detailed info about tuning, setup and a finger chart. And yes, the fingering is fairly straight forward and not too far removed from a tiin whistle fingering except you also use your bottom hand little finger and both thumbs also have holes - the bottom hand thumb hole is to play Bb.
The bag is hide lined with gortex so it is airtight and needs no seasoning. There is a moisture trap in the blowpipe to collect condensation and dribble.
Andrus appears at 4:25 in this video (after his father Ants):
I’ve been wondering about this myself… Does anyone have an approximate range of how much it costs to get a set made?
A one-drone set from Andrus Taul in Feb 2012 cost me 480€ plus a nice soft carry case for 57€. That was three and a half years ago.
Less than I would have expected. Thanks for the info, I may have to get me a set.