I took delivery of my pipes in the year 2,000 after a 5 year wait. Alain’s waiting list was 14 years when he died. Maybe one of those 14 disappointed people would be interested in this set, a copy of Leo Rowsome pipes.
I told Alain that I would be playing solo slow airs in sacred places, stone circles etc and that a percentage of my playing would be in misty weather. He told me that this set was very forgiving and I found this to be so. I consider them to be priceless but make me a sensible offer.
Fair enough, it just seemed an unlikely maker to copy when making a flat set and not in line with the design he used for C# from at least the early nineties on.
Good luck with the sale.
I was never really a fan of C#. I love the lower pitches B and Bb, and see the utility of Cnat and D. But in the modern context, C# is only practical if you are going to play solo (or you have fiddler friends willing to down-tune).
That said, I did once own a Rogge C# chanter and found it to be very playable with a lovely tone and tuning. I could see the attraction - easier and nicer than D and still having a little punch in the delivery.
I don’t mean to hijack your post and turn it into a referendum on C#. Just wanted to say that despite myself, I’ve gotten to like C#. Best of luck with the sale.
There are plenty of pipers playing C# that I could gladly listen to forever: Séamus Ennis, Neillidh Mulligan, Eanna Drury, Cormac Cannon. Mikie Smyth, Padraig MacMathuna etc etc.
And there are a quite a few Froment C#s going among the French pipers, Patrick Molard, Daniel Hervé etc. (although not ones that are based on Leo Rowsome’s work)
Whatever about this discussion, the fact remains that Leo Rowsome did make some c# sets and separately c# chanters (as did his forebears)but they were quite uncommon. So I stand behind Alain Froment’s statement especially as he is not here to defend it. Can we please now leave this red herring in the sea. THanks
