In advance, I have nothing to do with the Seivane family, but they are undoubtly among the best galician pipe makers here in Galicia. They have just opened a channel in youtube, with some interesting videos. Some of them subtitled in english, so I’m just leaving here the link, in case it can be of interest for people interested in galician bagpipes. You can see there too Susana Seivane, she’s part of the family and a very good galician piper, with very nice recordings…
Have they gotten the hole placement and reed construction down to such a science that they not have to put wax in the finger holes for tuning? ![]()
I was surprised at how mechanized the process was. There must be a pretty big demand for the instrument to support that kind of a workshop. Nothing in Italy even comes close to that in terms of zampogna construction. I always thought the Scapoli, Italy pipe makers where relatively “commercial” churning out pipes for the masses (not that they aren’t built well), but these guys make the scapoli makers look like Gepetto’s workshop. I would gladly give up the electronic engraving machines and computerized hole placements and controlled drying rooms for the experience of walking in a rustic pipe maker’s hovel and feeling like you went back in time 50 years, even if means having to tune your pipes with blobs of wax ![]()
Hehe, well they are really selling a lot, shipping abroad a lot too, specially to some places in southamerica, as there are a lot of descendants of galician emigrants there… The mechanization process apparently has made possible reducing a lot the waiting lists. Some years ago you would wait may be a year for one of their pipes, now apparently -I read it somewhere in their web site, I think-, they can end the pipe in 3 months… They are also using goretex for the bag, which I guess it’s easier to work as leather…
My Dear Friend Ciarameddaru:
The use of wax in Galicia, Asturias, Zamora, Mallorca and other pipers regions has a long historic past. In Mallorca, for example, pipers uses wax not only for holes: they use it for fix the reed to the chanter. In Galicia, some pipers used to put a mix of differents ingredients that makes a black paste for tune all holes properly. Anyway, in Galicia the major part of old pipers were happy when they have tuned the tonic, the third, the fifth and the high-tonic : I follow the same method today.
Today is very difficult to use wax because adhesive tape is quickly. I also like the romantic era of old makers with little house making very personal bagpipes, but Galician Gaita is now a massive instruments played in different countrys, and all players want one of the best instruments of the market: Seivane gaitas. So…It´s normal they need to increase the technical tools for make bagpipes with a reasonable waiting list. I´m lucky, because I have a “very personal” Seivane gaita, with some inlays and personal details, and some chanters of the “old-Seivane”, the father of the actual makers, that begins his maker history in a little town in Galicia, in a very small workshop.