Pardon my ignorance, but what is “half-hole” fingering? I know this is the technique used on borderpipes. Is it similar to GHB fingering? Is it similar to tin whistle playing? Does it mean covering a note halfway? Most importantly, is it easy to learn?
Thanks,
Shan
That’s the one. It’s used for accidentals outside the
key the chanter/flute/tinwhistle usually plays in.
Cross-fingering is more commonly used on border pipes. The only half-holing is usually when pinching up to high B.
not to be confused with ‘half-closed’ fingering.
‘half-holing’ (yes, youre right) is not covering the hole completely.
Is it difficult? depends on which hole youre trying to ‘half-hole’.
Recorder players use it often, particularly with the left thumb.
Yes, actually I meant Half-closed fingering (shows what I know). I’m curious about this technique because I like the sound of the borderpipes and was trying to figure it out.
Thanks again
1/2 closed fingering is found on GHB and French pipes.
I believe that Scots Smallpipes & Border pipes use pretty much the same 1/2 closed fingerings as GHB,
(Uilleann pipes use a different 1/2 closed system)
First, open fingering
means removing each consecutive finger to produce the next highest note:
(x=closed o=open)
Do XXXXXXX
Re XXXXXXo
Mi XXXXXoo
Fa XXXXooo
etc.
Closed, means lifting each individual finger to produce the next tone up:
Do XXXXXXXX
Re XXXXXXoX
Mi XXXXXoXX
Fa XXXXoXXX
etc.
HALF closed mixes the two, basically:
Do xxxxxxxx
re xxxxxxxo
mi xxxxxxoo
fa xxxxxooo
sol xxxxooxx
la xxxoooxx
si xxoxxxxx
do1 xoxxoxxx
re1 oxxoxxxx
for example.
Be aware, that the exact termini are quite often used in different ways! 
-
“Half-closed-fingering” is usually referred to, when talking about modern French-style bagpipes (different Cornemuses, flemish pipes, Schaeferpfeife). It’s basically the same as shown by CHasRs example, but on French pipes, there’s a second thumbhole for the lower hand to play semitones. Maybe important to Your question, since some borderpipemakers (e.g. Jon Swayne, I think) also offer chanters with this kind of “Half-closed-fingering” - better known as “French fingering”
-
“Half-open-fingering” is the same, but usually applied to pipes without a 2nd thumbhole (historic French cornemuses, historic Schaeferpfeifen and historic Gaitas, GHB, SSP). It’s also known as “Scottish fingering”. This would be traditional for Borderpipe-chanters as well. With SSPs, most GHBs and older Borderpipes using this fingering, semitones are usually only possible by half-closing a fingerhole (as shown above). With some modern GHB and most modern BP-chanters, however, at least some semitones are possible via the aforementioned crossfingering!
Be aware, however, that non-Galicians (like us
) call this fingering on the Gaita “half-open”, while Galicians call it “closed” - contrasting to the usual: -
“open-fingering”, found at modern Gaitas, Italian Pive and German Marketpipes (so-called “Medieval-pipes”), also some very old French pipes. Be aware, however, that (explained strongly simplified) German Marketpipes and traditional PORTUGUESE Gaitas have the tonic on the lower-hand PINKIEhole, unlike most other western-European bagpipes with the tonic on the lower-hand RINGFINGERhole!
Confusion complete? 
Considering Your Borderpipes - they could be traditional Scottish-fingered (“Half-open”, without 2nd thumbhole) or French-fingered (“Half-closed”, with 2nd thumbhole). It could be usefull for You to find out, which technique for playing semitones would be easyer to learn for You - crossfingering or 2nd thumbhole. That’s a very individual choice - I, for example, have quite some problems with 2nd thumbhole, while others don’t get used to crossfingering.
Also, French-style borderpipechanters sound somewhat mellower than we’re used to from modern borderpipes - though they seem to be closer again to the sound reconstructions of historic sets achieve!
That’ll keep You busy thinking for some time… 
Mr Swayne’s chanters, if I recall correctly, do not use the RH thumbhole to sound the flatted third, (as is common in Cornemuse du Centre)
but instead use a forked fingering: x|xxx|xoxo|
Swayne’s design is a highly original hybrid of French and Northumbrian half-long (aka 'Border, aka ‘Lowland’) pipes.
RG Hardie GHB chanters,(good ones prior to ca. 1974) when properly reeded, also exhibit these ‘continental’ capabilities
The sound of ‘Border’ pipes vaires widely from maker to maker, imo, and is much more dependent on its respective reed/ bore combination than fingering patterns.
Listen for yourself:
Banton
http://elbowmusic.com/sounds.html
Evans
http://www.evansbagpipes.co.uk/sounds/felton.mp3
Burke
http://www.borderpipe.com/Documents%20and%20Settings/John/My%20Documents/STE-014mp3.mp3
Garvie
http://www.garviebagpipes.co.uk/info/sounds/sounds.html
…not to forget http://www.hamishmoore.com , of course! 
Quite popular are also McCallum’s “Fred Morrison”-BPs: www.reelpipes.com .
And famous UP-maker Andreas Rogge has quite an offer, too:
http://www.uilleann-pipes.de/english/index.html
Be aware, however, that (explained strongly simplified) German Marketpipes and traditional PORTUGUESE Gaitas have the tonic on the lower-hand PINKIEhole, unlike most other western-European bagpipes with the tonic on the lower-hand RINGFINGERhole!
No no no, my Celtic Pastor friend!!!
Bagpipes from Portugal have the tonic in the ring finger hole. They play a non-temperated scale, very similar with a “minor scale”, but not totally.
The drone is tuned in the ring finger hole note.
The “Pseudo-Medieval” german bagpipes can be played with the tonic in the ring finger hole, like all gaitas in Spain, or with the tonic in the pinkie hole. These drones allows to play with this options.
Yes, Luife, that’s what I mean! With the trad. Portuguese Gaita, on the lower ringfinger, You get the tonic of a (more or less) minor scale, exactly as with the German Marketpipes (other than the major or mixolydian tonic You’d get with the other Western European Pipes)! I wasn’t being very accurate in my expressions, though, sorry about that 
And then there are the kind of pipes that can be played with more than one type of fingering. The sign is large fingerholes. A lot of E. European types will work this way. You can play them with open OR closed fingering or any mixed type with equal ease, no difference in the notes produced. (the difference is in the playing style)
My Dear Celtpastor, did you received my bagpipe photos?
Sorry, I didn’t manage yet to make photos of mine 
I’ll try after Eastern… 
I’ve owned a Hamish Moore “reel” chanter, a Garvie “session” chanter, and now a Jon Swayne “Lowland” chanter, all in A, and they finger as follows:
x xxx xxxx G
x xxx xxxo A
x xxx xxox Bb
x xxx xxoo B
x xxx xoxo C
x xxx xoox C#
x xxx ooox D
x xxo xoxo D#
x xxo xxxo E
x xox xoxo (or) x xox xxxo F
x xoo xxxo F#
x ooo xxxo G
o xxo xxxo G#
o oox xxxo A
On some modern big-hole high-pitch GHB chanters o xxo xxxo does not produce high G# but just squeals. On these chanters x oxx xoox is used.