okay…all my trying to make my own chanter seems to be going okay, but will need to be into the summer before I turn out something i’m tremendously happy with. basically, my own first steps into reedmaking is what’s been really holding me back. Anyway, here’s the deal…
I embarked upon this journey because I wanted to surprise a harpist/irish music fanatic friend of mine with a practice set for graduation. which means i don’t have the time between now and when i must give it for the r&d required to build my own from scratch. I must, however, also keep cost below $250, and so I’m really in a bind.
I was thinking of buying a practice chanter (perhaps the one on ebay) and fitting it with a bag and bellows I’d build, when I came across this: http://www.harpanddragon.com/uilleann.htm
I’m referring to the one labeled Uilleann Practice Set By Bagpipes Galore. Granted, it’s not Rowsome, but it looks nice and so long as it plays in tune I think she’ll love it and can learn the basics at least.
Does anyone out there have any experience with this? Seen/heard it? I’d be interested to have your input.
sorry…hadn’t thought of that, i thought they were pretty new. alas, daye’s set carries me overbudget AND allows the possibility that I’ll screw it up (REALLY leaving me in a lurch). ::sigh::
You don’t have to buy one of David’s DIY kits. You can get the requisite pieces yourself from various supply shops. You could easily put one together before graduation.
You could also (if you’re brave and willing to lose the money you spend on it) buy one of the practice chanters you see on ebay (pakistani chanter) and rebore/retune the whole stick. You’ll probably end up spending more time than it’s worth, though, and might not even end up with a workable stick.
are they really that badly out of tune? I mean, I’ll definitely take your word for it, but my only experience with a “raw” pakistani chanter was just fine - sounded nice and played in tune (of course, it had a “mystery reed” but it didn’t sound unpleasant). Have you put together one of Daye’s chanters? that would be possible if I could get all the parts for under $50 (tubing and pvc are cheap, and not difficult to cut, after all).
I am somewhat limited in what supplies are available in my area - the only fabric and craft shop sells no leather, I had a thought for the bag and leather on the bellows (I was just going to do them myself to the same dimensions as my own). Has anyone tried using that vinyl imitation leather but laminating the whole inside with duct tape before trimming to a pattern (like house siding). That should make it extremely strong and airtight, no?
look at the bellows for the practice pipes on his link above…they look like something you blow up an inflatable matress with
Christ, I bet it sounds like a kazoo on steroids!
Too bad you cant squeeze out another $250 and get a practice set by Patrick Murray…they’re nice for the price.
take a look at this site: http://www.thepiperscut.com/
give him a call you may be able to work something out on the chanter you should be able to buy the outlets for the bag and the bellows and build them your self. You need to get moving if you intend on having this in completed by the end of May.
well, i figure it’s worth a try before i spend $200 on davy’s bag and bellows kits. what do i lose if it doesn’t work? $20? my main concern is still going to be perfecting my reedmaking in time.
I think Antaine is trying too hard to impress the lady!
But Antaine, you don’t want to rush into this thing with an instrument that may well sound horrible, and perhaps even fall apart. No pun intended. In the long run, she may not like it and you will end up spending a lot of time, effort and money to correct a bad choice. “She” may think you rush into things without considering the outcome. I think if you want to impress her, you should make a more informed decision (by listening to some of the people here) and perhaps by spending just a little more money (in the beginning - not later on)… then someday, if the desire is still there, you can make her a great set of pipes.
If money is a major problem, then buy her a dozen roses for graduation. Spend a little more time exploring your options. Save up a little more money… then buy (or make) her a nice practice set for a later surprise.
I’m not trying to be smart here, just trying to help, for what it’s worth.
I’m making the attempt with the penny chanter instructions regardless. if I can’t produce a working one then the rest is moot, no? Just so as i’m not misunderstood, my plan wasn’t to put the bag together with duct tape (i was going to hand stitch it) the tape was just to make sure it was airtight and add strength.
If i get that far, i will of course try to find leather or heavy vinyl made for that kind of wear first. it was just an idea i was batting around assuming i wouldn’t be able to find the preferred materials…
Why rush into things (wasting time and money) only to have to do it again just to make things work?
Consider this:
Bagpipe companies in Pakistan (with all their tools and experience in GHB’s) have been making Uilleann pipes for YEARS and they still haven’t figured out how to do it properly.
There are probably a handfull of guys who are expert machinists or woodworkers using quality tooling and pipe plans that weren’t successful making a good set of pipes.
I’m not trying to knock the wind out of your sails… but you need a reality check for your expectations. You might not have the money now, but consider taking an odd job to make the money instead of weeks of frustration with trial and error making your own pipes that may end up in the trash… in the end you’ll have the money to buy a real set of pipes from a full-time pipemaker who has already perfected the art of making pipes.
I have heard really really good things about daye’s penny chanter, and have been meaning to try one for a long time. perhaps i will buy his bag and bellows kit, or perhaps i will find just what i need. I dunno, but the penny chanter’s been on my to-do list for awhile.
If you’ve decided to keep the Childress chanter, and you still have the rebored Pakistani chanter by Tim B., shouldn’t that be good enough for the chanter, or have you already gifted it to someone else?
that was my original thought, but the response on it is very poor - it’s loud, and takes alot of air to make a sound. Even though the drones, regulators, bag and bellows from tim are great and work perfectly, the more i play the chanter the less i like it. maybe bruce just spoiled me
While I can play it and it’s in tune, it would be exceedingly difficult to learn on. I decided to throw it in my case as a spare and give something a little easier to play (hopefully). Besides, I’ve always wanted to try my hand at a penny chanter. hey, the last time I was in this kind of mood I build a 29 string lever harp (i love building things: low whistles, harps, violins, longbows, now this…)
Anyone that can make a good pair of shoes can probably make a good bellows or bag. Anyone that can measure, drill, and turn conical parts good enough for NASA can probably make a good chanter. Anyone that can grind a perfectly clear lens for a telescope, or reading glasses, can probably make a perfect reed. Set your standards high…with U-pipes, everything is critical, including the climate. I’ve heard some pipers say that even grade school kids in Ireland can make a good reed with just a utility knife (“it’s not that hard”), but that’s a little misleading.
Who’d want anything less than excellence? Poor pipes is partly why pipers get discouraged, or give up after a few years. Remember, some of the best pipers can’t make reeds good enough for themselves! Paddy Keenan recently told me (after a faultless concert) that if he only had a good reed! I think a lot good pipers have a higher standard than most of us will ever know…to compare things to. Making workable U-pipes isn’t like making a violin, or guitar (which I’ve also made). Tighening a string over a nut, bridge and nice piece of graduated, properly braced spruce is a hell of a lot easier than getting critical tapers right, and coordinated, between chanter and staple/reed.
If Tim redrilled the bore of your Pakistani chanter, it’s probably close to right…the rest of the problem can probably be cured in the reed, or with a new one. If the chanter had not been redrilled, then I can understand the problem better.
Too much air to play and overly loud sounds very much like a reed problem. Perhaps there is a reed-maker local to you that can help adjust your current reed, or make a new reed for your Britton bored pakistani chanter. If it’s a Britton rebored pakistani chanter, it should be a good beginning instrument.
