I’m another ignorant person drifting over from the other boards with a silly question: with which part of your body do you actually play the regulators (assuming that’s what the non-chanter non-drone thingies I see in the pictures are called)?
This is a real question, I’ve always wondered.
Sonja
Sonja, if you have been observing the pictures on this forum, you will have seen how the regs and drones are laid across the top of the thigh when sitting down. The UP player then leans on the keys with the edge of the lower hand or wrist to play the regs.
Sometimes during a tune, the particular notes allow the user to play the chanter with the upper hand and take the lower hand off the chanter to play more complicated chords or runs of notes on the regs.
Hope that helps,
Yes, it does. Now I’m only wondering how you guys coordinate your hands and arms 
thanks,
Sonja
Don’t ask, Sonja!!! It only works when you don’t think about it.
hire someone to stand next to you and work the regs 
seriously, though, I haven’t been using my regs all that long. I can only find three notes that have two note reg combinations that sound pleasant with them.
low, B, A, and G.
respectively:
B
X X X X
X O X X
X O X X X
A
X X X X
X X O X
X X O X X
G
X O X X
X O X X
X X X X X
Fortunately I can take my hand off the chanter to play them, but I have real trouble reaching with both hands on the chanter. I also can’t seem to find any good combinations for any other notes. Advice?
Hey, you said it first!
Antaine, do you have Leo Rowsome’s tutor? If not, you will find it appended at the end of the recently published Leo Rowsome collection from NPU. It doesn’t tell you everything about regs, but its a good start.
KevinR noted in another thread that there was a more extensive tutor on regs by Crowley, but this does not seem to be available any more (someone please correct me if I’m wrong on this). He said he got his from Shark in the Morning, but they don’t carry it any longer.
And then there’s the sweat, of course. Did I mention the sweat? And the blood. I guess that’s the sweat and the blood. Oh yeah, and the tears. Definitely tears. So what’s that, then? Blood, sweat, tears … hm, what am I forgetting … oh yeah, and an almost fanatical devotion to the pope.
djm
Well, the “fanatical devotion” bit is 100% on the mark. 
But…, someone on this list told me playing the regs was easy!!
Now i’m all confused..
Everything is relative.
Otherwise, you lwill learn the true meaning of the term “wrestling with the octupus”.
djm
“…fanatical devotion to the pope.” The pope??? djm, either something is drastically wrong with your typing fingers or this was a yoke!? The pope? Love it!!
Elbogo, papal reference is from Monty Python sketch, “The Spanish Inquisition”.
KevinR knows the script and would probably be glad to quote it to you verbatim. Or you could go here and see for yourself:
http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/paulfitz/spanish/script.html
Hope that helps,
djm
Ah, yes: “Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms.” Aside from the red uniforms could almost be a description of a piper?? Well, almost… “a fanatical devotion to the pipes” perhaps… might have added a new dimension to the Inquisition…
I find the most enjoyable and dramatic use of regulators to be a the occassional tap on the up beat… tricky enough in jigs but worth the effort!
Patrick.
The easiest tunes for the regs, for me, are jigs in G that mosey up the scale: Kesh Jig, DonnyBrook Fair; or tunes that hang out on G or D, like the Drops of Brandy. It’s much harder to get the hang of playing a chord against bottom D, you have to hold it very steady in an air, or just thrash out a cran mindlessly, if you want to play the regs against those. Gay McKeon plays just the middle reg’s D against the cran, a nice technique, and it’s the easiest note to tune, you have all those nice drones to reference against.
Second octave chanter playing with regulators are a dream for many. You need one of those reeds that just plays itself, unless you’re Mr. or Mrs. Universe. (Really strong). Whatever you do, listen to everything you’re playing on the chanter and make sure it doesn’t fly all over the place, or your music will go kersplattt!
Don’t forget the bit in the Spanish Inquistion sketch where they torture the nice little old lady. “And now…the comfy pillows! Stab her with the nice comfy pillows!”
Wow! I totally forgot about the nice red uniforms! > drool <
So what you’re saying then, if I understand you correctly, is that, if I feed my reeds more fiber, it will help keep me regulator (?). 
djm
Great One, djm. LOL
I put on a red uniform and played and wow…it works…the regs play themselves for me 'cause I’m just so damn beautiful…
That’s 'cuz … NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!