Sorry for my English… How many of you use keys on your chanters. Do you find them usefull?
I have one key that I rarely use, C nat, though I wouldn’t buy a chanter without it. As far as the other keys are concerned, it really depends on what you want to do with them.
They make the chanter that much more chromatic in 2 octaves+ than any other style of bagpipe chanter, but just how much of the music for UPs requires this? They look nice, but I am not certain I would use any of them for what I would like to do with my chanter.
It’s a matter of taste, talent and repetoire. 
I have Fnat, Cnat, G#, A# keys. I use them the most in that order. If you cannot afford keys do not worry about them. If you can afford keys, get them all. It will increase the value of your chanter. If you can only afford a couple of keys, choose Cnat and Fnat first.
Usefulness is not the deciding factor in getting chanter keys. Cost of the keys and what you can afford is the deciding factor.
djm
There has been alot of talk of keys on this forum ,but I heard recently that the closed holes of a keyed chanter actually help the tone of the chanter !!
I dont know how true that is but I suppose its bound to affect in some way
RORY
I have Fnat and Cnat.
Don’t use them that often but when I do I use Fnat more, especially after listening to Under the Diamond.
Currently working on how to move smoothly from Cnat (lower octave) to Fnat (second octave) and back again. (And make it sound like music )
David
I have only a Cnat key, which I use a lot. The only time I’ve ever wanted more keys was when my brother came to visit and he wanted me to play along to his tunes - most required heaps of cross fingering that didn’t work very well as I rarely practice cross fingering (A slur to a note is very different to actually holding an even note without wavering above and below pitch).
Generally, I have little use for any other keys and have rarely needed to use cross fingering other than for the occasional Fnat.
Not to worry, your English is perfect. Perhaps, there might even be a piper or two (maybe more?) who could respond in Polish to your questions.
Welcome to the forums Fizzy!
all the bestest!
-JES.
I have 3 on one of my D chanters. C, F, and G#.
I have none on another D chanter that I have and I do feel a little at a loss when I play it.
t
Smilies are very handy when you want to post an intelligent answer,but just can,t think of one
I never have need of them myself!!
RORY
Thanks guys for your help, advise. 
I will ask for all keys (and of course pay for it) on my chanter, i am sure i will need them all.
Hmm, which keys do you want, then? There isn’t really a standard number of keys, some flat chanters have 7, more are possible… Also bear in mind that a particular chanter design may or may not accept that many keys, as they can affect the behavior of the bore a bit. Would you order more keys just “because they are there” ?
Bill
p.s. - more keys == more stuff to leak, I know plenty of players who have removed keys and stuck blu-tack over the holes. They’re great if they’re working properly…
The chanter keys have become important to me. Simultaneously, you should try getting Fnat sounds sans the key as well. 1/2 holing G# is tricky, but plausible. Bb is outa the question for me w/o a key. High Cnat is always a key thing for me. All that said I recently took a Tommy Potts ver of a tune and brought it to the chanter. This would’ve been impossible without keys. The challenge is to make the key usage not get in the way of the music. I’ve never come across a more difficult tune than this particular potts tune in regards to key usage, not to mention all the other elements and I trust i’ll be working on it for years.
Yes.
I haven’t got any keys, not yet anyway, but I find often myself wishing for an F natural key. The way I’ve been told to half hole it feels very weird for a fluter like me. I don’t know if this is the standard way of doing it, but I was told to curl my F finger around the chanter so the hole is half open on the side toward my hand, instead of the side away from it. And open the hole below the F, and lift the chanter off the leg. I’ve been wondering if this is normal or not. It sounds all right when the guy who showed it to me does it, but I haven’t managed to make it sound right neatly yet.
The half-holed Fnat with the curl towards you as you raise the chanter makes an excellently “dirty” F sound. The other way is to slide the F finger away from you while keeping the E open but the chanter down. Both are valid methods. Each has its own character. Learn both ways.
djm
I have seen few chanters in concert D pitch witch can be supported with max 5 keys and i want and really need them - especially Fnat, Cnat, G#, Bb keys.
Fizban
This issue is relevant to the flute as well.
Paddy Keenan told me that it is best to learn to play without keys. It makes your playing that much more supple. I prefer my keyless flute because of the sound. I prefer my keyed flute because of the ease with which I can play F nat and G sharp. I can play these notes on my keyless… just not as clearly.
From a performance point of view that’s true (re. half-holing), but physically, the holes on a UP chanter are so much smaller compared to the tone holes on a flute that half-holing on the chanter is a whole different issue. At speed, half-holing on the UP chanter becomes a question of hitting the note at all, let alone hitting it cleanly.
djm
Wouldn’t the smaller holes make it easier to half-hole?
Is Paddy wrong do you think?