When I’m not playing my chanter I keep my set in a very padded guitar gigbag. Because my chanter has 5 keys situated all around the chanter (rather than in a line all on the same side, like some chanters I’ve seen), I am not sure how I should lay it down when I’m not playing it. No matter how I lay it down, it ends up laying on one of the keys. I worry that it might cause a problem eventually from having the weight of it on a key each time I set it down. The keys are straight, but then curve at the ends, (like this L____ )therefore on the front of the chanter that curved bit is protruding, so I can’t lay it face down, either.
Am I worrying over nothing, and is it okay to lay it down with the weight of the chanter on one of the keys? Should I rotate it and lay it on a different side each time I set it down?
I’ve been laying it so the side facing the bottom of the case is with the weight only being on the direction the keys go when closed (rather than laying it on it’s face, where the weight would be pushing the keys sideways from the direction they are usually pressed). Hopefully that made sense.
Does it really matter how I set it down? The chanter isn’t so heavy, but I just want to make sure on that, since it’s sitting in the case all but 1-2 hours each day.
No real reason to worry about laying your chanter on any of its keys, thus leaving them open for hours, days, YEARS !
If the keywork and springs are well made there should be no problem… more often damage occurs when the set is out of the box.
I did have a small problem with my set when it was just a jumble of parts in a loose case.. I broke a key block but the chanter still has its original keys and springs and they still do their job even after 160+ years!
A soft internally padded box should be sufficient although I did make a partitioned case to stop the parts clanking together.
Some people make a Chanter Sock that they slip the chanter into, and one for any other loose parts.. which would appear to be a good idea.
Thanks Geoff, it’s good to have an opinion from a pipemaker.
I’m not worried about the parts clanking around, because I don’t move the case. It sits in one spot when I’m not using it, and I haven’t taken them outside the house yet. When I do, I’ll be sure to get a case that is better for pipes. I just leave the chanter in the part of the gigbag meant for the guitar neck and I keep the bag and bellows in the larger part, and it stays put on a table at all times when I’m not playing. Good to know it’s fine if it sits on the keys. I figured it would be, but wanted to double check! I really don’t know how I could sit it in a way where this doesn’t happen.
I would defer to Geoff’s advice on this one as i do not have the UP experience but as a engineer I would guess that you would be fine.
One idea that i have used in shipping but it would also work to help with what you are worried about.
Hardware stores, here, sell prefab soft foam insulation for most pipe sizes. I had some left over from some home insulation project. It fits nicely around each chanter, drones, regs. So for shipping or other transport there is no knocking about. Same with storage in a case. Easy to put on and take off.
Also if you still fear gravity’s affect on a key, the foam would help distribute some of the weight away from the key to the rest of the chanter. You could even easily cut out some foam for the key dimentions for a custom fit.
I think I have seen my tutor use something like this as well.
A common practice is to use a length of foam pipe (as in water/plumbing) insulation. You simply cut voids in it where the keys are and bob’s your uncle.
I assume that since they are for highland chanters, they won’t do anything to keep weight off of the keys, which is what I am wondering.
The foam idea sounds good, and I think I have something I can use here. It’s just a foam block, but all I will need to do is cut holes where the keys are on the back of the chanter, and put it on top of that, so the weight will all be supported by the chanter itself, rather than the keys. It will all fit in my bag, too!
It is more like a semi-hard tube with foam inside.
I cut the internal foam and left pieces at the top and bottom to secure the chanter.
I am not sure if it was commercial or home made, but it is obviously made wide enough to take a practice chanter with a decorative sole.
It just happens to fit a keyed uilleann chanter
Bob and Tom are referring to standard U.S. pipe insulation. (I think the 5/8" thick x 1" inner diameter type is what I use.) I swear by it not just for shipping, but for everyday protection within pipe cases.
It’s super-cheap, comes pre-slit lengthwise, and is available at practially any hardware store (in the U.S. anyhow; probably Canada too). The only downside is that it isn’t pretty, but if you really wanted you could wrap it in colorful (wood-grain-patterned?) contact paper.
