Hummelchen and Bagpipe Questions

Bagpipes (Non-Uilleann)
1

Hello!

I’m a passionate whistler who is getting very serious about ordering my first set of pipes, and although I absolutely love GHBs and Scottish smallpipes, and I’d be thrilled to squeeze a set of Uilleann pipes, I’ve been feeling called to other types of pipes and I’ve been looking closely at this particular set of smallpipes built by Mr. Toru Sonoda in Germany that is tuned to Sopranino F - here is a video of these pipes from YouTube:

https://youtu.be/52EqUegIPrU

Does anyone here own a hummelchen in any tuning? I know this sounds incredibly naive, but one of my main questions is that I’m wondering what type of music might be explored on a hummelchen of this type? Although German Hummelchen music is obviously one answer, I haven’t really found many good learning resources (particularly in English), and I wondered if Scottish pipe music could be adapted to these pipes, albeit in a much different key and pitch? To my untrained eyes and ears, the chanter in the video above appears to play a similar range as Scottish smallpipes (again, in a much higher pitch), and I’ve been really curious what Scottish pipes tunes might sound like on these pipes, and if anyone here owns a Hummelchen and could share what types of music fit the instrument well? For example, I’m hoping that many early Northumbrian tunes would work perfectly, as a typical keyless Northumbrian chanter would sound in F (or F-sharpish, I’ve read), although this chanter is open not closed. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I suppose my main concern is that I’ll buy this beautiful instrument, but be left both not knowing how to play it very well and also without much access to traditional tunes that can fit it well… I’m not necessarily a brilliant musician, but I have found that I learn well with clear practice and perseverance, so I could really use a focused approach to learning if I’m going to progress with an instrument. Are there any other Hummelchen players out there (or pipers from any tradition who could offer some encouragement)? Also, can anyone recommend a good instructor who might be able to help me get my footing with the type of pipe I linked above? I’ve been dreaming of starting this piping journey for far too long, I just want to make sure I get a strong start in the right direction… At times I recognize that buying a practice chanter and saving up for a good set of SSPs would be a very logical (and rewarding) approach, there is something about the sound of these super high pitched small pipes that just lights me up (I just need to figure out what type of music I can learn on them)! :stuck_out_tongue:

Thank you all for any support or advice you can offer to a newbie!

2

Hi,
first of all, the sopranino Hümmelchen made by Toru Sonoda is a very special instrument, mostly all other Hümmelchen are pitched a fourth lower, with C as the bell note.
The Hümmelchen as such is designed for Renaissance music, the range being from c’ to d" (c’ being the fundamental), fingering very similar to that of the recorder. You can get plenty of music, even specially arranged for Hümmelchen. For the sopranino instrument however, it would need to be transposed.
It is not suitable for Scottish music, as the full tone below the fundamental is missing - but this is essential in Scottish music. Scottish pipes (no matter what type) have a range of one octave plus one full tone below, while Hümmelchen have one octave plus one tone above. Northumbrian tunes that fit the early type keyless chanter can probably be played, but will sound strange as the typical sound created by tight fingering of the closed chanter cannot be reproduced.
It all depends on what kind of music you want to play - if you love Scottish music, you’ll need Scottish pipes. If you love Irish music, you need uilleann pipes. If you like Northumbrian music, Northumbrian pipes are the way to go. In either case, the Hümmelchen will most probably not make you happy.
If you like Renaissance/early Baroque music, the Hümmelchen is for you. I am not aware of any tutor books, but I think some people are offering Skype lessons - but no idea if they can do it in English language.

3

Hello Michael!

As you have read, I’m an amateur so please forgive my awkward questions to come, but do I understand you correctly that although the Sopranino Hummelchen in this chanter design really isn’t suitable for Scottish music, would a Hummelchen chanter in C, or most pertinently A or D, be better equipped to at least play some basic Scottish pipe tune melodies? I totally understand that the sound in general may be vastly different from traditionally tuned Scottish pipes, but would other Hummelchen tunings be more capable with one octave plus one tone below? Also, I wonder if Mr. Sonoda could design a Sopranino F chanter to play with one octave plus a tone below, as he seems very open to any custom requests or modifications? I suppose my main curiosity now, is just how different the melodies would sound if pitched so much higher, but played on a more suitable chanter with a tone below?

To be totally clear with my intentions, I’m looking for a small bellows-blown bagpipe to (predominantly) sing with, using the drones as harmonic accompaniment, and working up to playing simple melodies to sing with, but I’ve also been hoping to use this same instrument to learn a little traditional music. I play a lot of ITM and Scottish tunes now, but I recognize most ITM is way out of the range of non-Uilleann pipes, but I was thinking about how nice it would be to use Scottish piping resources (widely available and in English) to just further my progression with the instrument in general and, hopefully, blast out some decent (if unrecognizable) melodies… I’m leaning towards the high F tuning because I really like the high pitch, and I find it actually goes well with my voice (several octave lower…)…

Again, any more informed advice is always welcomed! Like I said, my biggest fear is getting a beautiful instrument like this but not really knowing how to play it, and not having access to either teachers or learning resources…

Thank you all!

4

I’ve noticed neo-Renaissance bagpipes being sold that mention being playable with either tonic due to the drone being moveable, I believe like this:

C D E F G A B c d (C Major, with C drone)

C D E F G A B c d (d minor, with D drone)

Indeed Scottish pipe music uses both tonics, though with the same drone note for both keys:

G A B C# D E F# g a (G Lydian, with A drone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Ftkjv5NvA

G A B C# D E F# g a (A Mixolydian, with A drone)

5

Soundwise there is not much difference between Smallpipes and Hümmelchen (actually mostly all narrow cylindrical bore double-reeded pipes sound more or less the sme) - it’s the range, particularly the missing lower second, that makes the Hümmelchen unsuitable for Scottish music, as Scottish music, basic or not, demands for this note. It’s not the pitch either - a Hümmelchen in C is as unsuitable as one in any other key you may think of.
What makes a Scottish smallpipe sound Scottish is not the sound of the instrument as such but the playing technique (for which, again, the lower second is indispensable). It is the same as that for the GHB so you will find plenty of learning resources.
The same goes for Northumbrian Smallpipes - it is the playing technique that makes the unique sound. The sound is achieved by permanent staccato playing which is enabled by the chanter being closed at the bottom - if you would play them open, the sound would be no different from any other smallpipe.
If Mr Sonoda would make you a Hümmelchen in F with a range from e_b_’ to f", this would basically be a Scottish Smallpipe. Scottish smallpipes are common in all keys between A and D, and I would be surprised if some makers had’nt tried other keys as well, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have one in F.

6

Hello,

I don’t know if anyone will see this follow-up to this old post I started, but I went back today and reread this (as I’m getting closer to ordering my elusive dream set of pipes…), and I wanted to ask Michael specifically why it would be that, in his final post, the tone range on a SSP style chanter tuned to F would have eb as the bottom tone? I’m not questioning you in an argumentative way, I’m just pretty naive about music theory, and I interpreted your first post to mean that the range of an F chanter in SSP style would have a full tone below the bottom F, which I would have guessed would be E, not E flat… just wanted to learn more about that if possible.

Also, to anyone more knowledgeable about pipe design, what would be a potential drone configuration if I ordered a set with 3 drones and the chanter is pitched in high F? Just curious what the traditional approach to drone tuning is in Scottish smallpipes (whether in A, C, or D).

Well, thank you in advance to anyone who sees this and takes interest in this old post!

7

Eb is a tone, but E would be a semitone.

Also, to anyone more knowledgeable about pipe design, what would be a potential drone configuration if I ordered a set with 3 drones and the chanter is pitched in high F? Just curious what the traditional approach to drone tuning is in Scottish smallpipes (whether in A, C, or D).

Standard drone configuration for SSP is octaves with the fifth in between, but that can frequently also be tuned to the fourth. So probably F C F (tuneable to F Bb F) for what you propose, but note that high F would be a tiny smallpipe chanter and possibly unplayably small when D is already pretty cramped despite there existing at least one historical example in E.

8

Hello Peter,

Thank you for your reply. Did you happen to see the video of the high F Hummelchen that I linked to in my first post? I’m really curious how a SSP style chanter in high F would differ from this Hummelchen in high F (besides the SSP chanter having the tone below, which I would have thought might mean that the SSP chanter would even be slightly longer to accommodate that) - could you help me understand how a high F SSP chanter would be unplayable, as the Hummelchen fingering in the video looks tight, but adequate? I don’t mean this to sound challenging, I’d really like to learn more about how a SSP chanter might differ from a Hummelchen chanter in design, and if my idea of a high F SSP set is ridiculous (or worse, unplayable)!

Thank you all for any advice!

9

I did, yes.

I’m really curious how a SSP style chanter in high F would differ from this Hummelchen in high F (besides the SSP chanter having the tone below, which I would have thought might mean that the SSP chanter would even be slightly longer to accommodate that)

The fingering is different. As Michael has already told you, the Hümmelchen has a seven-finger tonic and the SSP a six-finger tonic (and also a half-closed system). The finger spacing might be equally tight or it might not be because there’s more than just length involved in producing a particular pitch. But, everything else being being equal, the lowest note of the SSP shouldn’t affect the spacing because it comes from the sounding length of the tube below the fingers.

could you help me understand how a high F SSP chanter would be unplayable, as the Hummelchen fingering in the video looks tight, but adequate?

As you move to smaller SSPs (e.g. from A to C to D), you need to play more and more towards the tips of the fingers to get them all on. On the D, the fingers can feel like they’re touching, as indeed they appear to be on that Hümmelchen. That instrument clearly is playable because it’s being played, but might not be comfortable for everyone.

Also, you say you’ve been dreaming of starting this piping journey for far too long, you just want to make sure you get a strong start in the right direction, but does a tiny SSP/Hümmelchen cross (which would actually require adjustment of multiple holes from the Hümmelchen fingering) really fulfill that brief?

10

Thank you, Peter - I was hoping to get your opinion specifically and I really appreciate your thoughts on this.

Everything you said about the chanter design makes sense, and your final thoughts are especially pertinent…

I briefly owned a set of SSPs in A, and for some reason, I just didn’t like the relatively low tone. This is something I experience in listening to even the best SSP recordings (in A, especially), which is something I can’t really explain as I absolutely love traditional Scottish music. An SSP in C sounds a little sweeter to me, but D also doesn’t do much for me (aurally, even if the music is exceptional)…

Anyway, my goals in pursuing the pipes are pretty unusual I suppose, in that I Iove traditional Scottish music (amongst many other piping traditions) and hope to learn whatever traditional technique and music that I’m capable of, but my true passion is for singing, and I’ve really been seeking a set of pipes to sing with (again, however I’m capable of, and really just for my own solo enjoyment, not as a performance or with others necessarily…), and I just can’t get enough of the higher pitched pipes! To be honest, I feel incredibly drawn to the sound of the French musette de cour, but that really seems to be an especially difficult (i.e. scare and expensive) instrument to pursue, so after considering the remaining world of high pitched pipes (Northumbrian and otherwise), I’m excited to see if a high F SSP/Hummelchen will provide that high pitch I love, with the opportunity to dabble in Scottish music (since Baroque/Renaissance music is not really on my radar at the moment), and traditional Scottish tunes really do light me up!

Haha, this is not meant to be a justification for my upcoming ‘special order’, just an explanation of what I’m hoping to pursue on this piping journey… I have no doubt that I have a lot to learn, but I think I’m going to go for it (if Mr. Sonoda is game), so I’ll post some photos and a sound clip (after I put my seven years of tuning in)…

Thank you all again for sharing your knowledge, it’s been really helpful.

11

Missing the 2nd? So a C Major scale going

CEFGABC

?

12

No, Michael means what he put more clearly before:

13

As Peter wrote - by “lower second” I meant the full tone below the fundamental. In German it is called “Untersekunde”, I unconsciously literally translated this into English.
The range is C-D-E-F-G-A-B-c-d.