I wonder if anyone’s had any further experience of playing or listening to this pipe maker’s handiwork?
I’ve read this thread:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=17133&highlight=jim+daily
With regard to his alternative ideas on regulators/drones, I can’t quite get my head round the concept as decribed on his website
( http://www.uilleann-pipes.com/designphilosophy.shtml )
Any constructive comments anyone?
j.i.
From what I can see, the regulators do not seem to have many keys…and they’re made out of blackwood. Interesting overall design.
He’s got a gallery at -
http://www.uilleann-pipes.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=23
Some crazy looking (read: interesting but out-of-the-ordinary) stuff there, but the sound files on his main page a pretty good.
Cheers,
DavidG
Hi Jay-eye
I was one of Jim’s students at the Piping Centre (the dunce one) and it was always interesting to see what he pulled out of his bag - it was rarely the same thing twice. He is an inverterate tinkerer with the pipes, always trying out new designs and materials. Actually I do not think he has made two sets of pipes the same in all the time I’ve known him.
My particular preferences were for the compact sets he makes - the drones and regulators do not hang out to the side as much, so are less likely to be damaged, my own set of drones were designed to sit on my lap rather than hang down from the bag as per normal.
The keyless regulator system that Jim uses is in essence a drone with a tone hole in it, which when open plays the normal drone note, when covered it then plays a lower note. My favorite was the D/C bass regulator he made (the bass note it produced was lovely - growling away like a foghorn) it also lets you perform the wrist equivelant of thumb strokes on the back D of the chanter.
Contact him if you have any questions - he is very approachable and is happy to talk uilleann pipes.
Welcome to the insanity pages BD!
Does Jim make regulators for his sets in the conventional style?
Hi Joseph
If you mean does he make standard regulators as per normal UPs the answer is yes if you ask him to, but his particular preference is to minimise the number of keys he uses as he thinks that gives greater control over the tuning.
If it is the materials used to make the keys then he has to my knowledge used wood, brass, nickel silver and plastic to make them. I like the blackwood keys from a touch point of view, but this is my preference.
When playing he likes to use chordal accompaniment to the chanter so his drones and regs are set up to play in this style. I admit that when compared to most of the regulator play that I have heard on the UPs (with very few exceptions) his style of play sounds better and more in tune. He normally uses 3 keys on his personal set and with the keyless regulator mentioned in my last post in the set, he could play 6 different chords. This is subject to change of course, his personal set is his test bed for any design changes he may want to make.
Contact him yourself, from the posts of yours that I have read in C&F I think that you and Jim would get along fine.
David
Cool. Thanks. 
It would appear compact drones have much merit when traveling or playing in crowded venues.