I have been messing with “freehand” reg stuff for a bit now. For some passages of some tunes I have needed to use the left-pinky cheat for (lower octave) F#. It’s a stretch, but it can be done (concert pitch chanter only, mind you).
It occurs to me that a left-pinky F# key would be a handy thing to have on a chanter. I think it makes more sense than some of the other keys that chanters have featured over the years (like third octave keys, or the 1st octave Eb key).
Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you needing the key in places where you’re trying to get a lower note than possible without putting your bottom hand back on?
In which case, your idea wouldn’t work, as you’d need a key to close the open F# hole, so the key would have to be used all the time (even with your bottom hand there) to close that open hole. Opening any other holes would just sharpen things.
I don’t see when you’d ever want to use a key for F# if you have the use of both hands.
There you go, going all “engineer” on us, Nico. But, of course, you are correct about how this key…whose purpose is to close a hole and give a lower note…won’t be of use on a purely part time basis. Thanks for thinking this through for me.
I’ll just have to remove more webbing between my ring and pinky fingers for upperhand F#.
its entirely possible to play lower oct f# with the left pinky whilst simultaneously doing something on the regs with the right hand being competely off the chanter.
Its playing chanter C nat in that position thats really difficult.
its a bit of a twist indeed; & frankly its useful only for the ‘gee-whiz-look-ma’ factor,
unless of course one wants to imitate zampogna on your uilleann pipes.
