Just wondering,
On all the recordings I’ve heard, Liam O’Flynn’s chanter has always sounded very distinct. It’s a great sounding chanter.
For those who have heard, or even had the privilege, of playing it, the concert chanter I mean, how does it sound in real life, live, that is? What is it about his chanter that makes it stand out so differently? Is it the 15mm wide reed?
Or is it just the way it is recorded?
Cheers,
DavidG
It’s the way he plays.
Compare it to how Willie Clancy sounded on it when he had the set on loan during the sixties: here and here for example
Clancy sounding like Clancy and as Flynn says himself, Ennis sounded like Ennis on it. Flynn sounds like Flynn, both face to face and recorded.
Piper can realy make a huge difference. When Mickey Dunne tried my ex. chanter it sounded very much different, much better, richer, mellower ect. then when my friend tried it. It is simply becouse he is so great piper. And it was first time that concert chanter sounded realy nice to my ears, even nicer then superior B chanter which was also in the room.
So Yes, player can make much difference.
Best, AA 
Thanks AA and Mr.
Thanks for the video links too. I notice the chanter had a stop key. When did O’Flynn (or Clancy) change to the no-stop-key top?
I notice from another recent video that O’Flynn now has a wooden chanter top.
Cheers,
DavidG
when I first started playing in the 70’s the people I was listening to, Liam O Flynn and Paddy Keenan and Paddy Moloney, all played Rowsome chanters, I believe. This has always defined for my ear what an uilleann chanter is supposed to sound like. (Of course these three guys sounded very different from each other but nevertheless it gave my ear a range of sounds which sound “right”.)
I got a Rowsome copy back then (by David Quinn) and it’s the only chanter I’ve played all these years. To me it’s “the sound”.