Recommendations for narrow D chanter / full set designs and makers? Or better yet a well playing full set for sale?
Comments appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
Hey Mike,
Welcome to the forums. You already play any sort of pipes? or completely new when it comes to playing the pipes?
Perhaps you can give some information about what you are looking for and what your intentions are with playing.
There is a huge difference between just playing a chanter (practice set) or a full set. There are also quite a few makers around the world that you could approach
about a set of pipes. Where do you live? One of the advices for getting a set of uilleann pipes is to check which pipemakers are near you and could be of assistance to you.
Perhaps if we know a bit more about you people can direct you into the right directions
Kind regards
My backgroundā¦
15+ piping, started with a David Daye Pennychanter, now playing a 3/4 set, chanter by Charles Roberts, bag/bellows by CJ Dixon, drones and 2 regs by Neil OāGrady.
Interest in a narrow bore D setā¦
- My wide bore (ānormal boreā) set is too loud for playing at home and with my wife (harpist)
- The mellower tone and reducing air flow requirements are appealing.
- A D chanter is without the stretched fingers and difficulties in group playing of āflat pitchedā chanters/sets.
Mike
Donāt presume that the NBD will draw less air or be quieter than a wide bore. As you probably, know, the reed will rule all.
Have you had the opportunity of trying any NBD chanters or sets?
Joe Kennedy makes a nice narrow bore D. So does Geoff Wooff but youāll probably have to wait a year or 20 for delivery.
some weirdness with this thread.i have already posted a reply but it has not come up.anyway apart from the obvious choice of geoff woof,jim carroll of mansfield,nottinghamshire,gb.is a top man.if my post comes up sorry for this repost but jim is a sure fire bet.best,allan.
Geoff Wooff without hesitation. You will find narrow D sets from him available from time to time, perhaps there is still a set listed on the uilleannobession site? Otherwise perhaps Derrick Gleeson?
Thatās the A #1 reason I bought mine; my wife is a harpist also. Works very well playing with her too. The concert-pitch drones sound so good against the harp, and the chanter does not over-power the harp.
Mellower tone for sure, but my Wooff NBD set does not use any less air than my 3/4 flat set (when not using the regs anyway).
Narrow Bore D sets that I have made do come up for sale, perhaps more often than my Flat sets. I would suggest that if you do look for one āsecond handā that ,I think, the later instruments are better due to product developement.
Getting a new set; from me ? Very unlikely. My waiting list is too long . Currently there are 75 names on the list who have requested Full Sets , mostly Flat setsā¦
Due to age and my recent illness I am currently making a Short List of those names for whom I think it will be possible for me to make a set before Iām done. I have no plans to retire but I have to be realistic and so Iām not expecting to be able to work on past my 75th birthday. That gives me 12 years at 3 full sets per yearā¦ perhaps that is optimistic too.
Of the names currently on that short list there is only one who has asked for an NBD!
Good luck with your search,
Geoff.
Another few more uilleann pipe maker that make Narrow bore D is
Andreas Rogge www.uilleann-pipes.de
Brad Angus www.anguspipes.com
Bill Haneman http://billhaneman.ie
Peter Hunter http://www.hunterpipes.co.uk
Cheers
Ferg
I would also suggest Derrick Gleeson.
- My wide bore (ānormal boreā) set is too loud for playing at home and with my wife (harpist)
- The mellower tone and reducing air flow requirements are appealing.
- A D chanter is without the stretched fingers and difficulties in group playing of āflat pitchedā chanters/sets.
I would suggest you consider set up. Not all wider concert pitch sets are foghorns ( consider Joe Kennedy as a mid bore alternative maybe?).
Ideally a NBD gives you a tonal palette similar to a flat set, not necessarily a very quiet chanter. My own NBD is considerably louder than my flat set.
NBD does not automatically mean less airflow than a well set up WBD.
The stretch of a flat chanter is not much of a problem, I think. Group playing and flat sets? Pretty much depends on the group.
Above all I would say you shouldnāt go into this on hearsay: try find an opportunity to try, hands on, a set by the maker youāre going to order from to see if it is what you hope it to be.
David Daye makes a nice cheap NBD - check out his apartment chanters. He makes great stuff if youāre on a budget.
Joe Kennedy makes a narrow bore D chanter that is quite good, according to Joe!
So many think it possible to set up a concert D set to be considerably quieter and draw less air. āThe reed rules all.ā Iām pretty skeptical. Sure the reed opening or closing the reed, and thinning down the lips will affect volume, for sure. But the size of the reed is determined by chanter bore and the size of the resonant cavity is a fixed and crucial determinant of sound intensity.
Can anyone give a typical bore diameter for NBD vs WBD chanters?
Iāve tried to tone down the volume (sound intensity) of my drones, without much luck. The chanter reed Iām using now in my Charles Roberts chanter is pretty closed off right now and playing well and in good tune, well maybe not perfect on high D What else can you do to lower air flow and sound intensity? You canāt make a smaller reed, can you?
Mike
- My wide bore (ānormal boreā) set is too loud for playing at home and with my wife (harpist)
- The mellower tone and reducing air flow requirements are appealing.
- A D chanter is without the stretched fingers and difficulties in group playing of āflat pitchedā chanters/sets.
I would suggest you consider set up. Not all wider concert pitch sets are foghorns ( consider Joe Kennedy as a mid bore alternative maybe?).
Ideally a NBD gives you a tonal palette similar to a flat set, not necessarily a very quiet chanter. My own NBD is considerably louder than my flat set.
NBD does not automatically mean less airflow than a well set up WBD.
The stretch of a flat chanter is not much of a problem, I think. Group playing and flat sets? Pretty much depends on the group.
Above all I would say you shouldnāt go into this on hearsay: try find an opportunity to try, hands on, a set by the maker youāre going to order from to see if it is what you hope it to be.[/quote]
I recently acquired a Joe Kennedy NBD chanter. Very nice sound. Iām very pleased with it. Doesnāt seem to require much air either.
He was making a batch recently.
You should touch base with him.
Kyle 
Iāve tried two different models of narrow bore D chanters from Joe, and I think heās settled on a third model now, thatās slightly different again. The two models I tried were Kenna and Taylor based, and the Taylor based one was especially nice - very like a good B chanter.
I also have a āmedium boreā D chanter from him that is nice, but I think heās moving away from making those as he wasnāt happy with the compromise.
I donāt just think so, Iāve done it: Iāve got a Rogge chanter (currently for sale 
) that can be made quiet enough to play in hotel rooms, just by sliding the bridle down, without any particular compromise in response. And Rogge is not exactly known for quiet chanters, though he does offer NBD chanters nowadays (my chanterās actually his entry-level plastic model, emphatically not narrow-bore). His reed design, with long parallel blades and a sliding wire bridle, is just particularly easy to adjust that way.
Drones can definitely be made quieter, e.g., by using synthetic rather than cane reeds, or shimming the bore with a slit drinking straw (the latter also flattens them, however). Also, Iāve recently had the experience that some tubes of drone cane produce much quieter reeds than others; itās a highly variable material.
None of this is to argue against getting a NBD set; Iām just saying that you definitely can make a standard D set quieter depending on your reed, and on your willingness to experiment, adjust, and even make your own reeds.
Regards,
Mick