Hi . I’m new to the pipes. As a musician for the last 20 years this is my ultimate challenge, playing the uilleann pipes. I have a David Daye practise set and after some reed problems I’m now starting to feel confortable with it. My problems are that the second octave is hard to get and maintain and the sound of the chanter is not what I was looking for. Still is a great set, well made and David is a great guy. It’s just my personal taste. I need your help because I want a new chanter.
What can you tell me about Kenneth McNicholls pipes/chanters ?
If you’re fussy about the sound of your pipes, and apparently you are, don’t make the same mistake twice and don’t buy over the internet/from a catalogue. Actively go out and try instruments by different pipemakers. If one gives you the sound you like, that’s the one. Otherwise you’ll be entering into a useless exercise.
You may also consider learning a bit further before you decide the pipes are the problem. Buying a different chanter will not change your ability to hold the octave and my guess is your will find your sound will change considerably once you play a bit longer.
What is the sound you like and what don’t you like about your present chanter?
welcome to the Chiffboard. First, taking your word that you are new to the pipes, it might be a bit early to already move on to another chanter. Probably better to stick to your Daye, develop your skills and meet other pipers to try their instruments and get a feeling for what you are looking for. Is there an established pipemaker near you? This would be your “natural” first choice.
As for Ken McNicholl: I don’t know about his chanters, but I have a set of drones from him and they do the job very well: stable and full-sounding. I think other Chiffers with a chanter of his are satisfied, too.
As for the ebay link: Rubbish. Forget it.
Hi there. Thanks for your usefull opinions. I don’t consider an error have bought the david daye set, it’s the opposite. I think they serve me very well for my purposes, I would recomend it to all my friends. If we search youtube we find so many different chanter sounds that it’s hard to choose. I think you are probably right, let’s practise more, I’m playing things now that I thought were impossible for me two months ago. I live in Portugal were we don´t have uilleann pipers, very, very rare. Some that play the portuguese or galizia pipes say about the uilleann pipes " run from them, they are very hard to play"
The more they say this more do I want to play, I just love them. My wife is going crazy…
thanks
There are makers closer that may be a better option with reeds made in a similar climate. Portugal is alot different to Scotland - i.e you have a bright yellow thing in the sky whereas Scotland has rain
Seriously (and with apologies to Uilliam and BigD for above tongue in the cheek remark) this is a consideration for beginners where it is best to buy from a maker as close as possible
Main thing is avoid Ebay unless the set is by a named maker that is well known and on the NPU makers list(this rules out Geoffrey & Co)
Thanks for all the help. When I think about Scotland I think about that t-shirt! I think David Daye makes a wonderfull job with his sets. He tries to work the reed according to the humidity of the country, in my case just the third reed works properly, after buying two reeds (not working the low D) he offered me the third one, he’s a great guy. I think it was my fault, I live in Portugal but in a region called Algarve where we have 300 days of sun a year (sorry) I noticed that the reed works in a different way in the morning and night. Also noticed that the reed is becoming better everyday. The problem is that I love the sound of Kenneth chanters and others as I’m new to this I don’t know if it is my fault, because even on youtube we don’t find many David Daye pipers, they are mainly begguiners and probably they don’t make justice to David Daye’s work.
Best regards
What I have noticed is that when Chris Bayley and I go over to France each year the reeds we make and finish there in the dry heat of July at the Saint Chartier Festival work better than those made back in the UK. It might be an idea to find someone in your hotter area who can make reeds for you in the climate in which they will be played from the start. Primarily I am thinking of Charles Roberts, who lives in Spain. See if you can get a reed or two from him.
The acclimatisation process is better when it is built into the reed from the start. Ultimately, though, you will have to learn to make your own reeds.
I think David Daye makes a wonderfull job with his sets. He tries to work the reed according to the humidity of the country, in my case just the third reed works properly, after buying two reeds (not working the low D) he offered me the third one, he’s a great guy. I think it was my fault, I live in Portugal but in a region called Algarve where we have 300 days of sun a year (sorry)